Purple Period of Crying

The Period of PURPLE Crying was developed by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (NCSBS) with the purpose of educating parents about the normalcy of infant crying and the dangers of shaking an infant.

Research shows that frustration with an infant's crying is the number one reason a child is shaken, primarily because people don't understand the that it is completely normal for infants to cry without cause, and that it is a phase most healthy infants go through.

The Period of PURPLE crying is an acronym for:

P--Peak of crying. The worst crying tends of occur around 2 months of age and decline from 3-5 months

U--Unexpected. The crying often come on and stops for no apparent reason.

R--Resists soothing. The baby is often difficult to soothe.

P--Pain-like face. The baby may appear to be in pain even if they are not.

L--Long-lasting. The crying may go on for several hours a day.

E--Evening. The baby often cries more in the late afternoon or evening.

For more information on the Period of Purple Crying, please visit www.purplecrying.info. For more information about Shaken Baby Syndrome, please visit www.dontshake.org.