Some babies are easily distracted while nursing, especially as they get older and start moving. You may have been able to watch the TV while breastfeeding before, but now the voices and music cause baby to pull off and turn away. And nursing in public becomes a game of hide-and-seek! While you may interpret this distraction as baby wanting to wean, it’s very rare for a baby to self-wean before 12 months.
The trick to breastfeeding a distracted baby is time and patience. Here are some tips for dealing with a distracted baby while nursing:
- Try to nurse in dark, quiet rooms.
- Use hushed tones when talking during nursing, and consider adding soft music or white noise. Make it a quiet routine.
- Don’t force nursing; you don’t want it to become an unpleasant experience for baby. If they simply refuse to nurse, put them down and try again in an hour.
- Offer the breast at more times than normal throughout the day to make sure they’re getting plenty of breastmilk.
- If you find you aren’t nursing as often as you need to, pump when baby refuses the breast in order to keep up stimulation and, ultimately, your breastmilk supply.
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