We were in a huge toy store in a swanky mall a couple of months ago with my cousin and her then six-month-old baby. As a new mother, my cousin was thrilled with the workings of many toys. As she looked around, I volunteered to hold the baby. The onus of entertaining the little one now rested on me. But, it should be simple, I reckoned. After all, my 12-year-old son, Sid, needed a lot more reasoning and material to pass his time and I always did just fine with that.

Sid tagged along, as we walked with the baby in the toy store. Colourful toys, huge fluffy teddy bears greeted us from the aisles. The baby was engrossed. At times, he wailed as if to make his presence felt, but would quickly get distracted by the paraphernalia. Then, the unthinkable happened. As he watched the toy that dangled precariously on the side wall of the store, he gave out his well drooled smile. He watched intently and smiled some more before bursting out a loud baby noise. A thrilled laugh filled up the place as he pumped his tiny hands in the air. I picked up the toy and handed it over to him. But, what he went for, was not the toy. It was the price tag. He held the price tag and immediately grabbed it to his mouth. All this laugh for a price tag? I wondered.

I remember Sid as a baby, always fascinated by anything that fluttered in the air. As a toddler, my mum used to shake a cloth napkin in the air to which Sid always made the choicest baby noises and laughed loudly. This particular act brought so much cheer to the family that it soon became a tradition. Mum got into her act after every meal, every outing and whenever Sid was outright moody.

The cloth napkin that dangled from my mum’s hand always brought a drooly smile to his face and we all never got enough of it.

Somewhere, when Sid started to use his tiny feet to get around the house, we graduated from the cloth napkin to more fancy toys. There was a huge car that honked and gave out real car noises while the headlights blinked — all at the touch of a button.

Over the years, cars gave way to trains, fancy hand-held gadgets and bikes. I am sure Sid would roll his eyes and tell me in clear words that he is not a baby if I fluttered a napkin in front of his eyes now.

Perhaps, that is what babies are made of — they don’t need beautiful clothes, expensive toys or books. All they need is some baby food and they can move around in their nappies exploring their world and making funny noises. They are overjoyed by a thread dangling in the air or are thrilled to crumble a piece of paper. And, we teach them to love prettier toys, wear better clothes, shoes and feel silly to laugh over a fluttering price tag.

As I watched my cousin’s baby say ga-ga-goo and have a conversation with the dangling price tag that fluttered in the air conditioning, I let him be. It may not be too long before he uses real toys or throws a tantrum to get a video game.

For now, the tag was providing all the entertainment he needed and I think that is what mattered. As for Sid, I let him watch the little one have a conversation with a piece of paper because Sid has to know that in all the madness in this world, this tiny moment was actually a glimpse into the world of fairies and rainbows.

Sudha Subramanian is a Dubai-based author and freelance writer.