How do you entertain/prevent sibling rivalry w/ your toddler(s) when you have a newborn? 👶
The answer: Feeding boxes! What is a feeding box?
It’s a play on my activity box! It's a themed shoe box that you offer your toddler to explore when feeding your newborn.
Build your own!
Take an ordinary shoebox & fill with sensory items like beans, popcorn kernels or moss. Add fun figures to complement the theme such as a mini-tractor, a mini-rake, a farmer figure👩‍🌾& farm animals.🐄 Always include stickers (but make sure to peel the border so it is easy for the toddler to remove the stickers by themselves). Other themes I have used are an enchanted fairy garden filled with lots of fun pretend insects 🦋& fairies. I have also made a space-themed box that is glow in the dark that the kids really enjoy.☄️The important part when presenting these boxes is the language you use. When it is time to feed your baby, instead of saying I need to feed your brother/sister say: “It is time for you to play w/ your feeding boxes! Remember you only get to play with this when mommy feeds your brother/sister (try not use 'baby brother' or 'baby sister').” When you are done feeding your baby & can put them down safely then let your toddler know they may play w/ the box the next time you feed their brother or sister. This may lead to a tantrum however it is important to reserve the novelty of the box for the next time. When you are wrapping up w/ your baby you may say to your toddler “Now we can go play a fun game of XYZ” in order to pique their interest & entice them away from the box.

For inspiration on what to put in your box, check out my Amazon store here for what I put in some of my feeding boxes.