Mom’s have to do a ton of different activities and movements throughout the day including lifting the kiddos, picking up toys, doing the laundry, getting stuff into & out of the trunk and pushing the stroller. All these different tasks can lead us to have some nagging aches and pains in our back, neck or shoulders. We are going to share some easy tips and tricks to help prevent some of these aches and pains.

1. Picking up little kids – there are a couple of different ways you can do this, but the key thing is to try to protect your back and neck. If you are picking up your kid or baby from the floor, we recommend getting into a half-kneel position. Come down on one knee and get as close to your kid as possible. Hold them with 2 arms, and activate your core (squeeze your belly in a little bit), push through your legs and stand up. When you are standing up, really use your buttock and thigh muscles and push back up to standing, while holding the kiddo in front of you. This will keep your back in a neutral position.  As you are coming up, exhale out which will engage your core muscles better.
2. Carrying or holding your child – It can be common to see the typical “mom pose” when holding their child, where you pop a hip out to the side and have the baby on the hip. Popping out the hip stops your pelvis from being in a neutral position, try to avoid doing this and also ensure that you are switching the side you are holding the kiddo on and use both sides equally so you don’t get unbalanced. You can also try to sometimes hold your kiddo in front of you to make sure you are balanced as well.If you are baby-wearing, make sure that you’re keeping your back straight, your shoulders are back and down, and that you’ve got a good fit for your baby carrier so there isn’t any extra stress and strain through your back and neck. If you are unsure if your baby carrier is fitting well we recommend setting up an appointment with a baby wearing specialist that will ensure that you are using the best carrier for you & it is on right and disperses your baby’s weight evenly.
3. Picking up toys from the floor – when cleaning up toys from the floor, many people tend to hunch or bend their backs forward to do this. It is important to keep your back straight and bending forward from the waist. Another way is to tip forward, keeping your back straight, while letting one of your legs go up behind you, which would look similar to a golfer grabbing a ball from the hole.
4. Lifting your child out of the crib – Unless you are very tall, it can be tough to reach up and over the railing to get your child from the crib. It might suit you better to use a step stool to get the best leverage. Position yourself as close to the crib as possible, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and have your knees slightly bent, keep a small arch in your back as you bend forward from your hips again. Once you bend forward to a point where you can reach your kiddos, bring them as close to you as you can, then straight your hips and your knees to stand back up. Avoid pulling from your back, try to instead push from your hips and knees. Do the reverse to put your child back into the crib.
5. Pushing the stroller – Ensure when you are pushing the stroller, keep it close to you, “belly to the bar”. Keeping the stroller handles close to your trunk lets you stay up nice and tall, and pull your abdominals in for a little bit of added support from your core. Make sure your shoulders are back and down and your back is straight. The key is the force to push the stroller should come from your whole body, not just from your arms.