New moms do plenty of exercise. In fact, exercising with your baby seems like a daily activity.

There’s the constant arm curls from lifting your little one in and out of their rocker and exaggerated leg lunges in order to bounce them to sleep.

Not to mention the multiple bouts of stair climbing to change either baby or you after another blow out.

Yet what many moms actually need is the chance to get out of the house to exercise and meet other mothers – easier said than done when you have a new infant to care for.

Thankfully a new fitness trend to exercise WITH your baby is helping moms banish the cabin fever and get outside.

Lucy Pask, 35, first time mom to 16-month-old James, signed up for Stroller Strides, a stroller-based fitness program, in order to recover physically and aid her mental wellbeing.

“What I like most is being with other moms who understand the challenges,” Pask says. “Not only is there a lack of judgment but a network of help. Exercise is integral to my recovery and mentally; I find it really beneficial. It was also important to me for James to see his mother being active.”

Lesley Lehman, the franchise owner of FIT4MOM in Wheaton, Illinois, explains that her 60-minute stroller-based classes provide more than just a workout for moms.

“Exercise is scientifically proven to prevent postpartum depression,” she says. “But additionally, we offer a community. Support for moms from moms. Being a new mom or veteran mom, it’s important to find your village. You need a place to ask questions, schedule playdates, and make friends.

We provide new moms a safe place to exercise, socialize and be supported, all while bringing their kids with them so they can worry less about juggling schedules and more about gaining strength for motherhood.”

At New Leaf Yoga & Pilates in Brooklyn, New York, mothers are able to practice yoga together with their babies as young as four weeks old.

Nadia Wallace, founder and director of New Leaf, says her Baby Om Baby & Me classes are designed to support the needs of a woman’s postnatal body and clear and settle the mind.

“The early days of caring for baby can be magical and also exhausting,” she says. “It’s reassuring and fun to come together in yoga practice with other parents are in that moment. Our baby and me yoga classes are designed to support the growing attachment bond between parents and their new babies.

When mom shares yoga with her baby, the baby experiences touch and physical closeness, eye contact, and engagement with the parent.

This is all happening for the baby while moms are enjoying a movement sequence that is answering her body’s needs after childbirth and pregnancy. She is getting her circulation going, and activating deep posture support muscles, which is essential to bouncing back and feeling stronger after pregnancy and childbirth.

Mom is breathing, often in a deeper and more intentional way, and baby feels the settling effects of her breath.

Something amazing happens when baby gets to come along for the ride in yoga practice.”

For more info on the classes mentioned in this story, visit glenellynwheaton.fit4mom.com and newleafbody.com.