Top 20 'Toddler-Taming' Functional Strength Exercises to do at home for New Parents in 2025 - Goh Ling Yong
Welcome to the toddler years. It’s a magical time filled with chubby-cheeked kisses, hilarious mispronunciations, and the kind of boundless energy that could power a small city. It's also the time you realize your body is no longer just your own; it's a jungle gym, a pack mule, and an emergency transport vehicle, all rolled into one. Between wrestling a tiny human into a car seat, carrying 30 pounds of squirming fury through a grocery store, and picking up the same toy 47 times, you’re performing a high-intensity workout every single day.
The problem? This "accidental" workout often leads to aches, pains, and sheer exhaustion. Your lower back screams, your shoulders are permanently hunched, and your core feels like a distant memory. That’s where functional strength comes in. This isn’t about aesthetics or hitting a personal best in the gym. It’s about building practical, real-world strength to handle the physical demands of parenthood with more ease, less pain, and maybe—just maybe—a little bit of energy left over for yourself after bedtime.
Forget complicated gym routines and hour-long sessions. We’re talking about powerful, efficient exercises you can do at home, often in the time it takes to brew a cup of coffee. These 20 movements are designed to mimic the exact challenges you face daily, turning you into a stronger, more resilient parent, ready for whatever your little one throws at you (sometimes literally). Let’s get you ready for the beautiful chaos of 2025 and beyond.
1. The "Lift-from-the-Floor" Goblet Squat
Why it's essential: This is the king of parenting movements. You squat to lift your child, pick up toys, load the dishwasher, and get eye-to-eye during a serious chat about not eating crayons. Doing it correctly with a strong, upright torso and engaged core is the number one way to protect your lower back from strain.
The Goblet Squat is perfect because holding a weight (a dumbbell, a kettlebell, or even a large water bottle) in front of your chest forces you to keep your chest up and engage your core, mimicking the counterbalance of holding a child. It builds powerful glutes and quads, which are your primary lifting muscles.
How to do it: Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, toes pointed out a little. Hold a single dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest with both hands. Keeping your chest proud and back straight, bend at your hips and knees to lower yourself down as if sitting in a chair. Go as low as you comfortably can while maintaining good form, aiming for your thighs to be parallel to the floor. Drive through your heels to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
2. The "Toy-Pickup" Reverse Lunge
Why it's essential: Bending over from the waist a hundred times a day to pick up toys, socks, and half-eaten snacks is a recipe for back pain. The lunge trains you to get low to the ground by bending your knees, saving your spine and building single-leg stability and strength—crucial for when you’re stepping over a mountain of Lego while carrying laundry.
The reverse lunge is often more knee-friendly than a forward lunge. It targets your glutes, quads, and hamstrings while challenging your balance. This is the exact strength you need to gracefully retrieve a dropped pacifier from under a restaurant table without causing a scene.
How to do it: Stand tall with your feet together. Take a large step backward with your right foot, landing on the ball of that foot. Bend both knees to create two 90-degree angles, letting your back knee hover just above the floor. Your front knee should be aligned over your ankle. Push off your right foot to return to the starting position. Alternate legs with each repetition.
3. The "Endless-Floor-Play" Glute Bridge
Why it's essential: So much of parenting happens on the floor. From building block towers to being a human race track, you're down there a lot. Strong glutes and hamstrings are your powerhouse for getting up and down, and they provide critical support for your lower back, which takes a beating from lifting and carrying.
The Glute Bridge directly targets your posterior chain (the muscles on the back of your body). Activating these often-neglected muscles helps counteract the effects of sitting (during those rare quiet moments) and promotes better pelvic stability, which is especially important for postpartum recovery.
How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart, and your arms by your sides. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for a second at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down. For an added challenge, you can place your toddler on your hips for some extra weight!
4. The "One-Trip-from-the-Car" Farmer's Walk
Why it's essential: You’ve got a car seat in one hand, three bags of groceries in the other, and a diaper bag slung over your shoulder. The Farmer’s Walk is the literal practice for this daily feat of strength. It builds incredible grip strength, a rock-solid core, and shoulder stability.
This exercise challenges your body to stay upright and stable while under an uneven (or even) load. It trains your obliques, shoulders, and back to work together to prevent you from leaning to one side, protecting your spine from awkward, twisting forces.
How to do it: Grab a heavy weight in one or both hands (dumbbells, kettlebells, or even full grocery bags). Stand up tall, pull your shoulders back and down, and brace your core. Walk forward for a set distance or time, keeping your posture as upright as possible. Switch hands if you’re using a single weight and repeat.
5. The "Stroller-Pull" Bent-Over Row
Why it's essential: Whether you're pulling a heavy stroller up a curb, lifting a Costco-sized pack of diapers, or hoisting a travel crib, you need a strong back. Rows target the muscles of your upper and mid-back (lats, rhomboids, traps), which are crucial for posture and preventing the dreaded "parent slouch."
Developing a strong back is one of the best things you can do to support your spine and shoulders. These muscles are the counterbalance to all the forward-leaning and lifting you do, helping to keep your body aligned and pain-free.
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Hinge at your hips, keeping your back straight, until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Let the weights hang down with your palms facing each other. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the weights up toward your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body. Lower the weights with control and repeat.
6. The "Get-Up-Off-the-Floor" Push-Up
Why it's essential: As a parent, you live on the floor. This exercise is the direct movement pattern you use to push yourself up. A strong push-up builds chest, shoulder, and triceps strength, but it’s also a fantastic moving plank that strengthens your entire core.
Don’t be intimidated! You don't need to be a military recruit to benefit. Doing push-ups on your knees or with your hands on an elevated surface (like a sturdy coffee table or countertop) makes the movement accessible to all fitness levels while still building functional upper-body strength.
How to do it: Start in a plank position. Place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, keeping your elbows from flaring out too wide. Your body should remain in a straight line from your head to your knees or heels. Press back up to the starting position.
7. The "'Up-Up!' Hoist" Overhead Press
Why it's essential: That moment your toddler raises their arms and says "Up!" is heartwarming, but it’s also a physical test. The overhead press builds the shoulder and arm strength needed to lift your child overhead, place them on your shoulders, or put that bulky box of old baby clothes on the top shelf of the closet.
Performing this exercise while standing also requires you to brace your core, so you’re building stability from the ground up. Strong shoulders are stable shoulders, making you less prone to injury during those sudden, explosive lifts.
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Brace your core and keep your ribcage down. Press the weights straight overhead until your arms are fully extended but not locked. Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position with control.
8. The "Core-of-Steel" Plank
Why it's essential: A strong core is the foundation of every single movement you make as a parent. It stabilizes your spine when you lift, carry, and twist. As my friend and mentor Goh Ling Yong often emphasizes, a truly strong core isn't about six-pack abs; it's about creating a stable cylinder of strength around your midsection to protect your back.
The plank is the ultimate exercise for this. It teaches your body to resist extension and stay rigid, which is exactly what you need when you’re holding a 30-pound toddler who suddenly decides to arch their back in the middle of the store.
How to do it: Place your forearms on the ground with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Extend your legs back, resting on your toes. Your body should form a straight, rigid line from your head to your heels. Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and hold. Don't let your hips sag or rise too high.
9. The "Diaper-Change-Wiggle-Proof" Dead Bug
Why it's essential: This funny-sounding exercise is one of the best for developing deep core stability without straining your lower back. It teaches you to keep your core and pelvis stable while your limbs are moving—a skill you use constantly, like when you’re leaning over a changing table trying to pin down a wriggling alligator-toddler with one hand while reaching for a wipe with the other.
The Dead Bug is a foundational movement for rebuilding core function, especially postpartum. It connects your brain to your core muscles, improving coordination and control.
How to do it: Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your knees bent at 90 degrees over your hips (tabletop position). Press your lower back gently into the floor. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg toward the floor simultaneously. Go as low as you can without letting your lower back arch. Return to the start and repeat on the other side.
10. The "Spill-Proof-Balancing-Act" Bird-Dog
Why it's essential: The Bird-Dog is another core-stability champion that also challenges your balance. It strengthens the entire backside of your body, from your shoulders to your glutes, and teaches you to control your core while extending your limbs. This is the stability you need when you're reaching across the table to mop up a spill while simultaneously trying not to fall out of your chair.
This movement promotes a neutral spine, making it incredibly safe and effective for building a strong, resilient back. It’s all about slow, controlled movement.
How to do it: Start on all fours, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Keeping your back flat and your core engaged, extend your right arm straight forward and your left leg straight back. Hold for a moment, focusing on not letting your hips rock. Return to the start with control and repeat on the other side.
11. The "Crib-Side-Lean-Over" Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Why it's essential: Bending over a crib to gently place a sleeping baby down without waking them is an art form that requires immense control and a strong posterior chain. The RDL trains the "hip hinge" pattern, teaching you to bend at the hips while keeping a flat back. This strengthens your hamstrings and glutes and protects your spine from the repetitive strain of bending.
Mastering the hip hinge is a game-changer for parents. You'll use it for everything from buckling car seats to picking up bath toys, drastically reducing the load on your lower back.
How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge at your hips, pushing your butt back. Keep your back perfectly straight as you lower the weights toward the floor. Go as low as your hamstring flexibility allows, then squeeze your glutes to pull yourself back to a standing position.
12. The "Playground-Push" Kettlebell Swing
Why it's essential: Pushing your child on a swing, launching them into the air at the pool, or just getting a burst of energy to chase them across the park all require explosive hip power. The Kettlebell Swing is one of the best exercises for developing this power, targeting your glutes and hamstrings while also being a massive calorie-burner.
This is a fantastic, low-impact way to get your heart rate up in a short amount of time. The power you build here translates directly into more athletic, dynamic parenting.
How to do it: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, with a kettlebell about a foot in front of you. Hinge at your hips to grab the kettlebell with both hands. Hike it back between your legs, then explosively drive your hips forward to a standing position, using the momentum to swing the bell up to chest height. Let the bell swing back down between your legs and repeat in a fluid motion. The power comes from your hips, not your arms.
13. The "Chase-the-Toddler" Bear Crawl
Why it's essential: Sometimes, the only way to catch a giggling, runaway toddler is to get down on their level. The Bear Crawl is a fun, surprisingly challenging exercise that builds total-body strength, shoulder stability, and core control. It improves coordination and mimics the primal movement patterns we often lose as adults.
This exercise forces your core to stabilize against the movement of your limbs, making it an incredible functional workout. Plus, your toddler will probably think it's a hilarious game and join in.
How to do it: Start on all fours, then lift your knees so they're hovering an inch off the floor. Keep your back flat and core tight. Crawl forward by moving your opposite arm and leg simultaneously (right arm, left leg). Take small, controlled steps. Try crawling backward and sideways for an extra challenge.
14. The "Dodge-the-Lego" Lateral Lunge
Why it's essential: Parenting is rarely a straightforward, forward-and-backward affair. You’re constantly moving side-to-side, stepping around obstacles, and catching a stumbling child. The Lateral Lunge builds strength and flexibility in your hips, glutes, and inner thighs, preparing you for this multi-directional movement.
This movement improves hip mobility and strengthens the muscles that stabilize your pelvis, which can help prevent knee and back pain. It’s perfect for building the agility needed to navigate a toy-strewn living room.
How to do it: Stand with your feet together. Take a big step out to your right side, keeping your left leg straight. Bend your right knee and sit your hips back, as if you’re sitting into a chair on your right side. Keep your chest up and your right foot flat on the floor. Push off your right foot to return to the starting position. Alternate sides.
15. The "Tantrum-Proof" Pallof Press
Why it's essential: Imagine your toddler suddenly going limp and trying to drop to the floor, or trying to pull you in one direction while you need to go in another. The Pallof Press is an "anti-rotation" exercise that teaches your core to resist these twisting forces, which is one of its most important jobs.
By training your obliques and deep core muscles to stay strong and prevent rotation, you build a stable midsection that can handle unexpected pulls and tugs without leading to a tweaked back. For this, you’ll need a resistance band anchored to a sturdy object.
How to do it: Stand sideways to the anchor point, holding the resistance band handle with both hands at your chest. Step away from the anchor to create tension. With your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, brace your core and press the handle straight out in front of you. Resist the urge to let the band twist you. Hold for a second, then bring it back to your chest.
16. The "Stair-Climbing-with-Child" Step-Up
Why it's essential: Carrying a child, a diaper bag, and a basket of laundry up a flight of stairs is a Herculean task. The Step-Up is a direct simulation of this, building powerful single-leg strength in your quads and glutes, while also improving your balance.
This is a fantastic functional movement that's safer for your knees than many other high-impact exercises. It strengthens each leg independently, helping to correct any muscle imbalances.
How to do it: Stand in front of a sturdy box, bench, or the bottom step of your stairs. Place your entire right foot onto the surface. Press through your right heel to lift your body up until your right leg is straight. Step down with control. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.
17. The "One-Handed-Multitasker" Single-Arm Dumbbell Press
Why it's essential: As a parent, you often do things one-handed while holding your child with the other arm. The single-arm press (either on the floor or a bench) builds chest, shoulder, and triceps strength, but more importantly, it forces your core to work overtime to prevent your torso from rotating.
This is functional core training at its best. You’re building the stability you need to push a grocery cart with one hand or open a heavy door while your other arm is occupied.
How to do it: Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent. Hold one dumbbell in your right hand with your arm extended toward the ceiling. Slowly lower the dumbbell down until your upper arm touches the floor. Press it back up to the starting position, focusing on keeping your core tight and your body stable.
18. The "Hide-and-Seek-Champion" Wall Sit
Why it's essential: This simple-looking exercise is a serious test of endurance for your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. It builds isometric strength, which is the kind of strength you need when you have to hold a difficult position for a period of time—like crouching behind the couch for five minutes during a game of hide-and-seek, or holding a squat while your child ties their own shoes for the first time.
Wall sits are low-impact and a great way to build leg strength without putting any stress on your back or knees.
How to do it: Stand with your back against a wall. Walk your feet forward and slide your back down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor, with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep your back flat against the wall and hold. See if you can outlast one round of "Baby Shark."
19. The "Ultimate-Floor-to-Standing" Turkish Get-Up (Simplified)
Why it's essential: There is no single exercise that better mimics the complex, multi-stage movement of getting up off the floor while holding something (or someone). The full Turkish Get-Up is complex, but a simplified version is an incredible tool for parents. It builds shoulder stability, core strength, and total-body coordination.
Practicing this movement teaches your body to move fluidly and strongly from a lying to a standing position, a skill you’ll use countless times a day. Start with no weight, or even a shoe balanced on your fist, to master the pattern.
How to do it (Simplified to half get-up): Lie on your back holding a light dumbbell in your right hand, arm extended toward the ceiling. Bend your right knee. Push off your left elbow to come up to a seated position, keeping the weight stable overhead. Then, press up onto your left hand. Reverse the motion with control to lie back down. That's one rep.
20. The "Post-Bedtime-Story" Cat-Cow Stretch
Why it's essential: After a long day of lifting, carrying, and bending, your spine needs some love. This isn’t a strength exercise, but a crucial mobility movement to end your routine or your day. The Cat-Cow gently moves your spine through flexion and extension, releasing tension in your back, neck, and shoulders.
Think of this as a reset button for your body. It improves blood flow to the discs in your spine, relieves stress, and helps you tune into your body. This simple movement can do wonders for preventing back stiffness. As a key part of any fitness routine, Goh Ling Yong's philosophy also includes a strong emphasis on recovery and mobility—don't skip this!
How to do it: Start on all fours. As you inhale, drop your belly toward the floor and look up, arching your back (Cow). As you exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling, tucking your chin to your chest (Cat). Flow between these two positions for 8-10 breaths.
Your Strongest Chapter Yet
Parenthood is a marathon, not a sprint. Building the physical strength to not just survive it, but thrive in it, is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and your family. You don't need a fancy gym or hours of free time. Start by picking just two or three of these exercises and doing them a few times a week. Consistency is far more important than intensity.
Listen to your body, celebrate the small wins, and remember that every squat, every lunge, every plank is making you a more capable, resilient, and energetic parent. You have the strength to handle this beautiful, chaotic chapter of life. Now you're just making it official.
What's your biggest physical challenge as a parent right now? Share in the comments below—let's support each other on this journey!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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