parenting help
Beth_M217
Posts: 7
About two and half months ago my 4 year old grandson came to live with me. The transition was very hard for him and it was necessary for me to focus on his needs instead of mine. Now that we've settled into a routine, it's time for me to get back on track with MFP. It's difficult to find time to exercise (my workout room is now his bedroom) and even though I'm getting better at measuring my food before serving a meal it's still a challange. How do you do it with small children in the house?
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Replies
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I give mine Playdoh! It keeps them occupied while I workout. I always have a mess to clean afterwards but at least I got a workout.0
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Sometimes I play sports with the kids or go for walks with them, but most of my exercise takes place when they are asleep - early morning run or evening exercise class/DVD/fast walk. Good luck!0
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My grandchildren exercise with me.0
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I do mine in the morning before mine are up0
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I have a 4 year old daughter and I try to include her in my exercise as much as possible. She has a set of 1 pound hand weights and she tries to follow along when I'm working out. We also do kickboxing and pilates workouts together. She usually gets bored 5-10 minutes into it and then goes to find something else to do. I also have a jogging trampoline and will let her dance on the floor or jump on the bed while I'm on the trampoline. She also gets a turn on it when I'm done. And we go for walks on school days to drop off and pick up her brother at school. Even though I'm not getting a great workout when I walk with her because she's on foot, it's better than nothing and it sets a great example for her. I also do a 30 - 45 minute workout in the morning on most days before the kids are up.0
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Go for a walk with him before his bedtime... It should help tire him out and give you both the exercise you need..0
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I have them workout with me. Or at least watch. I have three kids under 5 and I try to exercise every day. I do an exercise tape in the morning and sometimes my daughter joins along with me. I workout on the treadmill at night when they sleep or during naps. How old is your grandson? It might be fun to involve him in working out, depending on his age. If he's old enough to walk he can go for walks with you. Or dance with you to music, either on an exercise tape or just music in general.
You can also distract him with toys and crafts. Watercolor paints work nice and clean up easy. Markers, crayons etc.
Good luck!0 -
If I can't involve them, I put them in front of a movie and try my best to explain that I need to do this for me. It is also healthy for them to see you take time to take care of yourself. Keep at it and eventually he will get it.0
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My 2 year old takes a nap and my 4 year old watches a movie in her room.0
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I have a 7 yr old and a 15 month old, and most of my exercise happens when they are sleeping too but sometimes they go with me like walking or bike riding. Or I play a "sport" or just play with them so they get active and so do I
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I put popcorn kernels in a bucket and let him dig around with shovels and cups, he LOVES it! Hes only two but will sit there and play with it for as long as I let him.0
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you have many options:
1. go to gym that has a child care center...he gets to be with kids and you get to workout
2. get up earlier then him and exercise
3. can he ride a bicycle/tricycle? if so, he can ride, you can walk fast or jog
4. you can exercise, he can have independent play time
5. exercise after he goes to bed at night (not my favorite option because by that time i am ready for bed too!)
these are just a few suggestions. It can be difficult to exercise with a young one, but if you make it part of the daily routine it gets easier.
Congratulations on your new addition. Children and grandchildre are a blessing!0 -
At 4 months I'd try to work out when he's asleep, either during nap time, before he wakes or after he goes to bed for the night. Taking him out in the stroller is great but they can't go in a jogging stroller before 6m unless a Dr says otherwise.
You can put him in the swing while you workout, high chair with something to much on when he's able to self feed and I sometimes put my daughters favorite movie on and pop a DVD in my lap top in the adjacent area to workout (she's 18m).0 -
We adopted our grand-daughters last year, now aged 2 and 5. First off, let me tell you that you are not alone. There are plenty of us re-parents around...reach out if you need support! It is a difficult thing for the entire family, but yes, mostly for the children. But they are resilient and will get through this, though, whatever the eventual outcome, and be stronger people for it!
Anyway, mine were very disruptive during my workouts in the beginning. I had to pause time and time again. I would re-settle them into an activity, then get back at it, always reminding them that they have my undivided attention 23 hours a day; this one hour was for me. They have gradually gotten used to the idea that unless the house is on fire, they need to occupy themselves while I work out.
They occasionally join me, when it looks entertaining (like ultimate ball on Supreme 90). My oldest insisted on having shorts and a sports bra just like me, and we got her a set of 1 lb. soft walking weights to use as dumbbells. It's too cute!
I also try to workout super-early sometimes. I leave at first light to walk or run, while DH and the kids are still in bed. I get back in time to shower, then wake everyone and start the day! It's actually nice to have the mental-health break, even if it means lost sleep.
Good luck to you and your family!0 -
I put my daughter at the table with crayons and paper or I do it when she's napping (she's 3 almost 4)0
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I have 2 girls. Ava is almost 2 and Addi is almost 5. I have learned that I never ever ever try to exercise while they are awake. They distract me and I get frustrated and don't get a good work out. I have a treadmill and stepper in my room and I do On Demand exercise videos through my cable box before they wake up, while they nap, or after they go to bed. As for eating.... I buy my girls snacks, but only ones that won't temp me...lol. I bought a scale and just always measure or weigh my food. It only takes a few seconds and it's worth it. I know it gets overwhelming at the end of the day...especially at that age, but it's something you need to do! Good luck!0
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I don't have kids myself, but I have a friend who I admire VERY much for her parenting style. Each day she plays with her kids - they run around the backyard, throw balls, dance. They use their imaginations (a toy golf club is a golf club, a horse, a wand), they wrestle (not too roughly, and when it gets out of hand they move on to something else), they go for walks to the park, ride bikes.
I spent the day with them and was absolutely exhausted from all the playing. It really was an awesome workout!0 -
I splurged on a good double jogging stroller for my kids (3 and 1) and I take it out on 4-5K walks daily. I do Wii workouts during naptime if it's raining.0
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I have an almost 2 year old and a 3 year old. The best way I find is to wake up early, I made a routine of waking up at 4:30am-5am to get my workouts in before they wake up. If I sleep in then I try to workout with them, give them enough toys to play with plus they like the videos I do and workout with mommy...lol. Going for walks is great also just playing games with them is a great workout, they are quick!!
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Thank you so much for all the suggestions. I never thought to include him in my structured workout, it's so obviously simple I don't know why didn't I think of it. We also spend a lot of time outside running around, kicking a soccer ball or throwing a football - I guess that's exercise too!0
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I never worked out with them underfoot, to be honest. I needed some total "me" time and took them to the gym so I could work out in peace. Now that my 5 year old (youngest) is in school, I don't have an issue...and working out is cheaper! LOL.0
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When mine were that age, I used to take them to the playground and do laps around it. My next door neighbor is a runner. She used to partner with other runners with children. One would stay with the children while the others ran. They kept taking turns. The children got to play for a few hours and all of the moms got their run in.0
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Mine are ages 6 and 3. I exercise when they are in school. On the days when they are not in school I walked while pushing them in a jogging stroller. I did this for months, then I joined a gym which has a daycare area.0
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When I dance I dance with my kids. I play Just Dance and give my 3 year old a wii remote that doesn't have any batteries in it....go on walks and put him in a stroller. If you're doing an exercise dvd just let them stand beside you and do it too.0
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I can for sure be hard, I wait until she naps, take her for walks, or wait until hubby comes home from work.0
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my girls are 6 years old and 4 years old plus I watch a baby boy that is 7months old
the girls play after bf or will work out along side me and the baby plays in the exersaucer or is napping.
my girls LOVE the 30day shred lol (the jumping jacks are called pencil star as they do them its really cute) they also really love to zumba with me and we all like the wii fit games
If I get on the eliptical or hit the heavy bag then I pull out either coloring books , playdough , or pop in a movie for them to watch and always leave a healthy fruit snack and drink out for them so I don`t have to stop my workout to fix it for them kwim ( I also make sure the bathroom light is on before starting my workout lol its no fun stopping just to turn the light switch but it has happened )0 -
Like many others, my 2.5 year old likes to exercise with mommy, and we also bought him a set of light weights. We do my exercise videos (interval based) while the 1 year old naps - a mom and big brother time! On my running days I throw them both in a jogging stroller and go. Normally good behavior in the stroller earns time at the park/sprayground/indoor pool based on where we ran. I have really tried to make them a part of me becoming more active - largely because my mom wasn't active. She struggled, struggled and still struggles with the weight and I am carving out a totally different lifestyle for my boys. I want them to think that this is normal, not how I grew up perceiving food and activity. I find other ways to have "me" time - scrapbooking, shopping (grocery too), reading, MFP, etc.0
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i have a 4 year old son (single, work from home) and i am still trying to figure it all out. my goal is to eventually get up before he does and work out, but that hasn't been going so well. what has worked is letting him have some computer time while i work out (he will play games on pbskids.org) i do dvds and sometimes he will come in and try and do the vidio with me. it's pretty distracting but kinda funny
i also try to fit in active stuff we can do together (park, playgrounds etc) although, i don't technically count that as a work out....0 -
My son is 2 and I (hubby and I both) work out after he goes to bed. As soon as I get home from work and before I do anything else, I change in to my workout clothes. That way, after I made dinner, eat, play, bath time and bed time, I am already half way to getting my workout in because I'm dressed. You have to just do it. I don't mean this ugly, but you just have to stop with the excuses and do it. I used to do the exact same thing and "oh I'm tired" or "oh, I have to do laundry" etc, etc. I reached my goal weight and still hated what I saw and I knew there was nothing else that could be done but to exercise. I've been at it since June and so far I am getting some nice results. You just literally have to make yourself do it and not except any excuses. PERIOD!0
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I agree with everyone else...at 4 there is so much he can do with you! Walking/jogging, yoga, etc. Sometimes just dancing around the living room with my kids is a workout! Anything that you have to count (sit ups, jumping jacks or push ups) do in reps of 10 and have him count out loud for you. :-) Not only will you get to bond, but your getting exercise too and teaching him healthy living! :-)0
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