Thread: Practicing when you have kids

Any other bellydancing moms out there with little ones, how and when do you find time to practice? Help please!

Both grandmas live within a mile away and I still don't get enough time!! Of course, my idea of "not enough dance time" is a little sick and twisted... ;)

Get sitters for classes - maybe see if there are other moms with babysitters in classes & you can co-op?

Otherwise wake up early and/or go to bed late. Figure out when you're most "productive" dance-wise and work around that schedule...

It'll take some planning and re-scheduling, but taking the time for yourself, especially to do something with sooo many benefits, helps everybody in the end. :)

I practice every occasion i find, a lot in the kitchen when something is cooking.
I practice anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours a day; if 15 minutes is all i have then it is all i have. Some weeks i would never practice if i waited to have a full hour.

I do some stretches, plies, shimmy drills or glut squeezes while watching tv.

I use a lot of dvds, it is easier for me to study at home than find a babysitter to take regular classes. I find myself some time to do dvd for stretching and pilates , 20 minutes workouts can always be squeezed in my schedule day or night, so it is the same for dance. my son sometimes joins in for a few minutes than goes away.

What i had to give up on is mostly performing; performing more than once a month causes more headaches than anything so i had to adjust to that and limit performances.

Mine aren't little any more, but when they were younger I used to practice after they went to bed. In those days, I had to have a skip-free jogger's CD player in my hand and headphones on -- an ipod would have been a dream come true!!

Hi there,

I've got 22 month old twin girls - I grab whatever few minutes I can (which is very, very hard) - like others, I polish technique while cooking, while the girls nap or are in bed, working on travelling technique while going between rooms - working on upper body technique on the rare occasions I get to sit down, etc etc.

It is hard to find me time when our children are little. However, finding a little time after you put them to bed would be good. I am laughing at all the comments about practising while making supper. I tell all my students that there is always time to perf ect your technique .
I say while your are peeling potatoes you can practise your shimmies, while you are walking back and forth across the kitchen to prepare a meal pratisce your 3/4 shimmy walk, in the car you can do glutes squeezes and shoulder shimmies. Be cretive in finding that time. Good luck and enjoy those children while they are little. In the blink of an eye they will be grown and gone from your home. love to all

All day, off an on! It's tough to run through choreographies repeatedly, but it's easy as pie to drill a bit here and there between loads of laundry and dishes. :-)

And don't forget - mom's need solo time too! Don't feel guilty about going out for classes.

I wish I could make it to class, but alas, I have no sitter. My husband doesnt come home till after dark, usually aroun 9 or 10 pm. He is gone, ALL day. And my sister has her own life, she doesn't seem to have the time to watch my baby either. So, I practice at home whenever the baby is asleep. That is, if I'm not sleeping too. It's just so exhausting to try to take care of the baby, do house work, go out and work at the day job, then come home and try to dance. I think I might just hold off for awhile more to go back to class.

If they are old enough to pay attention, but too young to be by themselves, have them stay in the room with you while you practice-shut the door, tie a hip scarf on them, and let them try it out to. If they don't like like to dance, then they can just hang out and color, play dolls, etc while you practice. At first it can be a little distracting, but you get used to it, just as you get used to them being with you in the bathroom. When they tumble toys all across the floor, just squint your eyes and pretend you're dancing in a very crowded restaurant. =)
If they are too little for this, then having a sleeping baby on your back is a great way to practice strength building and slower moves. Sounds silly, but I am totally serious. Holding them while you dance is fun too, and I think they like the rocking motion. Show them while they're young that this is what you do, no matter what kind of protest they might have, and eventually they will be pushing you out the door to class. How old are your little ones?

Originally Posted by susuabdo

I say while your are peeling potatoes you can practise your shimmies, while you are walking back and forth across the kitchen to prepare a meal pratisce your 3/4 shimmy walk, in the car you can do glutes squeezes and shoulder shimmies.

LOL! I tell my students they can practice shoulder shimmies & ribcage undulations while driving (keeps truck drivers entertained), 3/4 shimmy at the grocery store. shimmy while they brush their teeth or do dishes.

But I warn them never to shimmy in the shower. Shimmying naked can cause intense and disproportionate feelings of self-loathing.

One more thing - one of the most useful things I did was to continue to listen to ME music incessantly - in the car, at home, etc. If you simply can't do anything else you can at least work on your musicality by really learning your music. Even if you're exhausted, those rhythms and melodies will sink in.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

LOL! I tell my students they can practice shoulder shimmies & ribcage undulations while driving (keeps truck drivers entertained),

Yeah, it's one of those things - can people see you when you're in your car? No, it's totally private right? So I can just do chest circles and undulations and snake arms and headslides and no one will notice, right? It's also possible to shimmy, omi, hip-click, and maya in the car.

And I play zills ... with a stick shift even. :zillevil:

I've caught people staring at me a couple of times now - and that's only the times I noticed. I bet we all do it though, right?

Practicing in the car great idea!

Originally Posted by Adishakti

All day, off an on! It's tough to run through choreographies repeatedly, but it's easy as pie to drill a bit here and there between loads of laundry and dishes. :-)

And don't forget - mom's need solo time too! Don't feel guilty about going out for classes.

I do the same thing. In addition, when I'm cooking dinner, there is no TV allowed on. I turn on a CD and the girls dance with me while I cook!

Also, the car is a great place to work on upper body drills when you are sitting at stop lights!

Originally Posted by Lauren_

But I warn them never to shimmy in the shower. Shimmying naked can cause intense and disproportionate feelings of self-loathing.

..l;, ..l;, ..l;, I'm so with you on that one, Lauren!

I tried doing 2 classes a week for a while and found it so exhausting, so I am back down to one, and enjoying it so much more, as I am not feeling guilty about "not being there". I think it is more difficult when they are very young. My son is almost 3 now, and the monkey actually tells me to GO dancing!

I also have a furniture business, with a large warehouse out the back, so if it's quite I pop out the back and boogie, and just hope I don't get caught out by a customer (yes thats happened before).

I've been dancing my daughter's whole life (started when she was eight weeks old!), so my dancing is second nature to her.

If my mom can't watch her while I'm in class/rehearsal or her dad isn't home, she just comes along with me. She has several little hipscarves and I'll tie one on for her and let her go. She's become quite the dancer!..g.:

When I'm practicing at home, it's usually after she's in bed or when she's spending time with her dad or grandma. Thankfully, she also likes listening to ME music and watching bellydance videos, so it's easy to be able to at least immerse myself in the music or watching others dance when I can't find a free minute.

When our son was younger I waited until my husband came home and we had supper, than I'd go off to my dance classes. I'd also practice throughout the day when he'd take naps. If needed, I'd put him in his swing and than let him watch me dance and spin.

You can do it. You just have to be creative.