How to Breastfeed a Distracted Baby

The world is an exciting place to a baby. Every noise, every movement is a new experience for an infant. Once a baby is a few months old, all those sights and sounds are be very distracting, especially at mealtime. Breastfeeding a distracted baby can be challenging, but there are ways to get your distracted baby to focus on eating rather than her surroundings.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rocking chair
• Sling
• Nursing necklace
• Baby’s favorite toy

1. Find a quiet place to breastfeed your baby. This could be in rocking chair located in a darkened room or in a booth at the back of a restaurant if you’re out and about.

2. Position yourself so that any potential distractions, such as other people, televisions or moving object, in your baby’ line of sight.

3. Make eye contact with your baby after he latches on and begins to nurse. Keep eye contact and softly talk to your baby as he eats.

4. Offer a favorite toy or allow the baby to play with your nursing necklace. Babies love to grab hold of the pretty beads on a nursing necklace while they breastfeed.

5. Transfer your baby to a sling if she is still distracted. Slings are perfect for breastfeeding babies as they provide a quiet, secure environment for the baby and give mom some privacy too.

Tips & Warnings

• Nursing necklaces are specifically designed for babies to grab and yank on them without breaking. Never offer a regular necklace to a baby as it could break and they could accidentally swallow or choke on part of the necklace.
• Covering a distractible breastfeeding baby with a blanket can be a recipe for disaster. The blanket is just another toy to your baby and there’s a good chance he’ll pull it off your shoulder at an inopportune moment. Consider wearing a nursing tank beneath your regular shirt. That way you can simply pull up the shirt, pull down the tank, latch your baby on the breast and breastfeed without any skin showing. If you’re not comfortable doing this, you can always purchase a nursing cover that is designed to be more baby-proof than a receiving blanket.