What to do with a distracted lo?

[newmommyof2]

My 4 mo little darling has always been a great eater. EASY has always been pretty "easy". But now that he is so aware of the world around him, he is more interested in smiling/laughing at me (which isn't all bad  ), the wall, chair, or anything within eyesight!  He will latch on a feed for about 5-6 minutes real well then pop on and off and on and off. He often takes me with him! Ouch! I don't want to ever hurry him through a feeding but in the morning, I have only about 25 - 30  minutes to feed him before work and he has always fed in about 15 (unless going through a growth spurt).  Anyway, my idea was to start turning out the light and/or putting a blanket over him so that ALL stimulation is taken away. Well, this works sometimes too well and he will then get so relaxed and go to sleep--especially during the first feed of the morning @ 7.  So, is this something I need to just bear through?  Is he finished with that side and do I need to offer the other or is he just finished?  Any suggestions would be great! By the way, I am not sure if you need to know, but we are almost on a 4-hour schedule:  7, 10:30, 2:30, 5:30, 7:30 and df @ 10:30 (just started the cluster because of growth spurt).

Anyway, thanks for any suggestions!

[zelkad]

Can you try having him hold onto a little blankie with his hands....our little one has a teething blankie that keeps his hands occupied.  He's 7 months and he often tries to be an acrobat while nursing!! :shock:  :shock:   

We have dimmers on our bedroom lights and this is what we do.  This way his eyes are drawn to the soft potlights above but still is able to nurse (usually!)  Also, when ds was about your son's age, I started only nursing him in my bedroom because he could not handle any distractions...very nosy!!  I miss the days where I could sit in front of the tv watching my favorite soap!

I also read somewhere that at 4 months they start to see in colour??? If so, it explains his curiosity even more.

I'm assuming he eats right after waking if you're on easy??  That always seems to help us because he is still groggy.  They will outgrow the tendency to fall asleep after the first feed though. (4 months is really a developmental time so distractions are huge....the flirting with mom is great though isn't it!!!)

I hope you can get something from this but otherwise you may have to just go with it for a while!!  

Good luck!
Zelka

[annamum]

My dd was very fast, 5 minutes and she was done. As soon as she finished she was ready to look around and interact. But what your ds is doing is very normal for his age. Some moms resort to darkening room, shutting down any sources of distraction like TV, music and so on. Also offering one toy that is only for nursing sometimes works. Some wear nursing necklace so dc can play with it while on the job  :lol: . This is a phase and it can last sometime until he again becomes more focused on eating.

[dkjokisch]

We had this problem around the same age, and though dd is now 8mos, she still gets distracted, particularly when dh is around.

I just started feeding her in the nursery for all feedings.  (I actually have a tv and dvd player in there so I don't go nuts.)  That way the surroundings are the same every time.  If we're having a particularly bad day, I leave the blinds closed and the lights off.

[newmommyof2]

Thanks for all the advice!  I will continue to feed him in the nursery where it is quiet. I might look into getting one of those nursing necklaces--at least that might keep him looking one direction!

[Hubbafer]

My son is the same way right now...and it frustrates me also as he PULLS me with him when he wants to look around.

If the TV is on? Forget it..
If my hubby is around talking? Forget it..
If I start to talk? Forget it..

I have to now feed him in "solitary confinement" (LOL!) in his bedroom so that it's peaceful and NO distractions... I tried putting a receiving blanket over him, but the wee dude LOVES to pull it down and play with it...

Active kid.. oiy!