I am so upset! Ok, so tonight I decide to invite a couple over to play tennis with my husband and I (we started playing about a weeks ago). Now, they have a baby who is almost a year old, so they totally understand, but I just don't know what to do... like 5 minutes after we get out there and start playing, my son starts screaming his head off. He is 3 months old. I nursed him, changed him, and made sure he was dressed appropriately for the weather just before we left. As far as I can tell, he just wanted my attention. There was nothing I could do. Eventually, after watching everyone play for a while, I brought him back home. How can I exercise with my needy baby? I try to sneak in pilates videos while he naps in the morning. But I NEED cardio... is my only option to buy an expensive jogging stroller -- I really want to play tennis with my hubby and our friends! OMG will I be fat 4EVER?!?!

I found a site, but since I only have 16 posts it won't lke me insert the link. Stupid rule. What I did was google "exercising with baby" and it came up with some sites for strength training using your baby as the weight.

As for cardio you could put on some music and dance while he naps or get yourself an aerobics tape to do while he's napping. Sounds like tennis is out for you unless you could find a sitter for an hour or two. Maybe there is a local teen willing to sit for a bit while you play.

Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

I remember feeling the same way. Just remember- It's only for a season. Really soon your son will begin a more consistant sleeping pattern, so you will be able to plan your workouts accordingly. I found that exercise DVD's work best for me. I don't have to get dressed, leave the house, or find a babysitter. As soon as he goes down for his nap, pop in that DVD. I know that you want to play tennis, and you will, but maybe for a short time you could try something else that would work better at this stage in your life. Good luck with the new baby!

I had a harder time exercising once my baby started crawling. I tried to do a Shred Jillian Michaels' dvd, and he crawls on me, around me, right near my feet. Impossible! My baby's daddy just accepts that I need to exercise in order to have energy and feel good and lets me have an hour every night after he gets home to go run or whatever.

Well, I tried tennis again this morning, and my son is either totally against me losing weight or he just has really poor timing. Of course, when we got home he fell fast asleep and has been snoozing ever since... I really am not ready to find or entrust a sitter though. I just wish he was old enough that I could give him toys to entertain himself with. ::sigh::

Actually, most of our members are thankful for this rule. We have this rule to prevent people from signing up for the forum, and then proceeding to spam the forum all over the place to promote their diet gimmicks, pills, websites, Avon, or whatever it is they are trying to promote. This rule makes it so that people are members because they want to be members, not people wanting to sign up just to advertise.


To the OP-

Your baby is only a few months old. I have three children, and my youngest is 2. What you are describing is NORMAL. No, you are not going to be fat forever, hon. But...you can't expect a teeny baby to sit patiently while you play tennis.

You are either going to have to find a cardio method where the baby can come along (such as taking walks with the stroller), exercising at home with a cardio machine or dvd, OR have a sitter while you exercise. You don't have to leave the baby at HOME with a sitter, but how about bringing someone along with you to entertain the baby while you play tennis? (Someone to change, hold, feed expressed milk, etc.)

After a while, the baby will develop more of a set schedule, and you can fit your workouts in much easier. For instance, my 2 year old naps every day after lunch. I get in a workout every day during this time.

I never would have thought about bringing a sitter with me! WOW -- GENIUS! Now that is something I could definitely try... thanks!

Try places like craigslist or local consignment shops to find a jogging stroller for cheap.

Also, make sure that baby has something to do as well. Put some toys hanging in his stroller - or bring a bouncer for him to sit in. That always worked wonders for us.

Just call me Serena Williams (lol) because today my son let me play tennis! Even when he woke up, he did not cry... just looked around... and I FEEL GREAT! I am definitely going to take some of these suggestions though, because I'm pretty sure it was a fluke and I shouldn't expect him to cooperate regularly. ;-)

We bought a jogging stroller and it was one of the best baby purchases ever. I have a 10 month old and a 4 year old and finding time to exercise is hard. I usually run on the treadmill after the baby goes to bed at night. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. And it only gets harder when baby starts to crawl.

I totally relate! It seems like they want us all soft and squishy for them!! Hehe.

I am 100% with you in not leaving baby with a sitter (only hubby and my mom can watch him) but it is a fantastic idea to have someone with you! Many times they're called a "mother's helper". It's great b/c you don't have to pay a lot but you can get a great workout while baby is tended to. By the way, I commend you on responding to your baby's needs and not leaving him to cry while you work out!! I know it's a sacrifice, but it's SO worth it in the long run and when you look back you'll be so happy you put baby first!!!

Oh and a jogging stroller is a fantastic idea (get it second hand) because soon baby will sit happily while you walk/jog/run (I have a 3 year old too so I can tell you from experience it DOES get easier!).

I looked online at jogging strollers and they're like $400-$600! So, I guess I will look at craigslist...
As for letting baby cry, every article I read says that for the 1st 6 months of their life it is detrimental to respond to their cries to ensure that they become trusting, independent adults. I can not even begin to tell you how many times I've had to argue not "letting the baby cry it out" -- and explain that I am not spoiling him. Glad to hear other moms on my side!

Ami-

I actually bought my jogging stroller from Walmart.com.

Here is a link to their jogging stroller page, and ALL of them are under $300...most are under $200!!!

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catal...atNavId=118134

This is the #2 rated jogging stroller on Consumer Reports and it's under $200. The #1 was more like $400, so this is the one we're getting. It has multiple seat positions so you can use it with children under 9 months... yay!

http://www.target.com/Jeep-Overland-.../dp/B000LJNPIY

We bought ours at ToysRus and it was 99. It's big, but it works really well for jogging or walks on big trails. We live out in the country and so we don't have sidewalks and we use it for all of our walks, not just jogging. I love it!