Training with children – exercises that you can do together at home [EXPLAIN]

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Training with a child is not easy. For many mums, however, it is the only way to work on their figure and burn fat. It is also worth remembering that this is a great way to spend time with your child and build a bond with him, and you can infect your toddler with a love of physical activity. What is worth paying attention to?

Finding time to exercise during the day is not easy for a mother taking care of her baby at home. For many women, training with your baby is the only option. It requires not only organization but, above all, patience and persistence. The little ones most often disturb more than help with exercises. Remember, however, that it is completely normal and it is still worth encouraging the toddler to train together.

Training with children – advantages

Training with children has only advantages. Thanks to it, we will not only quickly get back into shape after pregnancy and burn fat, but also spend time with children in an interesting way. Regardless of the child’s age, it is worth taking up the challenge and trying.

Interestingly, the younger the child, the easier it should be to train. It is often enough for the baby to lie on the mat and maintain eye contact with the exercising mother. It is certainly much harder when a toddler begins to crawl and often disappears from our sight.

Therefore, the most important thing is to choose the exercises properly to engage the toddler as much as possible. Thus, the advantages of training with children include:

1. fat burning and quick recovery;
2. time spent together and active play with the child;
3. a varied day plan;
4. building healthy habits and attitudes in a child, i.e. a passion for an active lifestyle.

Check: Exercises – 6 exercises for each day

Training with children – puerperium

Training with children can only be started after the puerperium is over. It is assumed that the puerperium lasts about 6 weeks after giving birth, however, after a caesarean section with exercises, you may have to wait even 12 weeks. It is a very individual matter, so the doctor will tell you when we can start exercising. Remember not to force anything. The first few weeks after giving birth are best spent resting, bonding with your baby, and getting used to your new role.

Regeneration is key during the puerperium, so it is not worth straining the body with training, even if we feel strong enough. The body must return to balance, so it is worth focusing on quiet activity, e.g. walking with the child. In addition, you can perform gentle breathing, stretching and circulatory exercises and slowly stimulate subsequent muscle groups to work.

Check: Running – as one of the best forms of physical activity

Training with children – how to start?

The beginning of training with children are not always simple. However, it should be remembered that it is primarily intended to be a pleasure for the child and it is not worth doing anything by force. Another issue is when to return to exercise after pregnancy. The length of puerperium is very individual and it is always the doctor who decides to start exercising. The obstacle will be, among others dehiscence of the abdominal muscles or problems with the bottom of the uterus.

If the baby is so small that it cannot hold its head yet, it should lie next to us on the mat so that it can watch us while exercising. When he grows up and, for example, keeps his head straight, he can start exercising with his mother.

The selection of exercises is not a problem today, because on the Internet you can find many programs designed especially for women after pregnancy. Choose exercises appropriate to the age of the child, so that his position during the exercise does not endanger him, e.g. a toddler who does not keep his head straight should lie next to us on a mat or a blanket. Let’s also modify the exercises so that children have as much fun as possible.

You can also add, for example, various sounds or favorite melodies, thanks to which the toddler will be more willing to engage. Importantly, some positions during exercises should be tested before we take the child in our arms.

Training with children – exercises

When training with children, you can use any of the following exercises. Each of them should be performed several times (depending on the level of advancement) in 3 series. These are:

1. Squats – Feet should be wider than hip width, with toes pointing outwards. Keep your back straight, stomach and buttocks tense, and you can hold your baby facing you. In this position, we perform the appropriate number of repetitions;
2. lunges – we position ourselves similarly to the first exercise. Put one leg forward so that the bent leg at the knee forms a right angle between the torso, thigh and the floor. Larger children can be placed on the thigh, and smaller ones should be kept as before. We breathe in and descend and come back exhaling. The depth of the lunges depends on our capabilities. It is very important that the knee does not go beyond the line of the toes;
3. propped kneeling – place your hands under the shoulders and put your knees under the hips, place the toddler directly in front of you on the back. Our head is an extension of the spine. We alternately stretch the left arm and the right leg up, hold it and return to the starting position. We change sides and repeat the move;
4. women’s push-up – we stay on the mat. Place your hands a little wider, more or less under the shoulders. The baby is lying on the mat as before, but a little higher than the hands. We lower ourselves on our hands with an exhalation. Keep your elbows close to your body. We return with our breath up. During the exercise, we can maintain eye contact with the child all the time;
5. crunches – we sit on the floor with bent knees. We place the child on the stomach so that it rests its back against our thighs. However, we keep our hands on the toddler’s sides and we secure him. We make classic crunches that we can modify over time to engage the muscles more.

Training with children – contraindications

Contraindication to exercise with children are any problems with the bottom of the uterus, rectal abdominal muscles after pregnancy, or scar after cesarean section. Instead of training at home, it is worth going to a physiotherapist who will guide us further and tell us how to proceed.

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