Occupation therapy

George had his second round of injections last Friday, which made his bank holiday a little miserable. At bedtime he has been particularly whingey and not his usual self, so it has been slightly more difficult to keep him entertained and occupied.

The usual tricks have lost some of their impact. I might have mentioned that George discovered the TV, but since then someone has told us about the Baby Channel and this seems to impress George even more – his arms bounce up and down and he adopts an expression of permanent surprise.

Daddy even purchased a DVD of Mr Benn – something of a nostalgia trip – and George seems to quite enjoy this too. Well, he enjoys everything – even Adrian Chiles on The One Show has the power to mesmerise our little fella (or perhaps it's Christine Beakley) – and as daddy has been catching up on the Mr Benn episodes of his own childhood, he has been wondering if this bowler-hatted chap is a good role model after all. Here we have a middle-aged business man who lives on his own who, when not indulging his fetish for dressing up, spends his time peering out of his bedroom window. And the shopkeeper who appears as if by magic must surely be miffed that Mr Benn never spends any money.

It's not just TV – that's a slippery slope we want to be careful about. George enjoys his games and books too. Of course, it's daddy who does the reading – and the opening of flaps – and George seems to enjoy the whole business, even if he doesn't understand the stories or why a lion under the stairs or a hippo in the piano should be amusing.

When things get desperate, mummy will take George on a little stroll – although, like daddy doing the reading, she does all the strolling. After a trip around the block George tends to nod off, which is seen as a resounding success and celebrated with a cup of tea and a chocolate mini-roll.

Car journeys seem to have the same effect as a stroll round the block and sometimes mummy and daddy will take George out with them for a couple of hours. He'll generally fall asleep on the way, stay asleep all the time mummy and daddy are out and remain asleep on the journey back, only to wake up just as you pull up outside home. He then looks at you with a tired little frown on his face as if to say "well, come on... aren't we going anywhere then?"