Exercising with your baby

What exercise can you do with your baby?

After a straightforward birth, you can start with walking, gentle stretches and pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel up to it¹. Gentle core exercises are generally safe from about 2 weeks, depending on how you feel. None of these should cause pain or discomfort, so ease off or stop any that do⁴.

Guidelines for after birth commonly include aerobic activity and pelvic floor exercises, with strengthening and stretching often added³. UK guidance is to build back up to muscle-strengthening activities twice a week⁵.

Most guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, and the 2025 Canadian guideline supports a minimum of 120 minutes³. Treat these as a direction, not a test: any amount of activity is better than none³. If you weren't active before the birth, build up gradually³. The Canadian guideline suggests at least 15 minutes of aerobic exercise on three to five days a week, and says tired days may call for shorter or gentler sessions⁶.

Running with a buggy is a later option. Advice on when to start ranges from about 6 months to 6–9 months, so that your baby's neck and back are developed enough to cope with the motion^7,4. Use a buggy made for running, used as its maker says. Never run or jog with a pram that isn't made for it.

Is pram walking or babywearing good exercise?

Yes, both can be. Pram walking is light to moderate activity, and it suits easing back into exercise after birth². The NHS advises pushing the pram or buggy briskly, with your arms bent, your back straight and the handles at a height where your elbows are bent at right angles¹.

Babywearing makes your body work harder. Carrying a baby in your arms felt harder than carrying in a sling, and front or back carries seem to change your body less than carrying in your arms⁸. Babywearing also raises your heart rate, and walking downhill with a carrier raised breathing effort⁸. So start with short babywearing walks and build up slowly. Keep the carrier suited to your baby's age and use it as its maker says.

If you feel unusually breathless, dizzy or unwell, stop. If it is mild and settles, mention it to a doctor. If it doesn't settle, follow the emergency advice below.

What are parent-and-baby exercise classes like?

They are usually friendly, small and set up for people with babies. One council-run example, Parents and Prams, is for parents and caregivers with children under two. It is a 45-minute circuit-style session for up to about 10–12 people, with low-impact exercise and no running or jumping⁹. Babies can come along, feeding is welcome and breaks are encouraged. You don't need to be fit or have exercise experience, and instructors offer options for different fitness levels⁹. It also gives you a place to meet other parents, which can help if the early years feel isolating⁹.

Group classes for new parents tend to lift self-reported activity and wellbeing. Most offer only about once a week for 40–60 minutes, which is too little on its own to meet the weekly guidelines². WHO guidance is to start with small amounts and gradually increase how often, how hard and how long you exercise¹⁰. So treat a class as a start, and add walking or home exercise on other days.

Before you join, ask:

• whether babies can come along, whether feeding and breaks are fine, and how big the class is
• whether the class is low impact; running or jumping classes are best left until your midwife or doctor says you're ready

Tell the instructor you've recently had a baby, and mention any injury or worry. Ask for easier or harder options.

When to check with a health professional

If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first. After pregnancy or childbirth, check with your midwife or doctor before anything strenuous, especially after a caesarean or a difficult birth³. Start gently, with pelvic floor exercises first.

For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio.

A sore muscle or joint is a reason to ease off. If pain, a heavy or pressing feeling in the pelvis, or leaking urine continues, see your doctor, midwife or a physio. If you feel dizzy, sick, sweaty or unwell during or after activity, stop and see a doctor, even if it passes.

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe.

After birth, bleeding, calf pain or swelling, or a bad headache or changes in vision need the midwife, doctor or maternity unit straight away.