Those w/ Toddler(s)+ baby/babies...

atc282

DH returns to work tomorrow (his time off went by so fast!) and I'm nervous about wrangling the 3 kids...

DDs have been "gentle" with DS but they are constantly wanting to be wherever he is--DH and I are having to watch them like hawks around Ben so that they don't accidentally hurt him or get too rough around him. Even when I BF him, they manage to try and sit in my lap and want to pet him (hence taking nursing far longer than it should).

How do you keep your toddler(s) preoccupied when needing to tend to your baby/babies??  I've tried Elmo DVDs and youtube videos of Barney, etc. but that is only a temporary distraction before they're back to wanting to hound on the baby...

Any tips/feedback welcome! TIA!!

Temp6313048411121614

I have no tips, I was shocked that JR didn't end up killing J&W by jumping on them or something.

jlefief

Anything Color Wonder.  DD LOVES the markers, stamps and her favorite is the paints.  it is normally something too messy so she feels like it is something special and more fun than coloring and no mess.  She also loves puzzles and i can talk her through the pieces while holding the babies.   

JesseKhloe&Me

Some people recommended toys that are just for when you BF, but you BF so often that those toys get old fast IMO.

My DD loved Donald Duck videos of all things on YouTube. She also loves Winnie the Pooh & you can find short episodes or full movies.

If you have a safe fenced outdoor area where you can sit inside & supervise from the window, my DD loved this at my sisters house. (But we didn't have this luxury at home.)

Also if you have a friend or relative that can take them out to play or come over and play during the hardest part of your day, this helps tremendously!! DD loved getting special time or just going to McDonalds to play on the toys with my sister for an hour a couple times a week gave all of us a break & broke up the day.

If you don't have a relative, maybe an older neighbor girl can come play with them in your house under your supervision. They would definitely be distracted for a while. Ask around Wouldn't hurt to try.

Also, you should always give a good snack like grapes or bananas or cheerios,(our whatever your girls like) right when you are about to start BFing or have them handy so you can give them to distract them.

It seems like this is hopeless, or will last forever, but it passes by so fast & the girls will start to get bored when he is eating because he is just laying there when he gets a little older & starts to roll around and wiggle more  

Hope some of this helps Good Luck & Congrats

meagamomma2be

You probably already do this, but encourage them to feed & change their baby dolls while you are doing the same with the real baby.

missfire

Do your girls still sit in highchairs? I feel like I'm constantly trying to keep at least one kid restrained in a highchair so I can manage them. If you can synchronize their mealtimes, that's awesome. If not, maybe an art project they can do on their own. I also like to go out to coffee shops that have play areas for DS1 to keep him distracted while I spend some time with the babies.

togagirl

When I needed to put the baby down I put him on the vibrating seat on the kitchen table (which they couldn't reach).  This worked well for things like going to bathroom.  When I was nursing him sometimes I would put them in "baby jail" (like a playyard we had in the living room) so they couldn't get to us but I would sit right next to it so they felt like I was playing with them.  I also wore the baby a lot in the Moby wrap because it allowed me to use both arms to do stuff with them while still holding him.