Baby Brainz Moment #87

Baby Brainz Moment #87: Removing the high chair tray before re-wetting the clean up cloth.

Even though they are strapped in, locked in, and have a tray preventing them from falling out and tumbling over, "they" tell you that you are not to leave a baby unattended while in their high chair. 

They don't say anything about not turning your back for 3 seconds. 

I cleaned off the hands, removed the tray, realized there wasn't enough clean cloth to get the sweet potato pancakes she had created off her face, and turned around to re-wet the cloth. I didn't get that far.

CLUNK was all I heard.

I don't know how Penelope managed to undo the clasp and I don't know how the belt came out of it's brackets, but there was my baby girl on the kitchen floor between two chairs crying. She cried loudly for just a moment. Once I picked her up it became this soft, "mama I'm scared" and maybe "mama that hurt" cry. She folded against me, wrapping her arms around my neck like she was a wool scarf in winter, nuzzling her face into my collar and cried softly. It broke my heart.

There it is, I've finally experienced that mama guilt everyone was talking about.

With her cheek pressed against my chest, her tears drying on my skin, she finally calmed down. And then later... slept. My guilt was replaced with relief that she was okay and a small celebration dance inside me that she hit her nap time right on schedule. I was grateful just to have time to process what happened.... and to start shopping around for high chairs with five point harnesses.