As the saying goes, every great morning routine starts with a fabulous evening routine. With that said, there are a number of things we do in the evenings to help our mornings run more smoothly:
1. Dress your preschooler and toddler in the clothes they will wear tomorrow to sleep.
I had come across this advice several times, and always thought to myself, “That’s a bit overboard…” but it truly does help. Our younger daughter is just not a morning person, and the several transitions, no matter how much previewing we did, only seemed to upset her more. Skipping the “getting dressed in the morning” step has truly improved our mornings. Our preschooler has joined in and we LOVE not having to get them dressed in the morning (or asking them a million times to dress themselves).
2. Make lunches and snacks, fill water bottles, and at least plan breakfast the night before.
This has also helped our mornings tremendously. I usually put together the girls lunches while I make dinner. Sometimes they will have the same fruit for dinner and the following lunch, so I can just prepare twice as much at one time. They will also usually have at least one other dinner dish for lunch the next day, so preparing lunches the night before is just easier.
3. Decide on breakfast or breakfast choices before your children leave their rooms.
If your children are old enough to put together or cook their own breakfast, set out the choices the night before or the morning of (if perishable) so that breakfast is streamlined. Currently, we are putting together the girls breakfasts, but we should start having A put together her breakfast if not both hers and O’s.
4. Set a timer for breakfast.
Sometimes our girls are hungry in the morning, sometimes they are not. It doesn’t feel good to plead for the girls to eat their breakfast, so we give them the opportunity, set the timer, and then give them a to-go baggie to take their breakfast leftovers to camp/school. It does help to know that they will have a snack around 9:30am at their school.
5. After breakfast is bathroom, brushing teeth, and if during the summer — sunscreen!!
We love summer, but the addition of applying sunscreen in the morning can be a pain. We quickly go outside and spray the girls everywhere but their face and their girls apply sunscreen to the faces with a stick sunscreen. They brush their teeth and use the bathroom for the first or second time and then we head down stairs for shoes and jackets.
6. Keep toothbrushes, tooth paste, hair brushes, and hair accessories in all bathrooms.
This way, your kids can get ready to go faster, without having to wait for siblings to finish. This also reduces fights and therefore gets you out the door faster.
7. Next, I challenge the kids to get their shoes on before me / the caregiver who will drive them that morning.
I try not to create competition between my girls, but I often create competition with them and us as parents. I try to create cooperation between the two girls (the girls help each other get their shoes on before me, the parent). I usually have a few more things to do in the kitchen before heading to get my shoes on, so this allows time for the girls to get their shoes on. Of course, there may be some squabbling so I keep an ear out and intervene when I need to.
8. Try the same cooperative competition for getting into their carseats.
This one works similarly to getting shoes one, and even though my older child does realize that I need to buckle / check the car seat buckles before I get in the driver seat and buckle my seat belt, she’s still game. There is not as much cooperation for this step, but the girls do encourage each other to move more quickly.
9. And on your way…
Once the girls are buckled, it’s pretty smooth sailing from there. Sometimes the girls bicker about who will get dropped off first, but many times, based on what time it is, I can easily convince them that one needs to get dropped first or second, etc.
Getting out of the house with children younger that five years old is no easy feat. Pre-planning and simple routines can help. What helps you get out of the house with children on time?
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