Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts. He first attracted attention in the US and then in Europe. His repertoire included police cells, ropes, chains and strait jackets.

Toddlers clearly go to some secret Houdini camp when the rest of the house is sleeping because many of the performance tricks of toddlers are very Houdini-like. Here are just a few:

1. The one where a couple of hours after putting them to bed you go and check on them and find they have climbed out of their baby sleeping bag, PJs and nappy, chucked the whole lot on the floor and are fast asleep.
2. The one where they somehow manage to wiggle their arms out of their car seat straps, despite the fact that you pulled them as tight as you possibly could.
3. The one where in the time it takes you to have a quick wee they have wiggled out of their high chair and are standing up in the chair looking like they are ready to jump!
4. The one where they perform a triple back flip with pike and land on the floor outside of their cot bed.
5. The one where despite you making modifications to it, they find their way out of the play pen you put them in briefly so you could do something with two hands – I mean, how dare you!
6. The one where you get destracted by another child or parent and realise they have wiggled out of the straps in their pushchair and are about to sky dive out.
7. The one where you are in the supermarket and you turn to reach for the strawberries and they are now standing on the little seat they were sat nicely in five seconds ago.
8. The one where despite the fact that they are too short to reach the door handle they somehow manage to get the door open.
9. The one where despite the fact that you have put them in two vests with poppers and dungarees they still manage to take all their clothes off just as you need to dash out on the school run.
10. The one where…you just have no idea how they did it!

Anyone else ever lived with Houdini?