How to Make Sure Your Toddler is Getting Enough Exercise

Sometimes you might wonder about whether or not your toddler is getting enough exercise. In general toddlers tend to be very active, running, jumping and climbing everywhere so whether or not they are exercising enough usually doesn't come up. If you are concerned though, there are some things that you can do to make sure that your toddler is getting enough exercise.

Monitor the amount of TV that they watch. Usually if my son is watching a half hour program on television I will use that time to do some cleaning or other house work. Before I know it the half hour has passed and the next TV program has come on and my son is still watching. For this reason I try my best to limit the amount of television that he is allowed to watch in a day. The more TV that a toddler watches the less time that they will be spending doing something active. Tips for Limiting Your Young Child's TV Viewing will offer tips on how to avoid your child watching too much TV.

Encourage them to play actively. While I am very grateful for the time that my son spends playing quiet games it is important to have him get exercise by playing more active games. For this reason we will play a game of hide and seek, that often involves running. Also he has a rocking horse, well technically it is an elephant, and I will encourage him to play with it as rocking himself on it will be exercise.

Go outside everyday. This certainly can be hard when it is freezing, raining or snowing outside but if the weather permits it you should make a point to go outside each day. Fresh air is equally important and so even just taking the time to take your child out for 15 or 20 minutes will allow them to get exercise and fresh air. You may even make a point to take a walk with them at least once a week, that will give you both some good exercise. When it is cold make sure that you have your toddler properly bundled for walks and playtime outside.

If your child is sleeping well at night that is a good sign that they are getting enough exercise. Toddlers usually will need a good amount of exercise before and after their nap to ensure that they are tired for bedtime.

This toddler is getting exercise by playing outside.

Credit: btwist

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