Acrobatic nursing
By toddlerhood, most babies have quite a repertoire of creative nursing positions. Acrobatic nursing is typical and it's common for baby to try nursing upside down, with feet in the air, standing on one foot, wiggling and twisting and turning, and so on. Enjoy the silly positions they try, be flexible and patient, but if the acrobatic nursing gets to be a problem, here are tips that have helped other moms:
* Give it a little time. Exhibits of the most intense acrobats are generally a phase that shows up when baby figures out that she can nurse in a million different positions and, what's more, it's fun to try. The novelty will wear off after a little time and the acrobatics will decrease.
* Give baby something to hold and play with while nursing (a small toy, perhaps). Some moms also wear a nursing necklace to focus baby's attention on something other than acrobatics.
* Try talking or reading a book to your child while you nurse. Songs or fingerplays can also help.
* Try a firm reprimand. Say something like "Be still" in a firm voice; don't raise your voice, as you don't want to scare baby. You might also hug baby close to you to reiterate the point.
* Try stopping the feeding if baby continues with the acrobatics. Say something like "I can't nurse you when you're squirmy. Let's go play and get the wiggles out and we will nurse in a little while." Then play for a few minutes before offering to nurse again.
* Another version of stopping the feeding: Warn baby that if she doesn't be still, mommy's not going to nurse. And then stop the feeding if she persists. Get up, put her down, and explain to her again why you stopped nursing. Tell her that if and when she can be more still, mommy will nurse again.
* Nursing in public is sometimes a problem when baby is really wiggly. If the acrobatics are too much for nursing in public, try to nurse before leaving and tell baby that you'll nurse as soon as you get home, to the car, etc. (delaying nursing like this works better when baby is over 18 months and is not overtired). If baby needs something (and will not settle down for nursing) you might offer a snack or a little something from a cup while you're out.