New Mothers

A 20-Minute Home Strength Workout (With Your Baby Nearby)

October 9, 2026 · 4 min read · New Mothers

Mother doing a plank on a mat while a young child plays beside her

Lifting car seats, carrying your baby, bending to the cot a hundred times a day — motherhood is physical. Building strength makes it easier, and it doesn’t need a gym or a babysitter. This 20-minute routine fits into a nap or floor time.

Only start once your doctor or midwife has cleared you to exercise. Stop and get checked if you notice leaking, heaviness in the pelvis, pain or increased bleeding.

Why strength training?

The WHO recommends that women after childbirth include muscle-strengthening and gentle stretching alongside aerobic activity (Bull et al., 2020), and ACOG advises a gradual return to exercise once it’s medically safe (ACOG, 2020). You don’t need heavy weights: lighter loads can build muscle as long as sets are challenging (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).

The routine

Do each exercise for the reps listed, breathing out on the effort. Rest 30–60 seconds between exercises. Do 2 rounds to start, building to 3.

#	Exercise	Reps	Easier	Harder
1	Sit-to-stand from a chair	10	Use your hands to help	Hold your baby (when comfortable)
2	Wall or counter push-up	8–12	Stand closer to the wall	Lower surface
3	Glute bridge	12	Smaller lift	Pause 3 seconds at the top
4	Bent-over row with water bottles	10 each	Lighter bottles	Light dumbbells
5	Split squat holding a chair	8 each leg	Shallower	No hand support
6	Side-lying leg lift	10 each	Smaller range	Slow lowering
7	Bird dog	6 each side	Arms only	Hold 3 seconds

About 20 minutes including a short warm-up of marching on the spot and arm circles.

Including your baby

Babies love watching you move. Some ideas once you’re comfortable:

Floor play: do bridges and bird dogs next to your baby on a playmat.
Peekaboo push-ups: do wall or counter push-ups while you face your baby in a bouncer.
Baby as weight: when you’re stronger and your baby has good head control, gently hold them close to your chest for sit-to-stands. Never do exercises that put your baby at risk of falling or being bumped.

A 12-week progression

Weeks	Rounds	Focus
1–3	2	Learn the moves; breathe out on effort
4–6	2–3	Slow the lowering; add reps
7–9	3	Harder versions where symptom-free
10–12	3	Add light dumbbells or a backpack for rows and squats

Our Return to Strength plan sets out every session, week by week, with walking and recovery built in.

Listen to your body

Sign	What to do
Leaking, heaviness or bulging	Go back to an easier stage and see a pelvic health physiotherapist
Doming down the middle of your tummy	Choose an easier version; breathe out on effort
Pain in your back, pelvis or scar	Stop that exercise and get advice
Very tired after a bad night	Do one round, or go for a walk instead

Fitting it in

During your baby’s first nap of the day
While your partner does bath time
Split it: 10 minutes in the morning, 10 in the afternoon

Two or three sessions a week, plus walking, is a great routine.

Warm-up and cool-down (3 minutes each)

Warm-up: march on the spot, arm circles, gentle hip circles, 5 slow sit-to-stands.

Cool-down: child’s pose (if comfortable), chest stretch in a doorway, gentle hip-flexor stretch, 5 slow breaths.

Breathing during exercise

Breathe out as you make the effort — for example, as you stand up from a squat or push away from the wall. Avoid holding your breath, which increases pressure on your pelvic floor and tummy.

Equipment that helps (optional)

Item	Use
Resistance band	Rows, bridges, side steps
Light dumbbells (2–5 kg)	Rows, squats, presses later on
A sturdy chair	Sit-to-stands, split squat support
An exercise mat	Floor exercises

Water bottles or a backpack with books work just as well to start.

Signs you’re ready to progress

The current version feels easy for all reps
No leaking, heaviness, doming or pain during or after
You’re recovering well between sessions

If you’re not there yet, stay at the current level — progress isn’t a race.

FAQ

When can I go back to the gym? Once you’re comfortable with home sessions and symptom-free, you can gradually return to gym classes or weights. Higher-impact classes are best reintroduced later.

Is it safe to hold my baby while exercising? Only for slow, controlled movements like sit-to-stands once you’re strong and stable, and never for jumping, lunging or anything where you might lose balance.

The bottom line

Twenty minutes, two or three times a week, with simple bodyweight moves builds the strength motherhood demands. Start after your postnatal check, progress slowly, and get checked if anything doesn’t feel right.

Sources

Bull FC et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2020). Physical activity and exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period: ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804. Obstetrics & Gynecology. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000003772
Schoenfeld BJ et al. (2017). Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200

This article is general education for healthy adults, not medical advice. Check with a qualified professional before starting a new exercise or nutrition plan, especially if you have a medical condition. Full disclaimer.