How do you minimise lifting in the first 6 weeks after having another baby when you have a toddler?

The first 6 weeks after having a baby is a time of great recovery and healing. This is why horizontal rest is so important. Avoiding heavy lifting helps your body have the time to heal and reduces the risk of complications.

However, having a toddler at home and a newborn can be tricky. When it is recommended to limit how much lifting you do in the first 6 weeks, this can be challenging with an active toddler who has likely been wanting to be picked up for weeks!

Minimising, rather than not lifting at all, is the most realistic option.

Ways to minimise include:

• Using a step stool for tasks such as climbing on/off chairs or in/out of the bath or car.

• Bending down for cuddles, or sitting on the couch together.

• Lie on the floor and read a book or play with toys - bonus, you can fit some more horizontal time in.

Of course, it does depend on the age and ability of your older child/children and whether they can be more independent. You may need to boost their bottom or offer a hand to help them.

With toddlers, there will always be times or situations that require lifting, this is unavoidable. The goal is to minimize the number of times you lift them where possible and aim to minimise other heavy lifting through the weeks with tasks such as shopping bags, heavy baskets of washing, prams in/out of the car.

As your body heals, the muscles improve their strength naturally, but are not back to 100%. It takes time and exercises to fully strengthen the muscles again. So once the first 6 weeks are over, you still need to be careful with heavy lifting, and gradually work up to lifting more again.

To help improve your core muscle strength, you may like to read another of our blogs - ‘Hayley’s 3 favourite core exercises’.