Instead of putting kids into crèche or leaving them with the grandparents for an afternoon to take advantage of a dance or fitness class, now you can actually bring your baby with you.
Babywearing dance classes targeting new mums who want to get back into dance but find it difficult to get time away from their baby are becoming increasingly popular.
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A video of a ballet class with women wearing their babies while they dance has been shared more than 18,000 times on Facebook, with some people even wondering if they can bring someone else’s baby to class if they don’t have their own.
“Can I borrow a baby?” Amanda Marie wonders.
Babywearing fitness classes are not only great for mums, because carrying that extra weight while dancing is great for your fitness and core strength, but it is also great for babies, too, as the movement is said to calm them.
“It’s only natural that dancing calms babies. Their whole uterine existence was a moving experience. Babies crave movement after birth because to them it is the norm,” says paediatrician Dr. William Sears.
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“Being still disconcerts babies. They don’t understand it and it frightens them. Movement relaxes them.”
It’s also a great bonding experience for both parent and baby. But it doesn’t stop at ballet classes — there are also yoga classes created especially for parents and their babies.
If you thought babywearing fitness classes were just for mums, then think again, because dads are getting in on the action, too. Check out this dad who has all the moves while dancing salsa with his child strapped in for the ride.
Video: Jade Khalesi/YouTube
There are also online fitness classes that allow new parents to use their baby weight to help build strength.
Video: Shayna Frasco Rose/YouTube
Babywearing fitness classes are available in Australia as well. Back in Motion offers mums and bubs fitness classes in Victoria and Mums with Bubs Fitness offers classes in Western Australia.
“Throughout my pregnancy, I really struggled to stay active, but when my little girl came into the world I was very keen to get back into my fitness routine,” Mums with Bubs Fitness founder, Jenine Dilts-Bayman, says.
“Problem was, I didn’t understand just how much my body had changed in the pregnancy and birth and how this would affect my fitness. Nor did I realise how limited my time would be for myself! Every day, every moment, was about the baby, which is wonderful, except that as a mum you need some time too. It is really important to find a balance and I think I’ve found a way it can be done.”
How do you feel about babywearing fitness classes? Let us know.
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