Tips for jogging with your baby!!!

As a past track athlete, I've always told myself I would continue to run my entire life. After having my first baby I quickly figured out how important it was for me to be able to load up the babes in the jogger. More than losing the baby weight, I needed it for my sanity. And honestly, now that my "baby" is almost 3 he loves it just as much!!! Ahhhh... what a relief! Its taken some fine tuning and I've learned some tricks along the way to make my runs relaxing with a happy baby. Maybe I'm lucky? I have heard of babies hating their stroller. I couldn't imagine? My little guy sits quietly and loves to get out. Take in the scenery. And if its even close to a nap time he will take his entire nap no matter where we are. I love it. Here are some things I've learned along the way.

Some tips I personally recommend:

• Timing- Choose to go for your run when your baby is happiest. After a full belly and before nap time. For us, morning runs were always the best. They are the perfect way to start the day! He was relaxed and happy.

• Make sure they have all their comforts. My son is a binky and blankie baby and we figured this out by trying to make him happy on our runs. A few runs without his brown blanket and the light went off! Ahhh... he only wanted his brown blanket! So we don't leave the house without either. Although, we would like to get rid of the binky real soon! Any tips? I'll take any advice! haha.

• Snacks. Make sure to be armed with a full sippy cup and snacks for the toddler/baby to munch on.

• Keep the weather in mind. Dress them comfortably. If I was about to sit for the next 30-60 minutes I wouldn't want to be bunched up in uncomfortable jeans and such would you? Keep in mind the weather. Dress them cool if hot and bundle them up when cold. There is nothing worse then a screaming baby because its cold out. That just makes me stressed and feel awful. When its hot don't forget the hat and sunblock! They're just sitting out there. Exposed to the sun.

• Purchase a high quality stroller. Really do some shopping for the right fit. For us, comfort and the swindle front wheel were MUSTS! I highly recommend the B.O.B. stroller (which I don't have right now!) Trying to hold off until we have another baby, and the double BOB is the first purchase we will make! I'm excited!!!

• Chose the proper route. When your baby is younger try to pick the smoother surfaces. I tried to keep the shaking minimal when EC was younger.

• Use all the safety harnesses. Make sure the baby is buckled in correctly and that you use the leash. Especially around busy streets. It would be horrible if you ever tripped.

• Don't expect to run your usual pace!!! This was a biggie for me until I changed my mind set when running with the jogger and the extra weight. I now treat it as a totally different workout. Yes you will run slower (at least one minute per mile slower than your normal pace), but you're burning more calories and doing resistance training. Now that my son is almost 3... HE IS HEAVY!! The more you run with the extra weight the easier it will get. And plus on the days I run without the jogger I feel so light and fast!!!

• Have fun!!! It should be fun for you AND your baby! Sometimes I chose routes that end at a park. The boy especially loves that. What a great reward for being patience in the stroller for mommy!