One of the biggest differences about bringing home baby number two is that you still have to (and want to!) entertain child number one… Who now demands your time and attention even doing the things that have to get done, like nursing, oh, twelve times a day. Cue this brilliant suggestion from Hands on As We Grow for a feeding time activity bag.

Okay, ours is actually a basket, not a bag, but the toys within are only for my preschooler to use when the baby is nursing, meaning they feel special and different.

Stock the basket with simple games that a child can do by him or herself – you don’t to have to get down there to open packages up!

To wit, we stocked ours with goodies like Button Art. Travis jumped at this activity, taking to it with alacrity, and so excited he didn’t want the nursing session to end.

The next time his sister was hungry, he fell to the sticky foam. This stuff is ingenious (no mess!) and was soon making cakes and other concoctions.

Later in the day, he couldn’t get enough of sponge animals (I did get these started for him, in cups of warm water), not only revealing the animals but using them in games all about the room.

Other simple ideas for your kit? Think stickers books, paint-by-number, coloring books, or any other quiet activity your child would enjoy.

Happy nursing!