There comes a time in one’s life the need to just let go…say goodbye to your stresses, your worries, your commitments, all those nagging deadlines and busybodies demanding this and that, just say to hell with it and break loose.  I share this sudden personal revelation with you since Just Dad was supposed to watch me for ten minutes whilst Mum gave annoying Big Sister a bath..AND…wait for it, he’s fallen asleep, something about a long day and too many patients..yeah yeah Dad some people have it soo rough. You spend your whole day being fed pureed something or the other, watching a purple dinosaur saying he loves me, forcefully being made to nap, so Mum can have an hours rest..look I could go on, but life’s tough when your one and three quarters.

Anyways I digress, whilst I was watching Just Dad curled up on the couch, snore fest exemplified, I discovered a broken pole in the play pen..EUREKA..all I have to do is unscrew…shhhsshh..too much noise, shall wake up Dad..and holy crickets I’m free. I feel like that character in Shawshank Redemption, I’m free, I’m free. Wait enough dwelling in the moment, must make use of this new found freedom..OH GOD..can’t decide..where should I go??!!!! First all let me go and press as many buttons and lights on the T.V as I can ..I’ve been wanting to do that for ages..right where too next. This is so much fun. I scoot off in the direction of Mum’s office, woooah….what just happened, fell flat on my face, tripped over Big Sister’s Barbie, that kid is always lying things around, someone could seriously get hurt, thank god I have Batman like reflexes. But my nose, where I banged it does hurt a bit…should I stop and cry..hmm..no that would alert my imprisoners, and there goes my delicious opportunity to explore.

On with the journey, lets scoot into Mum’s office, I breathe in the smell of jasmine mingled with baby powder, with a hint of my breakfast vomit, which I aimed right at her face, yep..Mum’s been here. Right look at all those colour coded files of all her articles and research. Mum’s a writer, not sure what that is as yet since I’m still deciding whether I should learn to read or not. So let me just pull all those files out, oopps did that marked Very Important one just accidently tear, Mum wasn’t reading that anyways. Wow. Permanent markers, I always wanted one of those, but THEY never let me near one, first let me take the lid off, just put it in my mouth for a bit, YUK that lid tasted gross, now let’s just go crazy, do some scribbling on the walls, across Mum’s desk, maybe all over those degree plaques she has..hey its permanent marker Mum, you’ll never get this stuff out..my penmanship is permanent. Something’s beeping on Mum’s laptop..hmm should I respond to that, wait she’s got a half written article opened up …let me just add a few more touches to it, bash the keyboard a few times..hey why did it just konk off, is that normal. Oops is that Mum I hear screaming…”WHERE’S THE BABY”…I hear running, they are hunting me down, should I hide..HELP!

Why do babies vomit so easily?

In children the  gag reflex is the natural, instinctual contraction of the throat muscles to something touching the soft palate at the back of the throat except during normal eating and swallowing. This reflex helps protect our airways and keeps us from choking. In some children, this reflex is so very sensitive that it’s active even during eating, and when food touches the soft palate it can trigger such a forceful gag that it causes the child to vomit.

Why are toddler’s curious about their environment?

Children learn by exploring their environment. But their exploring should happen in safe places and in ways that help them learn. As you see your child begin to discover her world, keep these ideas in mind:
·    Exploring is normal and important for children to do.
·    Exploring is one of the first steps in learning about objects and in learning how to solve problems.
·    Children are fascinated about how things work, what they look like from the inside, and how they are made.
·    Skills like pulling up, standing, crawling, walking, climbing, and running help children explore and test their environment.

Why buy a playpen?

A playpen gives you a safe space to keep your child while you answer the door, catch up on a little housework, or get yourself ready for work. Some experts feel that playpens can restrict children, and in the past they have been overused. However, the design of your house, or your circumstances at home, may mean you occasionally need somewhere safe to place your baby for a short period of time. In these situations, a playpen can be really useful. A playpen comes into its own when your child is just beginning to crawl at about six months or seven months. However, it's a good idea to buy a playpen before your baby's moving around too much, so she can get used to it.

Text by Mayuri Jayasinghe