Tips for handling 3 kids (including newborn) in the morning before school

[Anonymous]

I recently had my third child. My older two are 3 and 6. Would love suggestions on balancing all three in the mornings - my oldest gets on a school bus at 7:30-7:40. He has ADHD so he requires a fair amount of helicoptering to make sure he gets dressed, brushes teeth, eats breakfast, gets ready for the bus etc. for the past few weeks I’ve had help in the mornings if the baby is awake, but our childcare structure may be changing in the near term and I’d be mostly solo in the early mornings.

I’d have a nanny arriving around 8 to help, so it’s really just a matter of handling all three kids (including a hungry baby) until my oldest gets on the bus. Any suggestions helpful! I already lay out outfits and pack backpacks the night before, and I pre wash fruit to have with breakfast etc to keep prep simple.

Ultimately I hope to sleep train the baby to wake up closer to 8, but we’re at least a couple of months out from that point.

[Anonymous]

I think the only thing you can do, if baby isn’t sleeping past when the kids need to leave, is wake up earlier than your other kids and have baby changed and fed before you need to start morning routine with the older kids. Maybe baby will then go back to sleep after feeding, but if not, at least they are fed and changed and can either snuggle in a carrier or swing, bouncer, or whatever baby holding place you have.

I had a Bjorn bouncer my newborn would hang out in when I was getting my older kids ready or unable to hold. I highly recommend. They recline back far enough for a newborn and are super light weight to take room to room if needed (I actually kept one upstairs and one downstairs, then would move as needed).

[Anonymous]

3 is a lot with what you're juggling. But the horse has fled the barn. Know that this season will pass. The kids will soon grow and it will be different.

Night feed the baby so she's not hangry in the morning. Ser of the nanny can come half an hour earlier to help with the bus transition. Good job of doing night prep. Maybe do a morning task checklist for oldest.

[Anonymous]

Wake up and feed/change the baby before the other kids wake up. Then wear the baby if needed or use bouncer, etc. I found in early elementary they less time was better. Less time to get distracted. No switching locations. Wake up, get dressed first, then go down and eat breakfast. Teeth and hair supplies were in the powder room so we didn’t need to go back upstairs. This should all take less than 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

i had bouncers all over (my baby liked them) so there was an easy spot to put baby down and keep him happy. I also wore him a lot and had a large coat I could zip over both of us so I didn't need to bundle up baby. Also sometimes would put him down for a nap in the stroller bassinet if he was ready for a nap before I walked the other two to school

Do you have a friend that passes your house on the way to bus stop? I'd happily pick up another kid and walk them to the bus stop so a mom wasn't trying to get everyone out the door

And as others said it will get easier fast (its still hard getting everyone out the door on my own with a 3/5/7yo but nothing like when the 2yo was under 1.

[Anonymous]

I cannot believe people are suggesting she *wake up* her sleeping newborn, especially if the goal is to eventually have it sleep past 8. No. Do not wake up your sleeping newborn. It is not worth it.

Do everything you're already doing. Maybe get up a few minutes earlier yourself to have everything 100% ready to go. If your baby wakes up at an inconvenient time, do some combo of letting it cry for the 5-10 minutes you need to be hands on with the other two (you can stick it in a carrier and all of the movement may help anyway) and having your 3 year old feed the baby a bottle if you can pump a bit of milk or do any formula feeding. My 3 year old LOVED helping with the baby and it sounds like they're not busy then.

[Anonymous]

Why are you having a nanny come at 8? I would have a Nanny come at 7 if you’re trying to take care of all 3 and get out of the door.
Do the bare minimum with the newborn, change diaper and feed. Everything else can wait til the rush/chaos is over.
I’d even say the same for the 3yo. He can get dressed after the older kid has left.

[Anonymous]

I think you are doing all you can already. I had a similar situation when my kids were that age. It’ll all be chaotic for a while and when the time is over, you will miss it.

[Anonymous]

After 6 brushes his teeth at night, put his toothbrush downstairs in/near the kitchen so immediately after eating he can brush. Can he sleep in his clothes he'll wear the next day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently had my third child. My older two are 3 and 6. Would love suggestions on balancing all three in the mornings - my oldest gets on a school bus at 7:30-7:40. He has ADHD so he requires a fair amount of helicoptering to make sure he gets dressed, brushes teeth, eats breakfast, gets ready for the bus etc. for the past few weeks I’ve had help in the mornings if the baby is awake, but our childcare structure may be changing in the near term and I’d be mostly solo in the early mornings.

I’d have a nanny arriving around 8 to help, so it’s really just a matter of handling all three kids (including a hungry baby) until my oldest gets on the bus. Any suggestions helpful! I already lay out outfits and pack backpacks the night before, and I pre wash fruit to have with breakfast etc to keep prep simple.

Ultimately I hope to sleep train the baby to wake up closer to 8, but we’re at least a couple of months out from that point.

Wear the baby whenever possible. My youngest basically lived in a baby carrier for the first 4 months.

[Anonymous]

There is nothing to change. You have to raise the 3 kids and care for them. That is it.

[Anonymous]

So the 3 yo and newborn are staying home with the nanny, while your oldest goes to school? What is your 3 yo doing while you are trying to get your oldest ready for school?

[Anonymous]

I have 3, but we have 2 parents who WAH. So one of us would take older kids to the bus stop while the other one was home with the baby, but starting coffee and getting the work day going. We got lucky because our third would chill in her crib in the morning with a bottle of milk while I was getting the older 2 going (they were both in elementary school at that point).

Obviously this won’t work with a newborn, but once your baby can sit up and play with a toy/drink milk it gets easier. You need someone home for emergencies though unless the bus stop is right outside your house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 3, but we have 2 parents who WAH. So one of us would take older kids to the bus stop while the other one was home with the baby, but starting coffee and getting the work day going. We got lucky because our third would chill in her crib in the morning with a bottle of milk while I was getting the older 2 going (they were both in elementary school at that point).

Obviously this won’t work with a newborn, but once your baby can sit up and play with a toy/drink milk it gets easier. You need someone home for emergencies though unless the bus stop is right outside your house.

Meant to add that nanny would arrive about 30 min. after older 2 caught the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After 6 brushes his teeth at night, put his toothbrush downstairs in/near the kitchen so immediately after eating he can brush. Can he sleep in his clothes he'll wear the next day?

All of this. And breakfast could be a protein bar eaten walking or a cheese stick, fruit can be messy, I’d save for a different meal.

I’d have both older kids sleep in clothes for next day. See if nanny can come at 7:30 and take over bus run.

A chart with pics of streamlined morning activities and a reward if completed early helped my child with ADD get out the door. Say a game on iPad if done by 7:20, high value and immediate reward.