Doof's most favourite things

One thing I can never say of my baby is that he's predictable (except when it comes to One Direction songs, then he's lovelovelove no matter how often he sees them). Give him a toy one day and he'll love it. The next day, so so. The next, no interest. 

There are however a few objects that he remains passionate about - that he will always play with, make a beeline for - and however many times I pick him up and move him somewhere else he will always crawl back to these favourites...

My hairbrush

I really have no explanation for this. It's sharp and pointy with hundreds of pokey bristles and it's covered in hair. I can't believe it tastes nice... yet he keeps trying to eat it. Ugh.

"Mmmmm yummy"

Pedalbin

Ok this one I can understand a bit more, even if its very frustrating for me. The bin is shiny silver, has a lid you can open and shut and an inside removable portion (a bit like his stacking cups). However it also has a hinge perfect for trapping little fingers, usually contains (no surprise here!) rubbish and is not something I'd like to have him sucking on...

"Ooo shiny! And there's another Doofy!"

Doors

I think this is a universal favourite of babies. Open close open close ad infinitum. Unfortunately as D is now standing but not yet walking unsupported, he has reached that awkward age where he will stand holding onto an open door, start pushing it shut whilst still holding on but then not be able to keep up with the speed of the door as it closes... with consequent baby-splat on the floor :(

"The best thing about this door is that it's right next to a plug socket - two for one!"

DVD bookshelf

I think this should be on every essential-things-for-parents-of-a-baby list. Who would have guessed that Doof would spend many happy hours pulling all the DVDs off the shelves one by one and then trying to replace them? Not me for sure but it's true :) so my top tip is - next time you need 5 minutes of peace (whether to eat, sleep, clean the house - your call) put your little one in front of a stack of shelves stacked with DVDs. Then enjoy the quiet. Make sure you have secured the unit to the wall though as the last thing you want is a squished baby :(

 

"Can we watch this one?"

Plug sockets

I think it's the whole "forbidden fruit" thing. And that fact that they're at eye level when crawling, have exciting little holes to poke and look a bit like light switches that he is allowed to turn on/off. Anyway he's now taken to turning to look at me when I say 'no' and giving a big grin. Whilst continuing to touch the plug socket of course... 

"No mummy, I wasn't just playing with that socket, honest"

The little things

Sometimes it's nice to worry about the little things - either because it distracts you from the big things or because you're super lucky and don't have any.

Here are 3 of my current "little" worries:

1. That using this bath chair is going to reduce the likelihood of me ever being a grandmother - have you used one? Doof ends up more and more slouched until his bits are in rather a squidged position... #iwantgrandchildren

2. What do i clean first after a meal - Doof or the highchair tray? If I clean him first then within a nanosecond he's re-smeared his hands in the dirty tray. But if I clean the tray first then he always manages to re-dirty it with his hands/face before I manage to clean them... #needtohave8arms #octomum

 3. That i may be permanently damaging my baby by letting him watch tv. Current studies suggest I am... But if he *does* watch tv then which is worse - mindless children's programmes on Nick jr/CBBC or music videos on MTV? Everyone says music is good for babies and their development, rhythm, motor skills etc. But does that still hold true if it involves watching Robin Thicke prancing up and down surrounded by half-naked girls...? 

The joy of the "little things" is you can chop and change them whenever you like, even daily if you want. So they are guaranteed to never stress you out for too long. As a general rule, if you've been worrying about them for more than 3 weeks they've probably turned into a "big thing"...

So what are yours?