Over the last couple of weeks, we have started trying Toby out in his door bouncer. I think it’s fair to say he loves it in a way his brother never did.

The door bouncer, Ronseal-style, does exactly what it says on the tin. It is a contraption which involves strapping an infant into a harness which attaches to a door frame with a bungee rope, allowing the child to bounce up and down without falling flat on their face, as Toby demonstrates in the video below:

It’s a good job we have a couple of double doors we can suspend the door bouncer from – at his most enthusiastic, Toby can trace out quite a broad circle as he bounces around, certainly wide enough to be at risk of door jamb collisions with a normal single door.

The bouncer was something Isaac never really got to grips with. Despite having strong legs, he was always somewhat perplexed by the idea of bouncing – it is only recently he has stopped turning up his nose at trampolines – preferring instead to use it as a kind of swing. Consequently, it was soon abandoned.

No such danger with Toby, who cackles with delight as he bounces and spins with impressive vigour. Already, he seems to be a more naturally physical boy than Zac, who seems at his happiest playing indoors and generally being a bit of a science/tech geek. No complaints, though. I find it really interesting that Toby is already showing clear signs of developing along different lines to Zac. As long as they are happy doing what they do, that’s fine by me.