3 Ways To Get Moving With Your Baby

I still vividly remember the aches and pain of my body after the birth of my first son. My delivery was labeled “traumatic” and that word feels like an understatement – I was on bed rest for the first 6 weeks after he was born; I had to have corrective surgery six months postpartum; and I’m still dealing with continued nerve damage from that time. Suffusive to say, my journey of healing has been long and slow, and the idea of exercising was just not in the picture for a very long time.

Fast forward three years: I am now five months postpartum from my second child, and my body is ready to get back in motion!

My doctor advised me to have a C-section this second time to limit the amount of possible continued nerve damage, and it was the best decision I could have made. My body has healed faster and bounced back quicker than I could have ever imagined…and now I want to start shedding the pounds.

Because I have had two very different birth experiences, I understand the range of journeys that mommas can have postpartum with their bodies.  For many women, the idea of “getting back out there”, exercising, running, even walking is too painful, and to those women, I just want to say, “I get it. I’ve been there. Don’t feel guilty. Just enjoy the rest and let your body heal.” That was my story for three years, and it was the best thing I could have done to let my body recuperate and feel whole again.

For those of you at home with babies (like myself) who do feel ready to workout again, here are some of the things that I’ve started to do and have been enjoying:

1) Morning Walks

I asked my husband to get me a jogging stroller for my birthday this year, which he did. But, let’s be honest, I do more walking than jogging with that thing. Nevertheless, after my son gets dropped off at preschool, I pop baby girl in the stroller and off we go for a morning walk. The weather is just perfect right now in the mornings. I get my body moving and awake, while the walk actually relaxes my baby and gets her ready for her morning nap. It’s a win-win.

2) YouTube Walking Videos

It’s hard for me to go to an actual gym. I have a three-year-old and a five-month-old and, between nap schedules and feeding schedules, the timing never seems to work. So, I started doing walking videos at home in my living room. I have two favorite walking gals – Leslie Sanson and Jessica Smith. You can just YouTube them and subscribe to their channels. They have all different types and lengths of videos, depending on how you’re feeling that day. I try to do one a day, usually in the afternoon while baby girl is sleeping and my toddler is busy playing with his hot wheels.

3) Dance Parties

I’m grateful that my little Indo-Mex son loves to dance. He especially likes Latin music, and Marc Anthony is a favorite around here (although, there is a good amount of rap music a la Andy Mineo in our home too). Whether it’s Latin or rap, at some point during the day, usually after dinner, we turn Alexa on and get moving together as a family. Even my husband dances too, which I love! We take turns holding baby girl so she is part of the movement.

I don’t know if we’re burning a lot of calories when we have family dance parties, but it feels good, it’s fun and we get to have some family bonding together.

I know there’s a lot of other great ideas out there. I know a lot of mommas have more flexibility to get out of their home and do thinks like Hike It Baby or even Camp Gladiator. Those things are just not an option for me right now, so I’ve fond creative ways to stay moving at home.

What do you do to keep active with your baby? I’d love to hear more ideas!