Keeping my 3 and 5 yr old from creating chaos while nursing and changing my newborn . . .

[jilly]

Ack! So, I have a three week old baby. And an almost 3 year old and a 5 year old boy. My boys are very energetic and my 3 year old loves to create messes and noise and to get his intense older brother worked into a lather.

Every time I go to change my newborn, or get her latched on, all hell breaks loose! There is fighting, things are being thrown around, the boys are jumping over me and climbing on top of us, my 3 yr old is spreading rash cream all over the walls in the other room, the linen closet is emptied and used for climbing practice . . . I know, it sounds like a zoo around here. It kind of is.

When I was nursing my second son, my oldest son was pretty happy to just read books or do puzzles on the couch while I nursed. But I can only find books that will keep both boys engaged for so long, and ds2 will play puzzles, but then will throw them across the room if it takes too long. Playdoh or snacks get emptied out on the carpet, drinks get spilled or have other things dunked in them . . . Games like I spy work for a little while, but eventually run out of steam.

So, my question is pretty basic: What do you do / have you done to keep your older kids occupied and not causing trouble while you care for your newborn?

[Xerxella]

I'll be honest, sometimes it seems impossible and I only have one other. There are times when my son was literally climbing on me while I tried to nurse my daughter. And, now she's at the distractible stage, so I can't nurse her hardly at all. Ugh. And, then trying to get her down for a nap, well forget it... Honestly, I've used the TV for strategic purposes and preschool is kinda a godsend. When I know I need to get my daughter down for a nap, I set up a dragon tale or thomas the train, nurse my daughter to sleep and come back down and spend time with my son.

[The4OfUs]

I had good success playing hide and seek with my kiddo, when he was around 3. He would "hide" in the cabinet of his dresser, and I'd guess all sorts of outrageous places for him to be hiding, and he'd get more and more hysterical laughing (especially when I asked if he was in the toilet ) and then I'd ask if he wanted me to find him or not, and depending on his answer he'd either pop out and say 'here I am!" or I'd guess where he was finally.

That was great for times when she wasn't nursing to sleep. When she was nursing to sleep, I'd set him up with a video.

I guess I'd try to find active, moving around games where you're leading verbally. Like hide and seek, or simon says, or red light green light, charades, stuff like that. Keep them engaged and active so they don't get bored, but a little bit controlled, KWIM? If you can do that on the times she doesn't need ot nurse to sleep, they may be more likely to sit with a video or books or game when she does need to nurse to sleep. I'd even talk with them about that specifically - that you're willing to play goofy games with them when you can, if they in exchange will sit quietly the few times you need them to. Mine are usualyl pretty good when we make "deals" like that, at 3-1/2 and almost 6.

[moonlight mom]

I always do scavenger hunts when dd is nursing. I make a list before we nurse and he has to find all the items while I am nursing.

[wombatclay]

When it was just one other kiddo, I had a nusring basket of toys/dvds/snacks that dd1 only had access to when I was tending to dd2.

Now that I've got two kiddos to amuse while I attend to ds it's a bit crazier. I do try the dvd, special crayons, book on tape, etc route but like you sometimes the older kiddos seem to see the "mama is busy with baby" thing as an opportunity for a free for all. When that happens I try to occupy them seperately... using carpet squares or areas or whatever. So I might narrate an adventure that involves them staying on individual carpet squares/chairs (pirate ships, island adventure, polar bears on the ice, rocket ships, etc) or provide snacks/toys they can only use while physically seperated.

Since your kiddos are a bit older than mine, maybe the physical seperation would work better (one on the stairs and one in the living room, one in the kitchen and one in the foyer, whatever space divisions you have available?).