You've just had another baby - congratulations! At first having more than one child can feel a little intimidating, but in time you'll see how wonderful it will be for your kids to grow up together and have each other as playmates.

Moms can usually balance concentration between two children, but breastfeeding can be a unique challenge because it is both time consuming and you have physical limitations to contend with. Your older child may act up or feel left out when the baby is nursing.

At first you may wonder if it's possible to successfully breastfeed and keep your first born entertained, but with patience and planning, it is entirely possible. The key to success is finding ways to breastfeed and have special time with your older child at the same time.

One of the most important things is to talk with your child about breastfeeding and describe what it's all about. When I approached it this way, my three year old daughter was very accepting of my explanation and she began to rock and cuddle her own special doll during breastfeeding time, and we chatted while taking care of our babies.

There are several other ways you can occupy your older child when feeding the baby. The quiet environment when breastfeeding a newborn is a great opportunity to spend quality bonding time for the three of you. You can use this time to cuddle, read a story and your older child will feel as if she and the baby are sharing an activity.

After all, the baby must seem awfully boring to her because he just lies there and doesn't come play! When my son was born, my three year old daughter used to come to him and say "come on - let's go play"! It was difficult for her to understand that babies don't play in the beginning. Reading stories together are a good way for all of you to share and spend valuable time and your first born will feel good about "playing" together.

While you are breastfeeding, this is a good time to ask big sister (or brother!) to help with baby. Since your reach is limited, you can ask your child to get a diaper, baby wipes, rattles or a pacifier. Your older one will enjoy this responsibility and will be full of pride in being able to help you and baby.

Planning activities with your child while nursing can be fun. There are many games, such as word or counting games, which are a good activity during nursing. These are fun, educational and best of all - no hands required!

You can also make plans with your "big one" for other fun games which will be played later. Chances are baby will sleep after eating and this is a terrific opportunity to engage in a fun, interactive game with little interruption. Watching your child's favorite DVDs or television show is another nice activity where it will allow the baby to quietly nurse and you can snuggle up close with your older one.

Whatever activity you choose, what's most important is to talk to your child. Nurturing open and constant communication is the best thing you can do and your child will love this most of all. Providing attention to both children while nursing can be quite the balancing act, but it also allows perfect chance for family time and bonding.

Being able to find ways to make time for both kids was wonderful because it was really important to me to be able to nurse my second baby like I did my first. With understanding, patience and creativity, keeping your elder child entertained while you breastfeed is entirely possible.

Learn more about this author, Leigh Goessl.
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