Big buggy, little baby

Our children range from 28 to 35 years old so it’s been a while since we had to pay any attention to the tech associated with bringing up baby. It has certainly changed. Buggies are bigger, and have coffee cup holders. Car seats have airbags and rotate through 180 degrees with complex locking mechanisms. Women can get individual pumps that sit on each breast and "download" milk whilst you get on with other things. Sterilising is done in the microwave or using dedicated steamers. Nappies have wetness indicators that turn blue when a baby has filled them up. Baby bouncers have built in music centres and ambient sound devices. And of course crackly baby monitors with sound only are a thing of the past;  high definition cameras now alert you to baby’s movements and send live video feed to your smartphone.

But a baby is still a baby. And mums still end up sleepless and worn out. So tech definitely has its limits - in fact some people argue that a lot of stuff doesn’t really work, makes parents competitive and can cost a lot of dosh

Little Miss A looks tiny in this chunky buggy but she enjoyed her trip out to the local shops on a sunny but cold day (temperature today was half that of Saturday). We met her grandma from work and walked back along the canal. This after a busy day of odd jobs but also a lot of time for reading. I am thoroughly enjoying my latest book which could be a Booker long list contender. Now that’s what we need. Kindles for babies …