Small Brits

As a developmental psychologist, I am always observing babies, parents, and small children.  First day in Southampton, I saw two toddler-types on leashes.  I have occasionally seen this at home, but never two in one day.  I have seen a few more since then, but it clearly is not the every-day-way to handle toddlers.

From the first days, I saw lots of babies and small children in prams with pacifiers.  What is a pram anyway?  There have been a few old-fashioned buggies, but mostly I see extravagant high-end strollers.

Actually, I have seen lots of babies.  At first I thought there might be some sort of mini-baby boom.  But I know that the data indicates otherwise.  I think that there are two explanations – first, mothers get a year parental leave with partial pay, so they are able to be out and about with their infants.  And second, getting out seems to be usual – whether it is to “air” the baby, or to run nearby errands on foot. 

Since then I have seen babies in front and back packs, facing front and facing back, on moms and dads.  But mostly, babies are in prams pushed by mothers. 

We saw a mother on the bus today with a pram and a child of about 4.  She kept telling the 4-year-old not to sit on the steps up to the second level, and he kept going back to do so.  Her penultimate strategy was to point to the on-board surveillance camera and tell him that he needed to behave because the camera was watching.  And for the final strategy, as parents everywhere, she let him play with her phone.