"Stop it!" I said "I don't like that." Of course this response made him do it more. In the end my left arm was covered in drool.
He also likes to engage in potentially dangerous or aggravating activities while I have the baby on my boob so that it is difficult for me to stop him. He'll climb on top of the couch, attempt to pull down the window blinds, rip up important papers that are sitting on the coffee table and much much more. It's anxiety provoking.
If we're home, the only thing that seems to work is to turn the TV on. He is transfixed by it, and therefore stops climbing on me temporarily. But I don't want to over use the TV because a) it's bad for his brain, and b) he'll become immune to it and it will not work as a method of distraction.
A few moms have suggested having toys for him that only come out when it is time to nurse the baby. I sort of tried this with his Thomas The Tank Engine Board Game, but it didn't work so well. He got excited at first, but then quickly got bored of the game and started searching for things to destroy in the living room.
Anyone have any tips on this?
Crap- I wish I had advice for you.
ReplyDeleteYou are, however confirming a guest post I had today on my site- two kids is exponentially harder than one!
Maybe try setting him up with a "special" craft/project he can only work on when you're nursing. Then maybe give him rewards for letting you nurse in peace.
ReplyDeleteI found this: http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/11-things-to-do-while-breastfeeding/
ReplyDeleteNot sure it's totally helpful. Maybe tell Ari he will get a reward if he is quiet during nursing?
Thanks ladies!
ReplyDeleteKeyona- What a great idea!
Mommy Nani Booboo - Oooh! I've gotta check out your post.
Leigh- Awesome! I'll check out the link.
Attention seeking behavior. We're dealing with it big time right now. He's just feeling out of sorts because of Samara, and when you're nursing, your attention is directed at her. I would say, either ignore the undesired behavior, or maybe use that time to read him a story. Try to get him to do behaviors that you can reward him for, but really, you need to ignore the bad behavior, because at his age, he doesn't know negative attention. Attention is attention. Eventually, it'll stop.
ReplyDeleteStatia- Yeah, you're right. He doesn't know what he's doing. He just know that it gets him attention. I'm going to try reading. Good idea! I'm sorry you're going through the same thing, but I'm happy to know I'm not alone!
ReplyDelete