21 Fun Ways To Exercise With Baby, Post-Pregnancy

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Doing exercise with a baby is a fun way to bond with your little one. It also gets you on the fitness track after a long pregnancy gap. Being healthy and fit is essential at every stage of life. Working out helps you lose the weight you gained during pregnancy and improves your cardiovascular fitness.

In addition, strength training exercise helps revive your muscle strength and promotes overall well-being. We bring you a list of activities you can try with your baby in this post.

Exercises You Can Do With Your Baby

Postnatal exercises increase stamina, induce good sleep, and promote weight loss. They also tone your body and strengthen your abdominal muscles. From simple tummy time workouts to outdoor activities, there are many ways to exercise with a baby. Remember to consult your healthcare provider before starting any postpartum exercise routine, especially if you’re unsure about any poses.

1. Straight curl-up (A)

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1. Lie on your back with legs and feet flat on the floor.
2. Lift your baby in the air.
3. Face your chin towards your chest and look up.
4. Repeat this lifting exercise about 10-15 times based on your comfort.

Point to consider

Avoid high-impact exercises that need rapid direction changes. Your ligaments and joints are more supple and pliable after childbirth, which makes them easier to injure due to excessive stretching or twisting (2).

2. Straight curl-up (B)

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1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees at 60° and keep your feet flat.
3. Pull your abdomen muscles inside.
4. Lift your head, neck, and shoulder from the floor. Stay in the position for 10 seconds.
5. Exhale as you curl yourself up while pulling your abs in and out.
6. Come back to your normal position slowly.
7. Repeat this fun playtime workout 10-15 times.

3. Reverse baby curl (A)

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1. Lie flat on your back on the floor.
2. Bend your knees at 90° and keep your legs parallel to the floor.
3. Place your baby on your legs, holding him under his arms.

4. Reverse baby curl (B)

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1. Lie on your back with your baby on your legs.
2. Lift your head, shoulder, and hips off the floor and bring your baby towards your face.
3. Hold the position for 10 seconds.
4. Lower yourself gradually.
5. Repeat the exercise 15-20 times.

5. Stretching (Butterfly)

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1. Lie on your back and place your baby on your stomach.
2. Lift your head along with your shoulders and pull your abdomen in.
3. Lift your legs up and hold your baby right in the center.
4. Open your legs wide and stretch as much as you can.
5. Slowly bring your legs closer and feel the contraction of your muscles.
6. Inhale while opening and exhale while closing.

6. Plie squats

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1. To do this squatting exercise, hold your baby in front of you (his face should be away from you).
2. Put your legs shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing out.
3. Hug your baby and squat on your knees.
4. Push your knees wide and lower your butt while keeping your abdomen tight.
5. Repeat the exercise ten times.

7. Carrier squats

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1. Secure your baby safely in the baby carrier , facing you or away from you.
2. Put your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Lower your body down and place your weight on the heels, with your stomach pulled in. (Bend your knees while lowering down).
4. Point your tailbone to the floor.
5. Return to your original position slowly using your legs.
6. Repeat the exercise ten times.

8. Stoller lunges

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1. Place your baby in the stroller facing you.
2. Put your left foot three feet back, and right foot forward with your knees bent at 90°. Your knees should be in line with your ankle.
3. Hold the handle of the stroller and smile or make faces at your baby.
4. Hold the position for 10 seconds and return to your original position.
5. Repeat the exercise ten times on each side.

9. Tush tightener

1. Lie on your stomach and place your baby in front of you.
2. Bend your legs and rest your chin on your hands.
3. Place your arms on either side and keep your legs wide apart with toes pointing outwards.
4. Lift your knees off the floor while keeping your feet tight.
5. Hold the position for ten seconds.
6. Gradually return to your original position. Repeat the exercise at least five times.

10. Letter abs

1. Lie flat on your back. Let your baby sit near your arms.
2. Place your arms on your sides with your palms down.
3. Lift your legs up with feet together and toes pointing towards the sky.
4. Draw a pattern of each letter of the alphabet with your toes and say it out or make the sound of the letter to make this movement game more fun.
5. Be slow in your movement and pull your abdomen inside while you do such core exercises.

11. Baby crawl

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1. Get down on your legs and hands and take the cat position in this crawling exercise.
2. Place the baby in front of you.
3. Put your entire weight on your hands and knees.
4. Without putting any pressure on your knees, lift one foot and put it on the other.
5. Try to crawl front and back.
6. Repeat the movement with the other knee.

12. Kegels

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1. Lie on your back with your baby on your pubic bone. Hold him by his hands.
2. Slowly tighten your pelvic muscles and then relax.
3. Bend your legs at the knees and place your feet on the floor.
4. Slowly lift your hips off the floor. Your back should be on the floor.
5. Tighten your pelvic muscles for 2-3 seconds and then increase the time to 5-10 seconds.
6. Slowly come back to your original position.
7. You can repeat the exercise thrice initially and then increase it to five a day.

Quick fact

Kegels can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which can, in turn, help prevent incontinence and improve sexual functions (3).

13. Planking with the baby

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1. Place your baby on the floor.
2. Place your palms on the floor in such a way that your baby is between your hands.
3. Gently lift yourself on your toes and place your weight on your hands. Make sure your body is straight.
4. Hold the position for ten seconds.
5. Gradually come back to your normal position.

14. Leg lifts

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1. Place your baby on the floor.
2. Take the cat position (your weight should be on hands and knees).
3. Put your baby between your hands.
4. Slowly lift your right leg up and hold the position for 10 seconds.
5. Come back to your original position.
6. Repeat the exercise with the other leg and alternate each leg 10-12 times.

15. Glute lifts

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1. Lie on your back and let your baby sit on your tummy.
2. Bend your knees and place your feet firmly on the floor.
3. Slowly lift your buttocks while contracting your glute muscles (a group of muscles that make the buttocks).
4. Lower your hip and come back to your original position.
5. Repeat the exercise five times.

16. Shoulder press

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1. Squat on the floor and hold your baby.
2. Lift your baby in the air and raise yourself.
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles when you lift.
4. Bring your baby down.
5. Repeat the exercise 5-10 times.

17. Snake stretch

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1. In this stretching exercise, place your baby on the floor, between your hands.
2. Lie on the ground with your upper part away from the ground, supported by your arms.
3. Your toes should touch the floor.
4. Slowly lift your upper body and stretch your abdominal muscles.
5. Lower yourself to reach your baby and raise yourself again.
6. Repeat the exercise 10-12 times.

18. Cardio stroller

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1. Secure your baby in the stroller.
2. Jog for a while and walk a while.
3. Apply stroller brakes and jog or jump at one place.
4. Resume jogging again and switch to lunges and stretches in the next break.
5. Repeat this cardio workout several times based on your comfort.

Meghan, a midwife, mother, and blogger, shares her experience joining a summer stroller boot camp. She says, “Over the summer I joined a stroller boot camp. We met once or twice a week in a park in my town and an instructor led us in a mix of cardio and strength training. Everyone had a stroller with one or two kids and the exercises often involved the stroller or a song… When I learned of the stroller boot camp- I was thrilled. I didn’t have to worry about childcare… During our warm up we would circle up and introduce ourselves while we lunged and squatted. The instructor was very nice and super chatty (ⅰ).’’

19. Baby dancing

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1. In this dance workout, hold your baby facing you and support their head and body with your hands, or secure them in a carrier.
2. Groove to the music while pulling your abdomen inside.
3. Start with slow movements and slowly increase the pace of your dance.
4. You can also place your baby in a high chair and dance in front of them.
5. Reach out to your baby by stretching your arms and do some animated movements. This baby dancing exercise can be one of the most fun things to do with a newborn baby.

20. Cat stretch

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1. Take the cat position (come on your hands and legs). Your head and back should be straight.
2. Place your baby between your hands.
3. Curve your back up to make an arch.
4. Pull your abdomen in and out and look straight. Hold for five seconds.
5. Look up and curve your back down this time. Hold for five seconds.
6. Repeat ten times.

21. Flying with baby

Image: IStock

1. Let your baby lie down on his back on the mat.
2. Take the cat position.
3. Slowly raise the right leg and ensure your leg is parallel to the floor.
4. Now lift the left hand slowly up. Your hand should be parallel to the floor.
5. Hold for six seconds and return to the original position.
6. Repeat this fun balance exercise five times with the opposite hand and leg.

Things To Note

Being fit after pregnancy is good, but you need to make a note of certain things before you begin these new mom workouts with your baby:

• Give your body some time to heal naturally after the delivery. Don’t be in a rush to lose weight.

• Begin with simple exercises and gradually move to the difficult ones. Listen to your body and do it at your pace.

• Set realistic goals, plan your workouts, and team up with a workout buddy for fun and motivation.

• Support your head and shoulders with a pillow if required.

• Ensure you place your baby on a cushioned mat.

• Don’t pressurize your baby to work out when they are not in the mood or cranky. Attend to your baby first and then resume your exercises.

• Relax and breathe deeply while you exercise. Don’t hold your breath.

• If you feel uncomfortable or sense something unusual such as bleeding, stop exercising and see your doctor.

• Your lower back and abdominal muscles are not as strong as they were earlier. Hence, you need to avoid vigorous exercises or resistance training that might affect your body parts.

• If you think you are fit enough to exercise and want to work out vigorously, consult your doctor before you begin.
• Do not do any outdoor activity or workout with your baby for at least 1 hour, post-feeding.

Infographic: Useful Postpartum Exercises For The Mother And The Baby

After giving birth, new moms must take care of their physical health and get back into shape. Doing postpartum exercises with a baby is a great way to be fit and bond with the little one. The infographic below includes several exercises you can enjoy. Take a look!

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Fun Ways To Workout With Baby Post-Pregnancy

Image: Dall·E/MomJunction Design Team

Explore this video for interesting and simple exercise demonstrations for you and your child to enjoy together.

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