[mckenziesmommy]

I have a 8 month old girl and she just loves my attention 24/7 and of course I want to give it to her but it causes problems when I try to work out. I go out for walks with her and everything but now I want to shape my body and actually really work on getting this weight off. Any ideas that I can keep her busy. I work out in the basement and put her in the play pen, she doesn't want to play with her toys in there and well, her father is at work all the time so, that's out of the question and yea I tried during her naps but for some reason she knows when I want to work out because she doesn't take naps those days. Any fun things I can do for her to occupy her young mind?

[midwife]

Ahhh, the challenge of exercising with a small child!

Some ideas:

Get up earlier or stay up later than she does.
Invest in a jogging stroller. Check Craigslist or your local second hand maternity shops.
Find a neighbor in a similar situation and trade childcare.
When she does nap, jump on the opportunity to exercise.
Join a gym with a childcare room.
Check out for community based mommy-and-me classes that encourage children to come along.

You say your husband works all of the time. Is he actually out of the country? I remember trying to get exercise in when my dh was deployed on a submarine for 6 months at a shot. *That* was "working all the time." If your DH is physically present at your home for 1 hr in a 24 hr cycle, I bet you can find time to exercise. I get up at 5 am to run. My SIL gets up at 4:30 to get her runs in. There are ways to make it happen.

I do sympathize. I've been there, done that.

Good luck.

[luckymommy]

WOW! Midwife had some amazing ideas! What I used to do w/ my boys (who I called "velcro babies") was to dance with them. I literally held them as I danced and that was hard! I would also lay them down on the ground and do push ups over them and all kinds of crazy squats and make it like a big game of peek-a-boo. I do know of a group of ladies out here that have a workout class called Stroller Strides. They all go together and do walks/runs and then, they go to the park and do other activities. Meantime, their kids can watch eachother or all their moms doing crazy things. I had a very hard time getting my boys to stay in the childcare at my gym, but maybe yours won't mind. Leave her there with a bag of Cheerio's to keep her occupied and her favorite doll maybe? Also, the walks are great! Maybe you could get a weighted vest and put that on. That way, you'll get more of a workout while you walk. Finally, as a last result...you could put on a baby video like Baby Einstein for about 20 minutes and put on a workout dvd on your computer and do it while she watches her own show??? Dunno if any of that helps, but I admire your desire to work out anyway!

[zinkemomx2]

Just wait. It gets worse. I have nearly 4 year old twins.

Have you tried slinging her? Or a backpack carrier? Biking with a trailer? You could bench press her or lay her on your legs and do weighted leg lifts.

Most importantly I think though is just keep at it. You are teaching her valuable lessons that will last her a lifetime.