Would you take your baby to a music festival?
Loyiso Madinga did.
Well, okay, he took a baby bot – but it’s only a matter of time before we see those things as one and the same.
The Wi-Fi-enabled #BabyBot can do just about everything a real baby does – it cries and needs regular nappy changes.
In fact, the baby was designed by TBWA Hunt Lascaris to be loud, demanding and “shows complete disregard for your personal time, sleeping patterns and social life”. So there’s hardly any difference.
Funny man Madinga says he survived nonetheless.
The Wi-Fi-enabled #BabyBot can do just about everything a real baby does – it cries and needs regular nappy changes.
“I survived. It was awful. Don’t have kids and try to do free people things. I get to choose my overseas travel now.
“Where can I go where I’m least likely to bump into a baby?”
The initiative was on behalf of Flight Centre Youth & Adventure, formally known as Student Flights, who wanted to convey the message that it’s better to travel when you’re young and unencumbered.
Madinga agrees, saying children are a responsibility not to be taken on lightly.
Ann Richardson, co-author of parenting books Toddler Sense and Baby Sense, says babies should not be exposed to the world before six weeks or the first vaccination. Even then it’s imperative to understand that a newborn baby has a weak immune system and is at risk of serious infections with little signs, other than fever, to gauge the severity.
If you are taking baby, here is what she recommends you pack:
- Wet wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Bottled water (plenty of it)
- Rehydrate solution
- Earplugs
- Paracetamol
- Vaseline
- Extra muslin blankets: they can be used for anything from sunshade, swaddling blanket, mop-up cloth, picnic blanket
- Sunhats/winter beanies
- Steri tabs and an empty 2L ice cream tub in case a clean, sealed unit is required to clean baby stuff
- Insect repellent
- Small spray bottle filled with water/dishwashing liquid to clean surfaces
- Plenty of empty plastic bags
- Food/snacks packed into separate zip lock bags for each child for each meal.