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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah baby died of shaken baby syndrome in September, and a group committed to educating young parents gathered Wednesday to knit baby caps for the campaign.
Police arrested the mother's boyfriend in the death of little Aliyah Wild who was allegedly killed as a result of shaken baby syndrome. The CLICK For Babies group gathered at the Anderson-Foothill Library to help spread prevention for shaken babies.
The "click" stands for the clicking knitting needles as the group typically knits baby caps to help raise prevention. The hats are traditionally purple to represent the period where babies turn purple while crying.
"If we can normalize that crying and parents know it's Ok to be frustrated, but it's not Ok to shake your baby or abuse your infant," said the international program coordinator for the Period of Purple Crying, Jamie Justice.
According to The ARC, an organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, researchers estimate that between 600 and 1,400 American children suffer severe or fatal head trauma from shaken baby syndrome every year.
Organization leaders were hoping for 2,000 baby caps in 2013, but as the bags arrived, spilling purple knitwear, they discovered Utah volunteers had made more than 5,000.
Lynn Price told members of her Latter-day Saint Relief Society about the Click for Babies program and several women knitted caps for the cause.
"Every time, we read in the paper about a baby that's been shaken and injured, well, it just breaks your heart," Price said. "And anything we can do to help change that, I think we need to do."
- P - Peak of Crying. A newborn typically cries the most during the second month of life
- U - Unexpected. You may not know why the baby is crying
- R - Resists Soothing
- P - Pain-like face. When the baby is likely not experiencing pain, its face may reflect pain
- L - Long-lasting
- E - Evening. This is when many infants cry the longest
Knitters and crocheters added their talents to help raise awareness. Suzette Cannon, the owner of The Wool Cabin, said she makes the initiative a year-round commitment.
"We do a lot of baby hats in our stores and so, it, was the perfect fit to have our store be a drop-off place and then, I told them, 'I'd love to offer a discount for people that wanted to buy purple yarn,' " Cannon said.
Once volunteers attach labels and separate the caps based on gender, the caps go to participating hospitals.
"As nurses are educating families about the normal infant crying, they are also given these purple caps to remind parents that it is this normal period in a child's life," Justice said.
Volunteers said the need for education to stop shaken baby syndrome is increasing.
