Before I even had Grayson I was nervous about the toddler years. How do you take care of a tiny person who wants to be independent, gets into everything, and can be overly emotional all the time? I was never really worried about having a newborn, but a toddler was a different story. Little did I know that being a runner prepared me for being a toddler mom!
Ok, so in many ways you can really never be completely prepared for any given age of your kids. You won’t really know what you need until you experience it. And in case it’s not obvious, this post is just for fun. I feel like I need to just put that out there.
How Being a Runner Prepared Me for Being a Toddler Mom
I own the right wardrobe
Leggings, sweatpants, and hoodies? That works me it. It’s also perfect for chasing around a toddler. No one has time for wearing nice clothes that are just going to get covered in food or who knows what else.
I always have snacks on hand
These days we don’t really go anywhere, but in general I always have a few snacks in my bag. And if you have a toddler, you know they usually can’t go more than approximately 1 hour without eating something.
We can both eat all day long
Going along with what I just said, snacks are a regular occurrence at home, too. So are multiple meals. I eat a snack before I work out and a meal afterwards. Grayson eats breakfast when he wakes up and then has what I call “breakfast part 2” after we get back from my run. Anytime I have a snack, he needs one too.
I’m an early riser
Luckily Grayson has always been a good night sleeper and a pretty decent napper, but he has always been an early riser. From the time he was like 2 months old he started sleeping through the night, but that would be 7 or 8 pm to 4 am. Once he was up at 4 it was impossible to get him to go back to sleep for hours. Luckily I am used to waking up at 4am. It was not ideal when I would be trying to put him back to sleep from 4 am to 7 am and then be up for the day, but I was prepared for it. Once we got him sleeping to 6 I could start working out in the morning again, but even now it’s very rare than he sleeps later than 6.
Naps
Thanks to long runs during marathon training, I mastered the art of being able to take a nap. Now I rarely have time to take a nap, but when I do it is amazing. Of course this only happens when Grayson is napping. His nap time is sacred around here and I do everything I can to make sure he naps well every day. Not gonna lie, it was a very sad day when he went from 2 naps to 1. I felt like I lost a good chunk of my productivity time.
I can keep up with all the running
Toddlers never stop moving, running, and climbing. They are FAST. Luckily I am in good enough shape to keep up with it all (usually). It really is exhausting.
I have a cool set of toys
How many other non-runner moms have a set of foam rollers and balls that second as toys? These are generally seen as off-limits so when I take them out and let him play with them he thinks its a special treat. He loves to push the stability ball around the basement.
I am strong and balanced
Grayson hasn’t been weighed since his 18 month visit 3 months ago, but I can tell you that he has definitely gained a few pounds since then. My mom likes to describe him as “solid”. I’m glad I lift weights but even still, carrying him around is not easy, especially on one side. Having good balance is key so that I don’t fall over while holding him and trying to multi-task.
I have an outlet for stress
Let’s face it, being a mom is stressful. Especially having a toddler who is into everything and thinks he can do whatever he wants and hates being told “no”. It’s a very fun age but also a tiring one. Thank goodness I have running to help me deal with stress! It also gives me time alone (if I run without him) or something for us to do together outside (if I take him in the stroller).
Being a runner can prepare you for lots of things in life. I never thought being a runner would prepare me for being a toddler mom, but I guess it did!
You may also like:
What It’s Like To Stroller Run With a 1 Year Old
How To Work From Home With a Young Toddler
What Makes Stroller Running So Challenging? (Besides Pushing Extra Weight!)
Do you feel like being a runner prepared you for certain phases of your life?
What do you think is the hardest part about parenting a toddler?
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Runs with Pugs , and Laura Norris Running to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas.
Oh, you are both early risers!
That phase when Grayson was up at 4am must have been very frustrating. At least now he sleeps until 6am and you get two productive hours.
You are doing an amazing job with balancing work, running, blogging and motherhood. I am sure running is a great stress relief!
Thank you! Yes, running is definitely a nice way to release some of the stress of everything that is going on right now!
Did not run when my stepsons were young. I cannot imagine fitting it in. You are amazing.
But I think working full-time has helped in many of the same ways and vice versa – getting up early, being disciplined, being flexible, relieving stress, dealing with disappointments and successes, etc.
Great topic. I may borrow it someday.
I remember reading an article a awhile ago about how runners make the best employees for those reasons!
Well, in my case it’s the reverse LOL I wasn’t a runner before (or when) my kids were little. Having stayed home with them, though, I was used to always being on high-alert for activity and non-stop action. I don’t remember how early my days started (it was a long time ago), but I learned, back then, that rising early was not a challenge for me…good thing, because I’m up early almost every day now (but for workouts, not “mom duty”).
I think that in general parents need to learn to be early risers once they have kids!
motherhood does take so many skills! Being a runner sure does offer some great help. Hats off to you for balancing so much during this crazy time.You will have lots of stories to tell Grayson
Haha yes! He is probably going to wonder why I have so many pictures of us on stroller runs!
Isla just entered toddlerhood and I already agree with a lot of this post! It feels like we spend half of our day eating. Isla is a BIG baby (she’s 99th percentile height and the size of an 18 month old at 12 months) and I’m glad I lift and am fit enough to carry her around.
It can be so awkward trying to hold them as they get heavier, especially when they decide they don’t want to be held at certain times!
I was happy that I was a runner when the boys were young–I could always keep up with them and their activities. Hence the motto on my blog–I never wanted to be one of those moms on the sidelines!
That’s a great motto! It’s so important to be able to be active with your kids.
Love this post! We’re a few months shy of the toddler stage, but Baby E is already quite a handful as she tries to crawl everywhere! Grayson is growing up so fast! I’m glad you’re able to still balance running with it all!
Before you know it she will be running around everywhere too!
Well, I’m not a mom but at the moment one of my dogs is injured so we’re trying to prevent her from moving too much and jumping up & down on furniture. And despite being almost 15, she’s fast too! It made me think of moms of toddlers. At least she does sleep about 75% of the day (the other 25% is a real problem though!).
I used to have to carry around one of my dogs at the end of his life. He only weighed as much as a newborn — about 8 lbs — but man, that got heavy really quickly when you’re walking a couple of miles! I don’t know how moms do it.
Luckily I’m actually an early riser naturally. Usually up before the dogs.
That must be so tough trying to keep your dog out of trouble! I used to think Grayson felt heavy when he was only like 10 pounds, and now I caught at that. But its much different now. He doesn’t usually let me hold him for very long!
I definitely can see that being in shape would help with a lot of mom issues, especially chasing after a speedy toddler.
Yes! The only problem is when I’m exhausted after a long run or hard workout and I still need to find a way to keep up with him!
I love this!
A was always an early riser. No matter what we did, he wanted to be in bed by 7 and up by 5 or 5:30 LOL. Definitely turned me into a morning person.
I always support naps and snacks.
Before becoming a parent I wasn’t worried about having an early riser because I was already used to getting up early. But now I realize how much I like that time before he wakes up for myself!