6 Easy At-Home Workouts to Lose the Baby Weight

Getting back into exercise after having a baby is exciting, but it needs a bit more thought than just pressing play on a workout video. Your body has spent nine months growing a baby and then gone through birth, whether that was vaginal or a caesarean, and it needs proper time to heal before you start pushing it hard again.

The good news is that there are loads of free, genuinely well-made postnatal workouts on YouTube that you can do in your living room, often with your baby right there beside you. Below are six that we think are worth bookmarking, along with some honest advice on how to use them safely.

Before You Start: A Few Things Worth Knowing

Please don’t jump straight into any of these workouts in the days or first couple of weeks after giving birth. Most midwives and doctors recommend waiting for your postnatal check (usually around six weeks after a vaginal birth, and often longer after a caesarean) before starting anything beyond gentle walking and pelvic floor exercises. Use that appointment to ask specifically whether you’re ready for the level of exercise you’re planning, especially if you had stitches, a c-section, or any complications during birth or pregnancy.

A few things to check for or be aware of as you get moving again:

• Diastasis recti. This is a separation of the abdominal muscles that’s common in pregnancy. If you notice a visible bulge or ridge running down the middle of your tummy when you sit up or engage your core, mention it to your GP, midwife or a women’s health physiotherapist before doing crunches or intense ab work.
• Pelvic floor. Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, jump or laugh is common but not something you have to just live with. A pelvic floor physio can make a huge difference, and it’s worth asking your GP for a referral if this is affecting you.
• Bleeding. If your lochia (postpartum bleeding) gets heavier or changes colour after you exercise, that’s your body telling you to slow down and rest more.
• Breastfeeding. If you’re nursing, your body needs extra calories and fluids on top of what you’d normally need, so this isn’t the time for strict calorie cutting. Feed or express before a workout if you can, as a fuller chest can be uncomfortable during movement.

If anything feels sharp, painful, or just wrong, stop and check with your doctor or health visitor rather than pushing through it. Weight loss after having a baby is genuinely a marathon, not a sprint, and for most women it takes the best part of a year, sometimes longer, for the body to properly settle. Be kind to yourself about the timeline.

Easy At-Home Workouts for Your Postpartum Body

If you like a bit of structure and a challenge to keep you accountable, Moms Into Fitness run a well-regarded 30-day Postnatal Slimdown Challenge on YouTube that builds gradually over four weeks, starting gently and adding intensity as your body copes with more.

1. Daily Postpartum Ab Workout (28-Day Challenge)

This series starts with short, gentle core sessions in week one and progresses into pelvic floor recovery work and bodyweight strength as the weeks go on. It’s a sensible structure because it doesn’t throw you into intense ab work before your core and pelvic floor are ready for it. If you know or suspect you have diastasis recti, watch the first couple of sessions closely and skip any move that causes doming or bulging along your midline.

Postnatal Slimdown Workout Week 1

Week 2 Postpartum | 6-Minute Core and Pelvic Floor Recovery Routine

Week 3 Postpartum | 6-Minute Bodyweight Strength Routine

2. Postpartum Pilates for a Stronger Core

Pilates is a good option for new mums because it focuses on control and alignment rather than speed or impact, which suits a body that’s still recovering. This particular routine is slow enough to do in the evening without winding you up before bed, and it works through the deep core muscles that support your back and pelvis. Keep your movements small and controlled rather than forcing a full range if something feels tight or strained.

3. Gentle Postnatal Yoga

Yoga is a nice one to have in rotation because it does double duty: it stretches out the tight shoulders and hips that come from hunching over feeds and carrying a baby all day, and it gives you a quiet twenty minutes that’s as much for your head as your body. You don’t need any equipment beyond a towel or mat, and most poses can be done with your baby lying nearby or even on your chest during the calmer stretches.

20-Minute Postnatal Yoga Class

4. Postpartum Cardio HIIT

Once you’re a few months in, feeling stronger, and have got the green light from your doctor for higher intensity exercise, a short HIIT session can be a really efficient way to get your heart rate up without needing a huge chunk of time. This one is only fifteen minutes, which makes it realistic to squeeze in during a nap. That said, HIIT puts more pressure through your core and pelvic floor than gentler workouts, so it’s not the place to start if you’re still in the early weeks or still dealing with leaking, heaviness, or abdominal separation.

5. Workouts You Can Do With Baby

Some days, getting any exercise in depends entirely on whether your baby will settle without you. These workouts use your baby as part of the routine, whether that’s as light added resistance during squats and lunges or simply as company while you move, so you’re not stuck choosing between exercise and a happy baby.

Fun Postnatal Workout With Baby

6. Mommy and Me Low Impact Cardio

This twenty-minute session keeps things low impact, which is a sensible choice if you’re still finding your footing with a baby in your arms or a carrier. Low impact doesn’t mean low effort though, it just means fewer jumps and less pounding on your joints, which are still a bit looser than usual thanks to pregnancy hormones.

Mommy and Me Low Impact Cardio | 20-Minute Postnatal Workout for Mom and Baby

Making It Actually Work Long Term

Trying to do all six of these in one week isn’t realistic, and it isn’t the point either. Pick one or two that suit where you’re at right now, whether that’s gentle yoga because you’re exhausted, or a HIIT session because you’re feeling strong and want a challenge. Aim for consistency over intensity, three short sessions a week that you actually enjoy will do far more for you long term than one brutal workout you dread and then avoid.

And try to let go of the idea that this is purely about “losing the baby weight.” Your body has done something enormous. Building strength, getting your energy back, and finding a few minutes that feel like they belong to you are worth just as much as anything the scales might say.

Have a favourite postnatal workout on YouTube that’s not on this list? Let us know in the comments, we’re always happy to add good ones.