14 Easy & Fun Exercises Mother Can Do with Baby

Motherhood many times throws a woman’s regular routine out of gear and leaves her with very little time for herself. New mothers often complain that after the arrival of the baby, their fitness regime is immensely disturbed. Post-pregnancy following a fitness regime becomes next to impossible.

Women who have been following a thorough fitness routine, struggle to pursue it in the limited amount of time they get for themselves after the birth of the baby. But, worry not! Here are some easy exercises that you can do in your limited time and bond with your baby.

Exercises a Mom Must Do with Baby

Exercising with your baby can be an enriching experience for you and the baby, as it not only keeps your body flexible and healthy but also helps you bond with your baby with the much needed physical touch. Here are some recommended exercises you can do with your baby that are very good for postpartum health

1. Squats

To incorporate your baby into this exercise, you need to hold your baby in your arms firmly and do the squats in a slow manner. This is only suitable for babies who have achieved neck stiffness and are big enough to be carried without neck support.

2. Stroller Cardio

Fasten the baby safely in a stroller and put on your running shoes to take her on a fun ride. Your baby will love the thrill, and you will get your daily dose of cardio workout. Pace the run according to your stamina and slowly increase it with time.

3. Work on Your Triceps

In this exercise, you must sit on a flat surface with your knees bent, and hands behind your hip, on the ground. Keep your arms straight and lift your hip to support the weight of your body on your arms. Now bend your elbow and lower your hip to come back to the original position. Repeat this multiple times to tone your hip muscles and your triceps. While doing this simple exercise, you can allow your child to look at you and imitate it, in a fun way.

4. Core Exercises

First, go down on your back and bend your knees with the feet on the ground. Now, with a gentle pull, raise up the leg in such a way that the toes are close to each other and are bent by 90-degrees. You can add your twist to this exercise by placing your baby on your knees or on your tummy to give a see-saw kind of experience. Remember to balance the baby appropriately and hold her hands firmly.

5. Walking

Buy your baby a bunch of nice walking shoes and enjoy a stroll with your little one and explore the things you see along the way. If your baby is small, then invest in a good stroller to comfortably seat your baby while you take her around.

6. Kegel Exercise

After a vaginal delivery, the pelvic muscles tend to weaken up, causing postpartum urinary incontinence. While you are feeding your baby, or reading to her or just changing her diapers, make sure you practice the kegel exercise to strengthen the muscles in the pelvic floor.

Fun Exercises You Can Do With Baby

Apart from these must do exercises, there are some fun things you can do with your baby to keep him entertained, while you exercise your way to fitness.

1. Planks

Just place your baby between your arms and balance your weight by lying down like a plank. Do it for a couple of seconds to start with and then slowly increase the time. While you do this, your baby can have fun watching you and playing with you.

2. Lunges

You can practice lunges with your baby by putting him or her in a stroller. To do this exercise, you can stand in front of the stroller and bend your knees in such a way that one thigh is parallel to the ground, while the other is perpendicular. While you come closer to your baby, you can give a bite of food or simply blow a kiss.

3. Aeroplane Pose

Lie flat on your stomach close to your baby and keep your legs touching each other. Now slowly raise your hands in the flying position while raising your lower body in a single plane and balancing your weight on your tummy. Keep your toes close to each other and your elbows straight while doing it, to give a nice workout for your core muscles. While your child looks at you, you can pretend to be an aeroplane and have some fun.

4. Bending

The bending exercise involves lying down on your tummy and bending your head back to reach the legs that are bent inwards. The body resembles a complete circle in this position, and you can stop at the position that is comfortable to you. You can allow your child to imitate you or just watch you everytime you bend, to play a little hide and seek.

5. Wall Push-ups

Stand in front of a firm wall and stretch your legs to place it on the wall, parallel to the ground. Now, bend your elbows and lean forward towards the wall. Inhale and hold in this position for a few seconds. Exhale and spring back to the standing position. While doing these power push-ups, you can pretend to play hide and seek with your baby.

6. Dancing

Put on some peppy music and dance along with your baby to add a lot of fun to your play time. Dancing improves the muscle coordination in babies and is also a proven way to keep them happy! There is no better mom and baby workout than dancing.

7. Pilates

The pilates ball is sure to attract your baby and motivate you to go for it every single day. Apart from being a great tool for regaining flexibility, the pilates ball can be a good play toy for your baby, making it one of the best mother and baby exercise.

8. Swim

Sign up for some mom and baby swimming classes to have some fun together. Keep your eyes on your baby at all times to prevent any unfortunate episode in the water. You can have some great swimming work-out while your baby splashes around in the baby pool.

Restarting your exercising routine after having a baby can be very challenging, but combining it with your baby’s playtime can make it fun for both you and the baby. Make sure you get a go-ahead from your doctor before starting any rigorous work-out regime.

Also Read: Best Exercises to Reduce Your Tummy After Delivery