Need Ideas to Keep My Active 3 Year Old Occupied While I Am Nursing His Baby Sis

If tv is keeping him quiet, why not get some DVDs of some of his popular books? That way he will stay quiet for you, and yet you won't have the guilt feelings of letting him watch too much TV. There are a lot of good books that have been animated and these will only enhance his ability to read as he gets ready for that.

oh my goodness...i just went through this! my 3 year-old daughter was VERY active when her baby brother was born and it was so tough to keep her entertained while i nursed him and got him to sleep. after much frustration, i finally caved and allowed tv time for some nursing sessions. or, i would offer her an intricate snack that would take her time to eat...pretzels to dip into hummus or applesauce, fruit slices to dip into peanut butter, etc. she also started really getting into puzzles at this time so that was a great way to occupy her. other good toys were water colors, play-doh ans coloforms. lastly, i would have her next to me while i nursed and would put on the radio and let her dance. it was a great way for her to burn off some energy and it made me happy, too :)
i know this time is tough...really, i do. don't beat yourself up about the tv time. this is a transient time and you won't be allowing this much tv forever. i finished nursing about 4 months ago and her tv habits went back to normal (no more than a total of 2 hours in spurts throughout the day) almost immediately. enjoy this time...good luck!

Have him choose 2 books from the kid book shelf, and crawl up on the sofa next to you. Then read the books to him. Then he goes and puts them back. Then, if baby is still nursing, he can choose 2 more.

My 3 yr old son was difficult to get to sit still for books up until about that age. The age when it was how he got my (almost) one on one attention with a new baby was in the house. :)

Or you could talk him through building towers and such with some building blocks or legos while you are sitting on the sofa nursing...

I think the key is just making sure he is really engaged before you get started nursing. My daughter loved Duplos (and puzzles, trains, and dolls), and I would get the set down for her beforehand, and play a while to make sure she was engrossed before slipping away to another room. Keep a coloring book and crayons next to you while you nurse in case the toys lose their interest and he wants to be near you while you finish.

I did not breastfeed, but my best friend did. She had a special bag of new toys (action figures, trucks, puzzles) that were only brought out when the baby was eating. She would switch the toys out when he seemed to get bored.

Dear A.:

I am a great grandmother and it just took me back to when my little girl was born and her brother was 19 months old when I saw your question..

I had been concerned that our firstborn would feel jealous so when his sister was born, I tried to make it a special "reading" time for him. He loved being read to and the three of us cuddled in the canvas "butterfly chair" which did seem a bit crowded over time, but was a joy for me and Karen didn't seem to mind my not paying complete attention to her. My son used to come up to me and hour or so after and pull at my clothes to bring me back to the living room saying, "feed her feed her" instead of "read book...." which was what her really meant.

Is there something your son likes to do that would make him feel you are still in a loving way "with him" even while you are nursing? Good luck..making this transition to the expanse of your family!!

Blessings on you all

N.

I always let my 3 yr old son watch his favorite show when I was going to nurse. That was the time he knew he could pick a favorite show and he knew once baby brother was asleep it would be some one on one time for he and I. He is just fine now at 3.5 and not addicted to TV or anything. At night time I now let him watch a little TV while I rock his brother, even though baby bro is now weaned, it is just a few minutes and is a good way to settle a little before bed with the lights down low, then it's time to brush teeth, read a story, have a lullaby and he is down for the count, it makes a fine routine for us. So, that is how we do it and it works well. Good luck!!

My mom said to always nurse your next child in a double rocker or whatever chair you have where the toddler can sit next to you and make it your reading time together... that way, the time is spent focused on him(her) while baby is still getting what s/he needs, win-win and no resentment.

As for TV - we have a TV set, and dvd/vhs players but no TV reception at all. So we never get commercials or inappropriate shows or tv on demand all day long. My son knows the rule is one movie (or 2 30m shows) per day. I have to admit I didn't always strictly follow that, and sometimes still don't (he had a marathon day with 3 or so long kids movie on his 2nd day home sick from school last week) BUT - the easy babysitting is *so not worth it* to me the next few days. His attitude stinks, his attention demands are way higher, he cannot entertain himself, etc. UGH. So one video a day, (or none!) brings him to be a more happy, self-moderating, enjoyable child.

That said, how about watching "Signing Time" (check out the series from the library - there's more than 20 shows - make sure you get the ones by Rachel de Azevedo (not sure how you spell her name) with Alex and Leah and Hopkins the Frog. It's more educational for both of you and is much better than regular TV. And they're 30 mins long so that should be about right for feeding your baby?? (mine was a quick feeder, but I know some take longer)

my kids loved to listen to books on tape/cd. I would borrow them from the library, I think for them it was a little like watching TV but with out the picture.
Another idea is playdoh- if he can sit in a high chair. I would give my kids uncooked spaghetti sticks some times broken in half or what ever and they would spend a ton of time poking them in to the playdoh to make a birthday cake.
good luck! any chance there is a neighbor that could come be a mommy's helper for an hour or so during this time, i'm thinking a young girl or something like that.

You can read to him while you're nursing. Get new books from the library if he has trouble sitting still for old books,.

I used to read to my toddler while I was nursing.

Does your son like music? You could ask him to sing to you, or dance for you. Of course, this isn't the best for nap time.

What about some computer time? There are tons of educational type games he could play.

All great suggestions for keeping him busy while you nurse, but what about WHERE you nurse? Have you tried nursing the baby in a sling or Ergo? This works for many moms, and it doesn't necessarily have to be EVERY time baby nurses. It could be just maybe once or twice, and your son may not even realize that you're feeding the baby. If you're not comfortable not walking around while nursing, you could sit down at a table with him and help him with puzzles or some other less-energetic activity.

Another option that worked for me in the beginning was nursing the baby in bed and having your son in bed with you. I know you said he's really active, but there's something about Mom's bed that makes it appealing and fun.

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All great suggestions for keeping him busy while you nurse, but what about WHERE you nurse? Have you tried nursing the baby in a sling or Ergo? This works for many moms, and it doesn't necessarily have to be EVERY time baby nurses. It could be just maybe once or twice, and your son may not even realize that you're feeding the baby. If you're not comfortable not walking around while nursing, you could sit down at a table with him and help him with puzzles or some other less-energetic activity.

Another option that worked for me in the beginning was nursing the baby in bed and having your son in bed with you. I know you said he's really active, but there's something about Mom's bed that makes it appealing and fun.

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