Safe Babywearing Workout for Postpartum Moms | FIT4MOM Chattanooga

Two Safe Babywearing Exercise Combos We Love at FIT4MOM Chattanooga

At FIT4MOM Chattanooga, we specialize in mommy and me workout classes, and today we’re sharing a babywearing workout inspired by one of our most experienced instructors, Micah Leeper.

Micah is a mama of four kids, all 5 and under, and a certified personal trainer. She’s taught stroller fitness, strength classes, and prenatal programs — basically everything — and has logged hundreds of workouts wearing a baby. If anyone knows how to make a babywearing workout both effective and realistic, it’s her.

These are just a few of the movements we use and modify in class for moms with little ones who prefer to be worn. Whether your baby naps through the workout or wants to stay snuggled close the entire time, we'll help you move safely and confidently—without feeling like you have to choose between caring for your baby and caring for yourself.

From “This Isn’t My Scene” to Mama of 4 + Instructor

Micah tried her first stroller class in May 2022 — just 6 weeks postpartum with her second baby.

Originally from Texas, she moved to Georgia for school, met her husband Kayne in college in Chattanooga, and after baby #2 decided to stay home full-time. Two friends invited her to try a FIT4MOM Chattanooga class.

She almost didn’t join. She arrived late. Her toddler wanted out of the stroller, her newborn was asleep, and she felt all eyes on her. As she says, it wasn’t glamorous.

But she came back anyway, and within weeks, she upgraded to unlimited classes.

What changed? She realized stroller workouts meant:

No childcare needed
No planning around nap time
One outing that met everyone’s needs
Built-in playtime for her toddler
A structured postpartum, babywearing friendly exercise plan without thinking

By fall 2022, Micah became an instructor herself. Since then, she’s taught all the things – stroller-based classes, strength formats, coached prenatal programs. She continued showing up and instructing through pregnancies #3 and #4 — frequently babywearing during workouts.

Today, she's one of our most experienced instructors, helping other moms discover that fitness doesn't have to stop just because your baby wants to be held.

Babywearing Workout Safety Tips

Before you try this or any other babywearing workout, make sure:

Your healthcare provider has cleared you for exercise postpartum.
Your baby is securely positioned in a properly fitted carrier according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Baby has good airway positioning ("close enough to kiss" is a great rule of thumb).
Start with bodyweight or light dumbbells until the movements feel natural.
If anything feels uncomfortable for you or your baby, stop and adjust before continuing.

Learn More About Our Workouts

Try These Babywearing Exercises (Or Let Us Coach You Through Them!)

These are some of Micah's favorite babywearing strength combinations that she uses and teaches in our FIT4MOM classes. If you're working out at home, start with light weights and focus on control. Better yet, come try them with one of our certified instructors—we'll help you find the right modifications for your body, your recovery, and your baby's stage.

These exercises are intentionally unilateral, meaning you only use one dumbbell at a time. Keeping one hand free allows you to spot your baby throughout every movement.

We recommend learning each movement individually before combining them. Once each exercise feels smooth and controlled, you'll put them together into one functional movement that mimics the way moms naturally move throughout the day.

You’ll do 8-10 reps per side for each movement. Once you're comfortable, perform 8-10 reps of the combined exercise. Complete 2-3 rounds.

Babywearing Exercise Set 1: Bicep Curl + Side Lunge

Step 1: Single-Arm Bicep Curl

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand.
Keep your elbow close to your side and your opposite hand gently supporting or spotting your baby.
Curl the weight toward your shoulder without swinging your arm.
Slowly lower back to the starting position.
Complete all reps before switching arms.

Step 2: Single-Arm Side Lunge

Hold the dumbbell at your side in one hand, keeping your opposite hand available to spot your baby.
Step out to the side with one leg, sending your hips back as you bend that knee while keeping the opposite leg straight.
Push through your heel to return to standing.
Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Step 3: Put It Together

Once you feel comfortable performing each movement on its own, combine them into one fluid exercise.
Step into a side lunge while keeping the weight at your side.
As you push back to standing, perform a bicep curl.
Lower the weight with control before beginning the next repetition.
Keep one hand free to spot your baby throughout the movement.

Babywearing Exercise Set 2: Deadlift + Hinged Row

Step 1: Single-Arm Hinged Row

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand.
Hinge at your hips until your torso is about 45 degrees forward, maintaining a flat back.
Keep your opposite hand available to gently support or spot your baby.
Pull the dumbbell toward your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blade.
Lower the weight with control.
Complete all reps before switching arms.

Step 2: Single-Arm Deadlift

Hold a dumbbell in one hand with your feet hip-width apart.
Keep your knees slightly bent and hinge your hips back, lowering the weight toward your shin while maintaining a neutral spine.
Keep your opposite hand free to spot your baby.
Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.
Complete all reps before switching arms.

Step 3: Put It Together

Once each movement feels strong and controlled on its own, combine them.
Begin with a deadlift by hinging at the hips and lowering the weight.
At the bottom of the movement, perform a single-arm row.
Lower the weight back to the starting position of the deadlift, then stand up by driving through your heels.
Reset and repeat, always keeping one hand available to spot your baby.

These movements strengthen many of the muscles moms use every day—lifting a car seat, carrying a baby on one hip, picking toys up off the floor, or loading a stroller into the car. By training one side at a time, you'll also improve balance and stability while keeping one hand available to support your baby.

The best part? You don't have to figure this out on your own. Every FIT4MOM Chattanooga class is led by a prenatal and postnatal certified fitness instructor who can help you modify movements, check your form, and make sure both you and your baby are comfortable.

Some moms babywear for an entire class. Others start with baby in the stroller and wear them only when they need the extra snuggles.

There's no right or wrong way—we meet you where you are.

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Why Moms Keep Coming Back

Four kids later, Micah says, "FIT4MOM gave us a regular morning adventure with something for me and something for the kids."

That's the magic of FIT4MOM Chattanooga.

You're not choosing between:

getting your workout in,
keeping your baby close,
giving your toddler friends to play with,
or getting out of the house.

You get all of it in one place.

Some days your baby sleeps through class. Some days they're happiest snuggled in a carrier. Some days you'll set them down for a few minutes and pick them right back up. However your morning unfolds, you're surrounded by moms who get it—and instructors who know exactly how to help you keep moving safely.

Ready to see what babywearing at FIT4MOM is really like? Your first class is free! Come meet your village, get a great workout, and discover that you don't have to choose between holding your baby and taking care of yourself. Whether your little one naps the whole class or wants to stay snuggled close, we'll meet you exactly where you are.

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Tags: Postpartum Exercise