Finding time and energy with a baby or toddler

How do you fit exercise in with a baby or toddler?

Exercise with your baby rather than around them. Walking is free, you can do it almost anywhere at any time, and your baby can come along, for example when you walk with the pram instead of taking the car on a short trip². A daily walk with your baby, even just to the shops, is one of the easiest ways to start⁵. Many postnatal classes let you bring your baby, and some include the pram or buggy in the workout¹.

A few more ways to fit activity in:

• Break it into pieces. Exercising 10 minutes at a time is fine, so you don't need to wait for a free hour².
• Use the floor. Your baby can lie next to you while you do gentle tummy exercises².
• Pair exercises with things you already do. Tummy and pelvic floor exercises can be done sitting or standing while you breastfeed or drive. Linking them to a regular task helps you remember².

For more ideas on fitting activity into a busy day, see Finding time.

Do short bouts of activity make a difference for new parents?

Short bouts probably help. Health benefits begin below the recommended weekly amounts, so some activity is better than none³. Activity of any length counts towards your weekly total, and postnatal advice agrees that 10 minutes at a time is fine².

In adults generally, activity in bouts shorter than 10 minutes is linked with health benefits similar to those from longer bouts⁶. Whether very short bouts cause those benefits isn't settled, because the trial evidence covers bouts of 10 minutes or more⁶. A 10-minute walk is a solid choice, and shorter bursts still count.

Brief, vigorous bursts spread through the day, often called exercise snacks, improved fitness in inactive adults. This held even at about 4.5 to 67.5 minutes of exercise a week, well below guideline amounts⁴. They did not change body weight or body fat⁷. After birth, start gently with low-impact activity and build up gradually⁸.

How do you exercise when you're short of sleep?

On a tired day, do what you can rather than a full workout. Something small, such as a gentle walk with the baby, is better than skipping activity altogether. Choose low-impact activity, start low, and build up slowly. Keep an eye on your sleep, energy and mood, and drop back a step if they get worse⁸.

Rest matters too. When your baby sleeps, resting can sometimes be more important than catching up on chores⁵. Regular exercise can help you feel less tired, even if it's the last thing you feel like doing⁵. In adults generally, regular exercise tends to improve sleep quality⁹. Exercise programmes for people over 60 with sleep problems are seen as a practical, safe way to improve sleep¹⁰. How well this works with the broken sleep of a new baby isn't clear yet, so it comes down to how you feel on the day.

On days when you do nothing, that's normal. Do the best you can and pick it up again when you're ready.

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.
• If you have recently given birth, ask your midwife or doctor when and how to start, especially after a complicated birth. Begin gently and build up slowly⁸. If pelvic, back or other symptoms appear or get worse, cut back, and see a doctor or physio if they persist.
• For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio.
• A sore muscle or joint, or soreness a day or two later, is a reason to ease off. If it persists or gets worse, see a doctor or other health professional.
• Feeling sick, sweaty or unwell, unexplained discomfort, or breathlessness or dizziness that doesn't settle is not something to ease off for. See a doctor if it is mild and passing, and otherwise follow the emergency advice below.
• 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.
• In pregnancy and after birth, bleeding, fluid leaking, regular painful contractions, the baby moving less, calf pain or swelling, or a bad headache or changes in vision need the midwife, doctor or maternity unit straight away.
• Feeling tired all the time, being unable to sleep even when the baby sleeps, or struggling to cope isn't something to push through with exercise. Get it checked by a doctor, midwife or health visitor.
• If you have thoughts of harming yourself, contact a local crisis line (findahelpline.com lists free services in every country), with your local emergency number.