Said It Here

How to find time to exercise with a toddler

An uninterrupted hour to work out simply does not exist on most days when managing a toddler, work, and changing partner schedules. This makes standard exercise routines impossible to maintain, leaving parents with no time left for themselves.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    working out late at night after the toddler is asleep
  2. 2
    Waking up early before the kids wake up (e.g., 4:00 AM to 5:30 AM) to exercise, read, or drink coffee
  3. 3
    Scheduling specific weekly 'nights off' or workout blocks with a partner
  4. 4
    Using gyms with drop-in childcare or memberships that include childcare
  5. 5
    Exercising at home while setting boundaries with children
  6. 6
    Hiring house cleaners and meal prepping to save time
  7. 7
    Going to bed immediately after the kids go to sleep to prioritize rest

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

“I have three kids, 7, 5 and 3, and between work, dinner, baths, school stuff and the general chaos, finding time for myself can feel ridiculous.”source ↗

“I've stopped trying to find an uninterrupted hour to exercise or do anything productive. Most days, that hour simply doesn't exist.”source ↗

ChefMom_Fitness · r/Parenting · 30 upvotes

“with my husband traveling and my toddler lately waking up earlier the only realistic time is in the evening when my toddler is guaranteed sleeping.”source ↗

d2280494 · r/Parenting · 15 upvotes

“I have a feeling that the reason no one has commented yet is because none of us have found anything that gives us any time back 🤷🏾‍♀️”source ↗

SnooDogs8063 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“It’s so rough being a working parent!”source ↗

Salt_Theme_8503 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

r/Parentingparentingtime managementwork-life balance

People with this problem also raised