I’m by no means an expert on this topic, but will share some of the hacks and tricks we use to make sure we are to school on time (and mom is ready to head to office post drop off)!
1 – My boys are early risers. I know some parents have the opposite problem. But my boys are up and ready to party, some days as early as 6:00am. So, in order for ME to have time to get ready, we purchased this dog alarm clock which signals to them when they are allowed to get up (or in their case, leave their room). We tell them they can wake up and read books, but they can’t run around the house until the clock is green (in their case, 7:25am on a school morning).
2 – Once the boys are up and eating breakfast, I set my Google Nest Hub timer to signal when they should brush their team and start getting dressed.
3 – Night before prep! Things we prep the night before are picking out clothes and bringing them downstairs, packing snacks for the next day, filling water bottles (keep in the fridge overnight) and packing backpacks. This way when it’s time for us to leave, they can grab their backpacks and go.
4 – If your kids aren’t old enough to make their own breakfast, I highly recommend having breakfast ready to go before they even wake up. My kids are pretty hungry first thing in the AM. Easy breakfast items my kids love are frozen waffles (or you can make from scratch yourself and then pop them in the toaster), bagels and cream cheese (easy for my 9 year old to make himself) and of course, a healthy cereal option.
5 – Try and take note as to what slows your kids down in the AM….can’t find gloves and hats? Can’t find their belt? For us, it’s socks! We either forget them, or lose one in the morning chaos. I started keeping a small bin of socks in our mudroom that we can grab quickly, instead of running back upstairs to find a match. You can do this with hats, gloves, etc. If tie shoes slow you down, velcro it is!
Like I said in the beginning, I’m no expert, so please share any tips you have as well!
