Exercising with Kids – Stroller Style

Exercising with my kids is a great way to make sure I’m able to actually get it done.  Depending on where you live, there’s a little time left for walking outside with your kids, or these are great items to add to your baby shower or Christmas list.  This post contains affiliate links.

Finding time to exercise as a mom is definitely tough.  For me, it’s a must though 1) from a mental health perspective and 2) because I feel like I need to be ninja fit to keep up with my two boys.  Adult story problem: how do I work out regularly yet I am still 1/65th as fit as I need to be to take two kids to a park for an afternoon?  Like if I was American Ninja Warrior fit, would that be enough?  But really they should have an “American Ninja Warrior: Winter Coats Edition” where you have to get two squirmy kids into their coats and then carry them — their slick coat against your slick coat — across an equally slick parking lot.  We’d see who the Ninja Warrior was then.  

Anyway, I’m a better mom when I exercise and I find it easiest to squeeze in exercise when I can take my kids along — so I usually do either walking or biking.  Because I like a challenge, I take the dog along too when I can, so I have a few bonus “plus dog” gear recommendations too.  This post concentrates on walking with kids recommendations and you’re looking for bike recommendations, head here.

Walking with kids – Single Stroller Recommendation

So after I went back to work from maternity leave with my first son, he cried for hours every single night after I picked him up.  Nothing worked, nothing made him happy. I had envisioned us reuniting happily after I got off work and it just wasn’t happening.  So after desperately googling (and if you found this after desperately googling, please know, it gets better!!) I came across a post that suggested taking your baby for a walk in the stroller.  And it worked!! So we went on a walk every single night for his entire first summer/fall.  I used this stroller system starting at six weeks and I still use it even now when I just have a single rider for a walk.  Now this is a good stroller, but I will say it doesn’t fold up very easily and certainly does not fit in the trunk of a sedan.  If anyone has an awesome travel jogging stroller, let me know in the comments and I’ll add it in.  

Bonus items:  Since we went every single night, these mosquito net covers and stroller fan really came in handy for when Illinois weather becomes a jungle/sauna.  Another bonus item for me in the single or double stroller arena are these toy/sippy cup harnesses.  Do you love picking up a toy again and again while your toddler laughs and laughs at you?  Me neither.  These harnesses are perfect for strapping toys/cups/pacis to your stroller.  Find them here.

Walking with kids – Double Stroller Recommendation

This Baby Trend Expedition Double Jogging Stroller makes walking/jogging a total breeze.  You can easily steer it with one hand if the situation calls for it and the backs of both sides of the stroller are adjustable in case one or more riders wants to nap (or if you’d like to strongly encourage one or more riders to nap 🙂  The sun shade goes all the way up or down, so you can block the sun from any direction and it folds up really easily.  

Bonus:  It has a super large storage basket underneath.  Our dog’s signature move is acting like he wants to walk and then he demands to be put in the stroller basket.  So this stroller can absolutely accommodate a small to medium dog in the basket if that’s a selling point for you — I wish it wasn’t a selling point for me guys.  Find the stroller here.

Bonus items: I always stock sunscreen sticks and dog bags so that we’re ready to ride.  Even if I don’t have my dog with me, I always take a Walmart bag with me.  Maybe I’m a terrible judge of weather, but more than once we’ve been caught in the rain and I’ve needed the bag for my phone.  Because no matter how motivated you are, you can only run so fast for so long.  Or just do a better job of reading the radar than me, hehe.  

That’s it — any other great gear that you love for exercising with kids outside for stroller gear?  Let me know in the comments!  I’ve got more gear recommendations for biking with kids if you head here!

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