9 Things to Do When You’re Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is great, but it can also be boring! Here are 9 things to do when you’re breastfeeding to stay occupied and enjoy the time more!

This post contains affiliate links.

I am not a huge fan of sitting and doing nothing, and when you’re breastfeeding, you have a lot of time throughout the day when you just sit and do nothing, especially in the newborn days when your baby eats for over 20 minutes at a time.

Little R is now 10 weeks old, and I’ve been trying to come up with different things to do while he nurses so I don’t lose my mind sitting in that chair every day. Today I’m going to share 8 things to do when you’re breastfeeding to keep you occupied while your baby nurses. Because even though it’s nice to sit and stare at my baby every once in a while, I can only do that for so long before I get bored!

1. Watch a show or movie your husband won’t watch with you. My husband and I have certain shows we like to watch together, and there are a few that I know he would never watch. So sometimes when I feed Little R I watch a show on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (get a free 30 day trial here). I actually watched all of Parks and Rec when I was nursing Little A, and then got my husband hooked on it, too! And sometimes I see a movie I want to watch and my husband vetoes it, so I watch it when I’m nursing my baby instead! Yes, you have to watch it in increments, but it’s a great way to pass the time.

2. Read a book. If you’re into hard copies of books, go get a library card and check out a book to read! Or if you have a Kindle or iPad (or even your smart phone), you can download an ebook to read. Our local library has access to a bunch so you can check that out, too, or you can get books on Amazon Kindle Unlimited with a free 30 day trial here. You could even try out Audible and listen to an audio book if you prefer not to have to read it yourself (get two free audio books here). There are lots of different ways to enjoy books while you’re breastfeeding, and once you have kids it’s basically the only time you ever have to read!

3. Journal. It might be difficult to actually write in a journal while nursing, but you could start a journal on your phone or tablet to keep track of things that happen in your day that you want to remember. Again, breastfeeding is basically the only time I have to do what I want without getting interrupted, so writing or journaling during that time is a great thing to do!

4. Learn something new. Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn? Try taking a class on your tablet or smart phone while you’re breastfeeding! There are all kinds of classes on Craftsy (baking, sewing, art), iTunes U, or even through an online university. Just figure out what you want to learn and find a class. Chances are, you’ll be able to find something you can work through while breastfeeding.

5. Play a game. This is usually what I do at night when Little R wakes up since I don’t have the coherence for much else. There are tons of free games that you can download on your tablet or smart phone, so you could pretty much never get bored with this one.

6. Listen to music or a podcast. If you like the idea of having your hands free and just listening to something, try listening to music (get a free 30 day trial of Amazon Music Unlimited here) or ask your friends what podcasts they are listening to and try out a new one. I love talking about pregnancy so I love these podcasts, but I’ve also enjoyed Serial (I know, that is SO two years ago) and my friend Jessica just recommended The Purposeful Home and I’m excited to try that one out.

7. Eat a healthy snack. I am a big advocate of eating (who isn’t?) so sometimes I like to eat an apple or granola bar or something while I’m breastfeeding. I also really like to browse Pinterest for healthy ideas while I’m breastfeeding, too!

8. Call a friend (or your mom!). Talking on the phone is super easy and definitely a way to pass the time breastfeeding, too! If you don’t call your family enough, use one of your breastfeeding sessions each day to call a different family member. You don’t have to talk to long and it’s a good chance just to catch up!

9. Sing to your baby. This one is for sure not for me because singing+me=cringe. But if you like to sing, then singing to your baby while breastfeeding is perfect! Since lullabies, your favorite pop songs, church hymns, or even made up songs. Your baby doesn’t know if you’re good or not either, so no judgement here!

Breastfeeding is definitely wonderful and a great way to bond with your baby, but it also gets boring! Hopefully these nine things to do when you’re breastfeeding will help you stay occupied and not go crazy from sitting and doing nothing every time!