The Multi-Use Growth Chart

Warning: This is a post about babies!

Sometimes at the clinic, babies need to get weighed to make sure they are growing at a good rate. Naturally, this is a 4 person task. One to put the baby on the scale and move the weights around, and 3 to watch the baby be cute. Here is one example: First, a large baby boy was placed into the scale and he noticed that the doctor was moving the weights, so he started slapping them, probably trying to help. Some med students began dangling the baby's growth chart in front of him to try to distract him so that the doctor could adjust the weights. The baby was amused for about 0.3 seconds, and then resumed beating the weights. Next, students gave the baby his growth chart, optimistically hoping that he'd try to read it and gauge his progress, or perhaps more likely, that he'd be distracted chewing on it long enough for the doctor to measure his weight. Instead, the baby took the growth chart and began using it as a tool to beat the weights on the scale more effectively. The growth chart had to be confiscated, but the little boy was eventually wowed long enough by some shiny jewelry to be weighed. Bling-bling!