Get yourself a good baby carrier so you can wear your baby and nurse on the go. If I had to sit down every time I nursed I would never get up! For your baby's age, the Moby Wrap and Baby Ktan are both nice, though you will probably need a new carrier for a bigger baby in a few months. The Ergo will last you much much longer, and can be used at this age but the others will be easier for right now.

Your son is wanting the attention he used to get when he was an only child. He sees you nursing the baby and feels that mommy is being taken away from him, and obviously if the only attention you give him is when he is misbehaving, he is going to misbehave. If you have already weaned him, the make this time something to point out the difference between him being a big boy and not a baby. Give him a drink in a cup and point out that only he is big enough for it, the baby can't yet. Or a popsicle or a cracker, or something you know is a treat for him, just point out it's something he can have and the baby cannot. You can sit on a couch large enough to accomodate the three of you and read him a book during the nursings (it takes work to get used to it, but it can be done.) When my daughter was born, I was nursing her and her 22 month old brother as well as having to entertain their 3 1/2 year old brother. Northing is impossible. As to the TV, make it a treat, maybe do it for 1 or 2 of the nursing sessions a day only, depending on how long the sessions are. Keep singing to him.

Try recycling toys. Put away some toys in a box out of sight. Then when you feel desperate you can get that box out and give him something he hasn't seen in a while. I always kept a hidden stash of "sick toys" so when I had been up all night treating a fever I could get out a sick toy and get a little break the next day. My youngest is now in 5th grade and still asks for a sick toy when he is sick. Look for inexpensive toys on sale or at garage sales. Good Will is another good source for toys. Good Luck!

Have him fetch things for you. Play ball with him. You throw the ball and then he brings it back to you. You can teach him to put things in a basket. You can teach him to get you specific objects. Get me the "yellow blankie, son" etc...

Give him a snack or drink in the high chair.

My girls are also 17 months apart, and we did lots of different things to keep my older daughter entertained while I nursed the baby. We did read books (took a while for both of us to adjust to that) and watched a bit of TV, but we did lots of other things as well.

1 -- turned on music so she could sing/dance

2 -- I took a shoebox and put several small items in it, things that were new or unfamiliar to her, and I'd rotate the toys periodically. She was only allowed to play with that box when I was nursing the baby. Some ideas -- a deck of cards (ones that I didn't care if they got destroyed), new toy car/doll, measuring spoons, toy keys, magnets that she could play with on the fridge, stickers, etc.

3 -- I bought an Aquadoodle, and she was able to draw with the water-filled pen to her heart's content without making a mess.

4 -- We played a game with the toy kitchen where she'd mix up something for me to eat and then bring it to me to taste. I'd take a pretend bite and say, "Hmm, needs more cinnamon." She'd go back, add the pretend cinnamon, and offer me another bite. This game went on forever with me telling her all kinds of different things to "add" to her concoction.

5 -- She'd take care of her baby while I tended to mine -- feeding, cuddling, changing diapers, etc.

6 -- You could make up an obstacle course and show him how to do it right before the baby is ready to nurse. Then, continue to coach him through it and cheer him on while you're nursing.

7 -- Make a couple snacks easily available to him so that he can nibble something or have a drink while baby is eating.


It definitely takes some time and patience to figure out what will work for you, and it's certainly challenging to have two so close in age, but it does get better. My girls are now 5 and 6, and they're great friends. :-) Good luck!