To catch you up before I proceed, my husband and I welcomed a new addition to our family this year. And since this blog is about our experience living in this beautiful city, that will now include a few of the new parent/mommy-minded activities we’ve found helpful. It’s been said many times but it’s only just recently hit home (due to this latest life milestone!) that Kingston is a wonderful place to raise a kid. There are so many resources — some free and many affordable things to do. So I am going to tell you about one I’ve found really helpful so far!

I’ve always tried to stay active and that’s something post-baby that I was having a hard time fitting into my mat-leave schedule, enter Mom/Dad and Baby Boot Camp at Artillery Park. Our instructor, Patricia, lends a good mix of sweet and kind with tough love and badassery, cooing at our babes one minute and yelling at us to grab heavier weights the next. I started classes twice a week at 3 months postpartum and feel so much stronger and more energetic two months later. Patricia is mindful of how much we can push ourselves physically without overdoing it in our new postpartum bodies.

And what do the babies do while we exercise, you ask? Well, as babies go, whatever they want (lol). My little has spent some classes sleeping and other classes on a blanket on an exercise mat playing with her toys. On more challenging days (think teething + tired), she hangs out on the mat with me while I exercise. Other babies that are old enough to sit up by themselves interact with each other on swap toys. The best part of the class is that I can bring her with me and I am surrounded by other parents and their babes who are also there to get a quick sweat in.

So if you’re a few months post-baby and you’re craving an exercise routine and a bit of socializing with fellow parents — register! West end parents, she also offers classes at the Invista Centre. And something very important to note, you don’t need to be athletic/fitness inclined to enjoy her class, she makes it work for all levels. Her next sessions start mid-September and run until the end of October and November.

What are some of your favourite Baby and Me activities in Kingston? Share in the comments.