Breastfeeding

advice for bf in public with nb and toddler

Lurker here...I have a 6 week old and a 18 month old.  We HAVE to leave the house.  The park is easy enough.  I can get DD latched and chase DS one handed.  However, it seems like anywhere else is a challenge...grocery store, Target, other random errands.  Mostly because I can't just find a secluded area and sit because there is NO way toddler would stay right there, ya know?  Any advice?
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Re: advice for bf in public with nb and toddler

  • Target: If you brought the kids into a changing room and gave the toddler a snack would he sit and eat for a few minutes?

    The grocery store and other random outings: feed before you go and then in the car before you leave if you need to.  I would avoid feeding in the store if I could. Again I would use snacks to keep the toddler happy in the carseat.

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  • Or an iPad or iPhone - my daugter loves those and will sit still for a while with either of those.
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  • In that situation I most likely would just feed LO in the car before heading into the store. I used to do that with DD even without a toddler to worry about. It's hard to nurse in a grocery store.

    ETA: I'd sit in the back seat and entertain the toddler. I know my LO is generally happy just listening to music. But reading a story would help too. 

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  • DS did NOT like that I was nursing her and he was stuck in the car seat.  I'm trying to avoid snacking for entertainment....but may have to bend a little on that.  I wish bf in public was more acceptable.  The hardest part is fiddling with the stupid nursing cover!  Thanks for the ideas so far : )

     

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  • Your toddler just has to learn to stay close, or put him in a cart, my 2 yeat old son learned fast. I strongly believe kids will act how you expect them to, if you expect him to throw a fit and run around he will, if you expect and teach him patients and to stay put he will. I do bf in the changing room at target all the time and the car is the best.
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  • imagechristyjane17:

    DS did NOT like that I was nursing her and he was stuck in the car seat.  I'm trying to avoid snacking for entertainment....but may have to bend a little on that.  I wish bf in public was more acceptable.  The hardest part is fiddling with the stupid nursing cover!  Thanks for the ideas so far : )

     

    Well if it is public outcry that worries you I say screw it and do what works.   

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  • I nurse on the go a lot. I use a burp cloth for cover instead of a nursing cover. I tuck a corner into my bra and then arrange it as needed. It covers enough without getting in the way. Many, many times people have asked to see the baby so it's discrete enough to look like I am just holding him. That takes care of the baby. As to the toddler, I most often shop with her in the stroller. The magna doodle is only for the car/shopping, and she has her purse with a few other things she can take along. Like you, I try really hard not to feed her just because I am nursing the baby. I have a hook on my stroller for a canvas bag, and use the basket.

    Plan you week. I never make more than two stops per outing, and I pair them in the most favorable way. 

  • I feed in the car a lot if I can't find a good place that I think will contain my toddler and keep her happy and under control.  I find that giving my toddler a snack while she's in her carseat and feeding the baby in the front seat is way easier then we're all happy and ready to go in and do our shopping.  :-)
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  • Slings are fantastic for nursing on the go, and if needed leaves you with two free hands. I also agree with PPs about trying to feed the baby before you get in the store, that way you don't have to worry about the baby being fussy or the toddler getting antsy. I plan my outings based on feeding times. I leave the house immediately after BFing, that way I have at least two hours before she needs fed again, and she usually falls asleep in the car or stroller on the way to wherever we are going. 

    When we go for walks, I have a double stroller, so I just take the baby out, turn the toddler so she can see me, and nurse behind the stroller for a bit more privacy. The new baby does NOT like being covered while eating, though, so I've gotten pretty good at nursing in public without a cover. I wear a low-necked tank with a shirt over top. So I can pull down the tank, pull up the shirt, unhook the bra, and latch the baby, and there's no skin exposed at all.  It just looks like the baby is snuggling and no one has ever even noticed before.

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  • Btdt twice for a year. I nurse them in the car before a store, or bring a sippy and snacks for the older one if they don't "need" to nurse like baby does. Or go to the nursing room at our mall. If we're in the park, I nurse them one at a time or find a more secluded spot and nurse them both. It can be done and you don't have to be stuck at home. I am not a homebody at all. I need to get out for all of our sanity. :)
    Mom of 5
    Boy 7-11-2007 (has Autism),
    Boy 2-26-2009 to 11-2-11 (had cancer at 4mo),
    Boy 3-28-2011 (has Autism)
    Girl 9-3-2013
    Baby due 2-22-2016
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