Crafters join the expanding Period of PURPLE Crying® campaign in Florida to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma
THE VILLAGES – This season, the Southside Looming Plus Club donated 300 purple handmade booties and caps to parents involved with the Period of PURPLE Crying® program administered by Prevent Child Abuse Florida, part of the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida. The program educates new parents and the general public about ways to soothe a crying baby to prevent Abusive Head Trauma to infants, also known as Shaken Baby Syndrome.
The Southside Looming Plus Club, founded by President Amy Donato from the Village of Marsh Bend, is a yarn crafting group with a heart. The organization knits, crochets, and looms items to donate to veterans, children’s charities, and other groups they feel strongly about. They have made hundreds of hats, blankets, scarves, booties, and other items intended for premature infants, newborns, toddlers, students, veterans, and chemotherapy patients.
The counties closest to the Looming group that are participating in Period of PURPLE Crying are Orange and Hillsborough. Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Duval counties have also begun to participate in this initiative. The club is hoping to expand its efforts and the Period of PURPLE Crying program itself into Sumter County.
“We chose to support the PURPLE program because we heard there was a need. We reached out to Prevent Child Abuse Florida, the agency coordinating the program’s efforts in Florida, and we felt we could really make a difference with our donations,” said Southside Looming Plus Club Chairwoman of Purple Yarn Lucille DiPasquale from the Village of Monarch Grove.
The Period of PURPLE Crying is a program dedicated to teaching new parents about the phase of a baby’s development where there is more crying than usual. During this time, babies may cry for no reason and for long periods of time while resisting soothing. The initiative aims to provide families with education about healthy ways of coping with their baby’s crying without shaking the infant in frustration.
The PURPLE program was created by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome in 2007 with the goal of supporting caregivers and preventing Abusive Head Trauma to infants. The program’s name serves as an educational tool for parents and caregivers. The term “Period” indicates that the phase of increased crying will have a beginning and an end. It reassures parents that this phase will not last forever. The acronym “PURPLE” stands for:
· P - Peak of crying: Your baby may cry more each week, the most in month 2, then
less in months 3-5.
· U - Unexpected: Crying can come and go, and you may not know why.
· R - Resists soothing: Your baby may not stop crying no matter what you try.
· P - Pain-like face: A crying baby may look like they are in pain even when they are
not.
· L - Long-lasting: Crying can last as much as 5 hours a day, or more.
· E - Evening: Your baby may cry more in the late afternoon and evening.
This first batch of donations has already begun to make a positive impact for Florida families. Hospitals, home visiting agencies, and community partners in participating counties are giving the knitted caps and booties to families welcoming new babies along with coaching and support about how to cope with a crying baby.
“While caring for a new baby can be stressful, knowing in advance that a phase of increased crying is normal can help parents know what to do,” said Period of PURPLE Crying Project Coordinator for Prevent Child Abuse Florida Shelby Garner. “Every time a parent dresses their new baby in one of these purple handmade gifts, it helps to remind them about the tips they learned with the PURPLE program. We sincerely appreciate all these donations from the Southside Looming Plus Club, and we are excited to continue our partnership with them in the new year.”
To learn more about Florida’s Period of PURPLE Crying initiative, visit www.PreventChildAbuseFL.org/purple.
The Southside Looming Plus Club continues to craft purple hats, booties, and lap blankets in support of the PURPLE program. They depend on donations of yarn to continue crafting their items. Purple yarn is rarely donated, so it is often purchased by their members. The club is currently seeking donations of the following brands of yarn in shades of purple: Big Twist, Red Heart, Lion, Caron, Bernat, and Wool Ease. Anyone wishing to donate may drop it off during their club meetings at the Arcadia Room, Everglades Recreation, on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 1-3 p.m. They also welcome new members. To learn how to get involved in this effort, please email Chairwoman Lucille DiPasquale at lucille.dipasquale44@gmail.com.
The Southside Looming Plus Club members are advocates for child abuse prevention and often wear or display blue and silver pinwheels, which symbolize healthy, happy childhoods. With Child Abuse Prevention Month coming up in April, partners around the state will also be showing their support for healthy, happy childhoods by displaying these pinwheels.
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About the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and Prevent Child Abuse Florida
The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida is a private nonprofit that identifies, funds, supports, and tests innovative programs to improve the life outcomes of children, preserve and strengthen families, and promote healthy behavior and functioning in society,
recognizing that the wisest money spent is on prevention. Using proven evidence-based strategies, programs focus on improving educational achievement; improving maternal and child health outcomes; promoting health, nutrition, and physical activity; building strong families; and helping keep communities drug-free. Learn about the Florida Children's Initiatives and Innovation Initiatives on the website.
The Ounce of Prevention Fund administers Healthy Families Florida, a nationally accredited voluntary home visiting program proven to prevent child abuse and neglect by building on family strengths to promote healthy child development and family self-sufficiency. The Healthy Families Florida program has helped thousands of children by empowering parents with education and community support.
The Ounce of Prevention Fund also houses the Florida chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. The chapter implements primary prevention activities and advocates for policies and initiatives to strengthen Florida's families and communities so children can grow and develop through healthy, safe, and nurturing experiences. A major focus for the chapter is the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign in addition to the Period of PURPLE Crying campaign.
To learn more about the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the safe infant sleep materials, water safety campaign, the team's Research, Evaluation, and Systems capabilities, and Training Institute opportunities, visit www.ounce.org.
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