Health, Safety, Wellbeing

Exercise with your Baby

One of the biggest challenges that new Moms face is finding time away from the baby to do a proper workout. If you are finding this to be a losing battle, you might just want to give in and make baby part of your exercise routine.

Get Your Stroller Rolling

One of the easiest ways to combine a little exercise for Mom while keeping baby hap- py and healthy is as simple as a quick walk around the neighborhood with your little one in the stroller. Daily walks are good for Mommy and baby, and if your baby falls asleep, you can get in quite a good workout- while your baby can get in his daily dose of Vitamin D from the sun. And for those Mommies who want to pick up the pace a bit,

you might want to think about investing in a good jogging stroller. These lightweight, big-wheeled strollers allow Mom to get in a good run and baby will love the high speed ride.

A quick note about strollers: Before you and baby hit the road, make sure your stroller is set so that baby is facing you. Studies have shown that speech and language development in babies can be enhanced by the simple act of turning your stroller around. This allows for grater interaction between parent and child during walks, and pro- vides more opportunity for stimulating “conversa- tions”.

Mommy and Me

More and more classes are popping up around Madrid that are designed for Mommies and ba- bies. City Yoga, for example, offers a wide range of “Mommy and Me” yoga classes that allow Mom to

workout while baby has a little “zen time” of his own.

Exercise at Home

Many new Moms find it intimidating to go back to the gym right away after the baby is

born. A good option might be to start your own little home gym. There are a wide variety of very good DVDs available with every kind of workout imaginable. While baby is napping or happy in his bouncy seat, you can get in a good workout and not have to be self conscious in the process.

Quick Note: When choosing a DVD, look for a workout that is specially designed for new Moms. These workouts will be a bit less strenuous and will focus on the special needs of a new Mom’s body.

Exercise Buddy

After a new baby it may be hard to get motivated to start an exercise routine. This is where a workout buddy can really help. Team up with another new Mom in your same boat, and help each other. Simply having some company on your daily walks might be just the inspiration you need to get up and moving.

In addition to motivation, your workout partner can also act as a workout babysit- ter of sorts. Take a trip to the park and while one of you hangs out with the stroll- ers and watches the ducks, the other can go for a quick run. Then it is Mommy number two’s turn to strap on her roller blades and do a quick lap around the park.

The important thing is to get creative and take advantage of this time when your little one loves to be snuggled up in his stroller or seat, because once they start walking, your baby will introduce you to a whole new type of exercise!

Written for the Kids Fun Ideas Fair in April 2010.