Yorkton’s Family Resource Centre, in partnership with KidsFirst and the Westview United Church, launched a new program February 23 called Handle with Care to help new parents with the early infancy of their child. It deals with the period of purple crying PURPLE is an acronym for Peak of crying, Unexpected, Resists soothing, Pain-like face, Long-lasting and Evening. The idea is that it is natural for young babies to cry and focuses on dealing with it with “gentle touch.” Ladies from the Westview United Church knitted tuques for the infants as a visual reminder that this phase of crying will not last forever. Each participant in the program also receives a beautiful photo of their child by Lasting Imprint Photography. The program is also designed to draw attention to Shaken Baby Syndrome, which can cause severe brain damage and even death. There are no reliable statistics for Canada, but a U.S. study indicates approximately 30 babies per 100,000 children under the age of one suffer from the syndrome and it is the leading cause of death in child abuse cases.
