Newborn and nearly 3 year old.

[RibenaMonsoon]

Hi all
Any tips or advice would be appreciated. This thread may have already been done to death before by others so I apologise if so.

I have a nearly 3 year old (very energetic) DS and a 4 week old DD.

DD is EBF and I'm finding it difficult to balance the two of them.
When I'm feeding DD, DS then tries to get my attention as much as possible. Mostly trying to do things he knows he isn't allowed to, resulting in me taking DD and putting her down mid feed to stop DS hurting himself or making a mess and then coming back to a crying baby.
I appreciate this is normal in a 2.5 year old and I've tried to include him in caring for her as much as possible.

I've tried the following to keep DS entertained..
Cuddles and TV
Putting music on TV while he copies the dancing in music videos.
Having a chat (We like to chat) and watching him play with his toys.
Keeping him distracted with snacks
Showing him pictures of himself when he was a baby.
Last resort, allow him to play on his tablet

If anyone has any tips for keeping a very energetic toddler entertained, I'd be very grateful.

water based activities were my go to. so things like:
-sailing boats in the sink
-'washing up' some plastic cups with a sponge in soapy water
-crayoning in the bath using bath crayons (you will need to keep an eye on him obviously but if you have a non slip mat in the bath he should be fine- shallow water is good too.)
-run a shallow bath and add foam blocks

all the best x

We have two with a similar age gap. Ten months on, they're getting on great, but the early weeks are a tough adjustment. We found the book Siblings without the Rivalry very good - lots of useful tips on how to turn the volume down on the jealousy, etc.. Good luck.

Thank you for posting it!
I am about to be in your situation but friends have warned me that toddlers learn quickly when you have your hands full- so it’s totally normal.
I’ve wondered about reading stories when feeding. Also, talking to the baby, saying that they need to wait while you do something with the toddler (when they are asleep or happy etc.) so the toddler hears that the baby has to wait too, like they do some times.

But look forward to reading other guidance!

Thank you for the replies.
DS is starting to get used to her. As long as I'm spending quality time with him while DD is asleep then he's as good as gold at the moment when DD needs a feed and just requests to watch Blippi.
I've found some old home movies of when me and DSIS were little.
DS is fascinated by it. It's really helped distract him as he's asking alot of questions and we're having discussions on families. He's starting to understand that his Aunty is mummy's sister. That mummy was a little girl once. He's watching me and my sister play in the garden when we were little.

I've been explaining that we need to feed DD so that she grows into a little girl and that when she does, they can play together like we did.

He's starting to understand why it's all happening. It really helped these last few days so I thought I'd share it in case it helps others get through the same.