Pushing her two-seat stroller down the recreation path, Sarah Chamberlin reaches over to hand out snacks to her daughters: 3-year-old Chloe and 1-year-old Bella.

Then they are off again, hurrying to join the large group of other stroller-pushing mamas at Veterans Memorial Park in Bettendorf.

Just a little ways down the path, everyone stops in a shady spot, lining up their strollers so the children are facing their mothers. Another mom, Sara Baker, runs down the stroller line with a soap bubble wand, blowing bubbles in front of the seated children.

The rest of the moms pull out fitness bands (which look like rubbery jump ropes), using them to do bicep curls as they sing, "The wheels on the bus go up and down …"

"We have a lot of fun," Chamberlin said, smiling at her daughters.

"But this isn't very fun," she added, nodding at the fitness band.

The women chit-chat and laugh together like old friends as their kids share snacks and toys. But their 60-minute visits in the park aren't just fun and games.

They're part of a series of mom-and-baby fitness classes led by Baker, who is an instructor and owner of a new Stroller Strides franchise in the Quad-Cities.

The classes are meant to offer a total fitness program - including power-walking and body-toning - that moms can do with their babies, which seems to be a good fit for a lot of parents who either don't want to or can't leave the kids behind during their own fitness time.

They also offer socialization for parents and their children, which is what several participants said they like best about their morning workouts together.

"It's a great way to meet people," said Chamberlin, who explained that her family just moved to the Quad-Cities from Des Moines and now has an instant support group.

The Quad-City franchise marked the nationwide fitness chain's initial step into Iowa when Baker launched her first classes during September in Bettendorf.

And she got involved because of the birth of her own daughter.

A former personal trainer and teacher in the Chicago area, Baker and her family moved back to the Quad-Cities - she grew up in Davenport - after Greta was born two years ago.

Baker couldn't wait to resume working out, but the baby didn't want to cooperate. Every time she tried to take her to the gym's day care, the child "cried and screamed," she said.

"It just didn't work out."

So, Baker began concocting her own stroller workout program and stumbled upon information about Stroller Strides, which now operates in 47 states. The workouts had already been created, so she saved herself some work and learned that the moves follow the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' fitness guidelines for pregnant women, she said.

"It's so great," she added. "The best part for me is my daughter is part of my healthy lifestyle. She sees me having positive social interactions with women who are living that lifestyle, and she's made friends, too."

That's true for 28-year-old Heather Stocking of Bettendorf and her 14-month-old daughter, Mia. As the group stood in a circle, singing "Five Little Monkeys" while the grownups toned their muscles, a couple of other moms winked and waved at the baby from their own exercise stations.

Desiree Rowland, 30, of Bettendorf, joined after a friend told her about the group. She brings along her children: 3-year-old Cooper and 5-year-old Ava.

"It's nice because I can do it at my own pace," she said. "And my kids love playing with their friends."

"The girls just motivate you," she added. "It's a reason to come."

And, yes, dads are more than welcome to attend, too. The local Stroller Strides group hasn't had one yet, but there always could be a first, Baker said.

"Getting outside, moving your body and being around an amazing support group is priceless - especially for working moms who are on maternity leave and are so used to having people around them," she added in an e-mail. "We also do pelvic floor rehab for the moms!"