Whether you have one child or five, it is always a struggle to get out of the bed, get everyone dressed, make the lunch and out the door.
As we all know, school mornings are very hectic! Whether you have one child or five, it is always a struggle to get out of the bed, get everyone dressed, make the lunch and out the door.
And if you have several kids it can be hard to remember everything. But there are a few things you can do to prepare and make the morning easier for everyone.
My 3-year-old started pre-school in September and these tips have made our mornings run very smooth.
1. Prepare the lunches a week in advance
There’s nothing more annoying than a child trying to decide what they want for lunch while you’re already running late! Buy a few things (that you know they like) that will keep for a while like crackers, rice cakes, cheese and fruit in a big container. All you will have to do each school morning is make a sandwich and grab something out of the lunch container.
2. Set an alarm
I don’t know about you, but my kids love to sleep in on school days. Even though on weekends they will be up at 6am! Why can’t they do it the other way around? Set an alarm to make sure you’re up in good time to get everyone breakfast and get ready. Starting the day without breakfast is never good!
3. Get a clothes rail
Hang the school clothes or uniforms on it as soon as they’re washed and dried so there is no time wasted looking for the uniform in the morning.
4. Designate an area at the front door for the school bags and coats
In my home, I have a storage bench that I use to keep shoes and above that, I have coat hooks to hang their school bags and coats on. They can easily grab it on the way out the door.
5. Keep school notes and reminders on a noticeboard
You often get several school notes, reminders and calendars but it can be hard to remember what is on, on which day. Keep them all on a noticeboard or even the fridge so you can quickly glance at it each morning.
I’ve been using these tips for the past two months and so far, they work great for our family. Sometimes you will just have a bad, unorganised morning, but if you follow these tips, more often than not, you will have a successful morning.
Maybe you will even get time to drink your coffee before it goes cold!
Written by Lauren Kennedy, a 22-year-old mother of two boys. Lauren blogs about lifestyle, parenting, beauty, books and fashion on www.wonderfulandwicked.com.