When you have little ones crawling, toddling, or running around, carving out time for healthy habits is challenging, to say the least. Before kids, you might’ve taken invigorating 3-mile hikes and spent an hour at a time in meditation. You may not be able to get back to that level of intensity yet. But that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise or meditate daily. If you’re willing to try it a different way, you’ll find you can create a whole new self-care routine and start your kiddos on some early healthy habits, too.
Your little one can exercise too
A lot of moms walk their babies to sleep while getting their steps in. But at some point, those babes are big enough to nap on their own and don’t want to stay put in the stroller. Then what?
Why not involve your young ones in a new exercise routine? You and your littles can follow a kid yoga tutorial together. You can even get matching mommy-and-me yoga mats. Once they get the hang of it, you can let them follow the kiddie poses while you move on to more challenging ones.
Of course, the best exercise for littles is playing. Next time you head to the park, why not invite a mommy friend for an exercise playdate? You could offer to take turns — you watch both kids while she gets to take a few laps around the park on her own. Then swap.
Meditation is for all ages
Yes, those long sits on the pillow may be few and far between now, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop meditating altogether. Instead, turn it into a grounding practice for the whole family.
The best way to teach is by doing. Set up a regular five-minute practice for the whole family. Put on your favorite kid-friendly guided meditation audio or video, get comfy, and show them how it’s done. You’ll be amazed at how five minutes of blowing imaginary bubbles can calm your littles and reset your mommy brain at the same time.
Take your little one on a power journal date
Whether you miss having more time to journal or it’s something you’ve wanted to try, expressive writing can be a great way to release stress.
Try this “power journal date” with your preschooler…
- Take a trip to the local coffee shop, then buy your favorite drink and a treat for your little.
- Pack stickers, washable markers, and an activity book.
- Let them go to town while you sip coffee and get in some quick power journaling.
It won’t be the focused, 30-minute free-write you could enjoy by yourself. But a quick gratitude list or a 5-senses check-in can be extremely liberating, especially paired with your favorite warm treat.
Have fun with fruit
It can be challenging to eat healthy when you have picky eaters to please.
Why not kill two birds with one stone? Try introducing some new fruits by making it fun.
- Let your kids use mini cookie cutters to make fun shapes out of pineapple, mango, or papaya slices.
- Let them press the button on the blender and watch the fruity colors blend together into your favorite smoothie.
- Or have them design a family fruit platter for dessert tonight.
Just make sure you choose fruits that you’ll like. That way, if the kiddos pass it up, there's more for you.
Go with the flow
The most important thing is not to worry if you can't get to all the self-care habits you once did. Trying to do anything perfectly will stress you out more, defeating the purpose.
When you make it fun and include your littles, it will probably get messy and that’s OK. Remember, 10 minutes of messy but fun self-care is better than no self-care at all.
