BF newborn baby with toddler is toe?

[HelloBear]

Due with 2nd dc in 4 weeks. EBF my DD who is 27 months old untill she was 13mo. I really want to do the same with this baby.

But all my friends who have BF 2nd with a toddler talk of how hard it is with a toddler to entertain also. I can see why this is as with my DD we spent hours and hours establishing BF for first 8 weeks and there is NO way this can be repeated this time round. But will give it a go.

The thing that worries me is resorting to using the TV too much as a distraction for my DD, which I really don't want to do.

So basically my question to those who have BF while also having a toddler in toe is how did you manage? What tips can you give on how not to abandon PFB while BF? Is there anyway to prepare? Particular activities that helped???

I had a section so had people around which helped at first but ds was 2.9 so understood. I probably relied on tele but both of mine are very fast feeders so not really a problem. Sorry I can't be of more help!

Cbeebies is your friend. Embrace it for a while, it won't be forever.

Don't overthink things. Things will fall into place and you'll soon have a new norm. Absolutely no reason you can't ebf dc2 for as long as you like. You just might find yourself doing little feeds more often, or bf while making tea/giving bath etc!

I only have one, but my friend told me that when she BF her second she had a special basket of books, games and snacks for the eldest. When she was feeding, her DS would sit next to her and they would read the books together, so he thought it was his special time with his Mum. Her DS may have been slightly older though.

Cleaning and sterilising bottles will take up more time. And breast feeding allows at least one hand free. Ask your toddler to bring you books to read to her while you feed newborn. Also perhaps a longish DVD might be a little better than some children's channels? You might become a pro-feeder in a matter of weeks- you know the kind that can walk around Tesco with a newborn feeding in a sling and no-one even notices.. Good Luck!

I didn't do anything special when bf dc2. i used tv but not all the time. dc2 has been fed in many an odd position. i have managed to answer the door while feeding and play with playdoh. if you sit at the table while feeding you can be at the same height and play with something.

As for establishing. with dc2 i had more issues breastfeeding than dc1 but i knew how to do it so it didn't need nearly as much time to get used to...

I've found it much easier than I expected actually, ds1 is 3.5 and ds2 is now 5mo. I bf ds1 til 18mths and I plan to do the same with ds2. Bf was established much quicker with ds2 as I knew what I was doing. I don't like tv for young children (my personal view only) and although I thought I might need to resort to it when ds2 was born I haven't had to. Ds1 loves stories and so I will often read to him while bfing ds2. Also found that i can help ds1 with activities like puzzles, colouring, drawing etc with one hand.

Good luck

It's dead easy. A bit of TV, a bit of reading, a bit of chattering about what they are playing with and lots of one armed hugs.

OK I was lucky DD1 got the idea that babies needed attention in a different way to her very quickly. She also like the fact that mummy tied to the sofa was way better than mum wandering round the house doing things.

I'm crap at playing kids games, and would sneak off at any opportunity. I couldn't do that when I was feeding.

Dd1 is just 3 and DD2 is 4 months, it was hard at first but mainly doing practical things like dinner and bottom wiping!

The majority of the time we played jigsaws, read, watch some tv, watch her in the garden or doing a craft, I sing while she does dancing with her dolls, play ispy with warmer/colder and descriptions eg begins with ch, you can put your bottom on it. You'd be amazed at the gAmes and stories you'll make up!

Be prepared to spend an equal amount of time breastfeeding a doll though btw....

Age gap very similar to yours, frequent feeder. I learned the art of bf in a sling/carrier. No. 1 and I spent many a happy hour roa,ing parks and playgrounds while no. 2 snuggled up to me in the sling, fed and dropped off, woke and fed again.

ffs. Roaming. I can't type tonight.

I have 3. I bf all of them. They are about 2.5 years apart. I ebf until 6 months then added solids and bf until 13 months.

it was actually very easy. But I didn't have nursery or work to worry about with first 2. By the time no 3 came along I was an old hand and we did the school run and still did it.

I have always found bf to be very practical and easy.
when dd1 was born, ds aged 2.5 used to go and get his teddy, lift up his shirt and pretend to feed his teddy while I fed dd1.
dd1 was very sleepy baby who fed long and slow, we did lots of sofa cuddles and conversations. But the actual bf was so much easy to get going because I knew what I was doing, even though she was hard to feed.

Thanks for the reassurance, it sounds like it is possible! Think I was having a bit of a pregnancy meltdown last night and felt very overwhelmed by the prospect of having two! I need to get prepared, thinking of buying some new toys/puzzles/colouring books to stick in a box that I can use for the first few weeks.

I have to just hope that it is easier this time, as once we got the swing of it I could do things with my free hand. So potential to do puzzles, colouring, playdoh (evil stuff but DD loves it) etc.