How to BF and settle highly distractible 7 month old without resorting to ridiculous amounts of TV for 3 year old?

[mountainlover]

DS2 is 7 months and is very easily distracted while breastfeeding, so I find the only way I can get a proper feed in is to take him upstairs to a quiet dark room - and the only way to ensure we're not interrupted by DS1 (aged 3) is to put him in front of the TV. Ditto if I'm trying to settle DS2 for a nap. All the advice I can find about entertaining an older child while BF assumes you're in the same room as them, but this just doesn't work for us. I've tried encouraging him to play independently downstairs but he just gets bored and comes to find me and BANG - DS2 is off the boob and / or wakes up just as he was drifting off. I particularly don't want this to happen as he's already up 3 times a night so if he gets overtired and / or doesn't eat enough during the day it's even worse.

The flip side of all this is I'm increasingly concerned that DS1 can easily end up watching 3+ hours of TV a day, which isn't good for him, and is acting up as he doesn't get enough attention from me. I'm a passionate believer in BF and really don't want to stop yet (if nothing else because I really don't know how I'll get DS2 to sleep without it!!), but at some point the negative impact for DS1 surely outweighs the BF benefits for DS2?

I just don't know how to make our day work so that DS2 gets his BFs and the sleep he needs and DS1 gets the attention he is so clearly craving. Help!

The only things I can think of are expressing and giving in a bottle once or twice a day (quicker and more volume at once so likely to sleep if you time it right) or, again if you time it right, get out somewhere where DS1 can play and the fresh air/movement may do half the job of getting DS2 to sleep.

But I think things will change with DS2 soon as you'll be starting to wean and he'll be starting to move. Actually another thought, could you try encouraging cluster feeding with lazy, skin to skin mornings and you might find the day's routine changes?

Thanks, expressing for 1 / 2 feeds is a good idea, as that way he can sit up and watch the world at the same time as eating - more hassle but as things really aren't working right now it's definitely worth a try. Getting out is also always good for everyone. I just wish I could get the timings right! I've never been much of one for routine, but I'm increasingly thinking it could really help. I've just no idea how to get him in anything resembling one...

Interesting idea about the mornings - he doesn't seem to feed much then at the moment but maybe if I could get some cluster feeding going on then whilst entertaining DS1 as opposed to going off upstairs hings might shake out on both fronts. It woudln't matter if DS2 was on / off so much if I'm doing it much more frequently. I could them get out during the afternoon and give expressed milk then. Will give it a try!