Gd morning everyone!! My hubby working late so came in while waiting for him to b back.
So I c dat today's topic is on this har? Cactus, sorry & hope u dun mind, need to borrow your postings

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1. "Some pple have more than 1 child to look after, no help at all, or elderly grandparents look after with no maid, so put into jumperoo, playpen, walker, etc"
I SUPPOSE I'M FAMOUS HERE FOR PUTTING ATHAN IN JUMPEROO MIN. 3 TIMES A DAY(NO TIME LIMIT BUT I'LL TELL HIM B4 I CARRY HIM OUT) SINCE HE WAS 6MTHS. I GUESS U MIGHT B SHOCKED AT THE SCHEDULE I'VE POSTED BELOW FOR THESE "FREEDOM-RESTRICTED" EQUIPMENTS.
Reason for putting Athan in Jumperoo was so that he has some form of exercise cos hubby was afraid of him being overweight. Athan loves his jumperoo & will stare at it whenever he's back fr any outing, then "eh eh" & bending his body over indicating he wants to jump in it. I have both the traditional walker & modern one but dun intend to give yet cos PIL's place not very convenient for him to zoom/pushwalk around. At the moment, it's just bumbo seat & jumperoo. Let me share wif u my schedule for these 2 items in a day.
9.00am Jumperoo(his morning exercise while I prepare his breakfast)
9.10am High Chair for his breakfast & continues to sit there until I finish my bf & have cleaned up the table & dishes.
9.30am Bumbo Seat wif toys in front or Sit on sofa wif my FIL while I handwash Athan's laundry.
12.30pm Jumperoo after he wakes up fr nap (while I prepare his lunch)
1.00pm Sits in high chair for lunch & until I'm done in the kitchen.
1.30pm Sits on mattress wif me for "Reading time" & tummy time
4.30pm Jumperoo/Bumbo wif toys while I do hsework/watch tv/surf net.
5.00pm Sits/tummy time on mattress ALONE wif toys while I sit by the side & observe.
7.00pm Jumperoo while I prepare his dinner
7.15pm High Chair for dinner
7.40pm Bumbo Seat wif toys while hubby & me have dinner
8.00pm Sit/tummy time on mattress wif hubby/me
From the above schedule, I seriously feel that Athan is not as fortunate as your precious Matthew to have caregivers 24/7 around him.
MAY I ASK IF MATTHEW MAY BE LEFT ALONE IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT TO EVEN PLAY FOR 1MIN WHILE THE CAREGIVER/S VISIT THE LOO?
DOES ANY1 HAVE TO STAY BESIDE MATTHEW WHILE HE NAPS?
2. "For me, I don't believe in a playpen, or anything that limits my boy's freedom. He doesn't sleep in a cot. he's been sleeping on the floor since birth. He has the freedom to roam everywhere."
SAME HERE, ATHAN HAS NEVER SLEPT IN A COT/PLAYPEN, ONLY BOUNCER(stopped @ 6mths) & MATTRESSES BUT THAT'S COS OUR MATTRESS IS ON THE FLOOR TOO SO EASIER FOR ME TO ATTEND TO HIM WHEN I WAKE UP AT NITE (maybe I'm a parent who doesn't want to think too much or kill my brain cells over unnecessary stuff!).
3. "I don't know if it's a horrible thing to do.. hehe. I get my maid/my dad to put Matthew into his highchair or stroller with toys if they have to be away for a moment."
With regards to the above posting, it's not a horrible thing that u/Matthew's caregivers do but IT'S A SAD THING FOR YOUR PRECIOUS MATT. I really feel sorry for him that the adults r already confusing him at such a young age. (Maybe u 1 2 consider wat'll happen if this continues till Matthew gets older.) Fr a child psychological point of view, things have to b very straightforward for a baby, they DUN LIKE SURPRISES/CONFUSIONS as this WILL DISRUPT THEIR SCHEDULES/EXPECTATIONS (I'm sure u've read abt this fr your abundance of parenting knowledge).
Cos I din want Athan to b even confused as a baby, I make it a point to let him know Jumperoo is strictly for b4 meals or when we get home fr outings, Bumbo is strictly for after meals, High Chair strictly for meals & strollers/carriers r strictly for outings, mattress in living room is strictly for sitting/tummy time & mattress in bedroom is strictly for sleep/nap. So wherever I place him, he knows & will react accordingly. As u saw Athan during RP lunch that day, he could sit in the stroller until it's time for lunch then he'll "shout" for me to carry him out.
I feel that wif this arrangement that I've had wif all the equipment "that limits my boy's freedom", Athan is able to b independent as well as having sufficient human interaction wif us. I'll continue wif this arrangement as long as he's happy.
I'm not a perfect/wonderful mummy so I've read a few books/surfed websites for parenting advices but I take all these wif a pinch of salt as I'm not really a sucker for rules, I will normally "modify" these advices according to Athan's needs & as long as he is happy, I'll stick to my arrangements.
MUMMIES HERE, REMEMBER!! DO WAT YOUR BABY LIKES AS LONG AS IT'S SAFE, NOT IMPOSE UNTO THEM WAT U OR YOUR FAMILY LIKE. (Sad to say, I'm still learning this too but still have to keep trying.
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Pai say for long post.
Cactus, no offence but just my humble opinion.