Understanding Your Baby: The Period of Purple Crying Program

The Child Advocacy department at the award-winning Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida offers yet another resource to support families and keep babies safe from harm.

And its name has nothing do with your baby’s coloration.

The Period of PURPLE Crying program was created to help parents understand the stage of a child’s life when babies cry around the clock, or so it seems to bleary-eyed moms and dads.

The acronym PURPLE helps parents better anticipate and understand this stage of an infant’s life. The word “Period” is important because it tells parents that it is only temporary and will come to an end.

A research-based education program developed by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, the Period of PURPLE Crying program provides parents with a booklet, an app or DVD (available in multiple languages), a 10-minute video on crying and a 17-minute video on soothing.

Increased infant crying is normal in the first four to five months of a child’s life. It doesn’t always mean there’s something wrong with your baby. Rather, infant crying is a normal behavioral developmental stage for all babies.

In the first month, babies begin crying, which increases until peaking in the second month and then occurs less often by 12-16 weeks of age.

Parents love the app because of the tracker that tracks baby’s crying, sleeping, feeding (both bottle and breast-feeding), diapering and growth. Parents can also create user profiles for anyone caring for their baby to share access to the app content and help track their baby’s development.

For more information about the Period of Purple Crying program, call Julie Noble, MM, CPST, a child advocate at Golisano Children's Hospital at 239-343-5224.