Get Moving! Mom and Baby Exercise

Exercising at home can be convenient for busy moms because it enables them to incorporate a daily routine without having to go far. Choose from videos to watch and do together. Or, you can always find routines to print out from the Internet. Options include:

• Fitness Beginnings' website sells videos for everything for kids' exercises for toddlers to do, such as dances (ballet, tap, jazz, and hula), fitness (aerobics, jump roping, yoga, Pilates, and martial arts), and swimming and instructional how-to for various sports.
• Print out instructions from an exercise routine you find online. (Free, downloadable exercise instructions are available at a variety of websites, and some sites even offer a personal online fitness trainer for an added monthly/annual fee.)
• Exercise using a fitness ball, while holding baby in your arms.
• Try yoga or Pilates, with sitting and standing exercises for both you and baby. These work well when you are able to incorporate baby into your poses, such as having baby rest on your shins, chest, back, or in your lap.

Classes and Programs

Classes and programs sponsored by health organizations, clubs, or hospitals aimed at group mother-and-baby exercises are ideal for having a support system of other moms, as well as a way for your baby to socialize with others. Prices range from under $50 to over $100 or more, depending on each activity's length and days offered.

If you are looking for individually based studios/programs, you should be able to find a variety of options, including sports, yoga, Pilates, aquatic exercises, aerobics, gymnastics, martial arts, and others. Here are some popular programs to get you started:

Yoga and Pilates:

• Baby Om
• Itsy Bitsy Yoga
• Baby Moon

Gymnastics:

• The Little Gym