s/o quick morning routines

[Anonymous]

My kids are 6.5 and 3. We have to get them up about 1 hour before we have to leave for school. Here's what we do:

5:30-5:45 - I wake up to get dressed

6:30 am - Kid 1 wakes up, gets dressed on his own and goes down for breakfast. Gets himself a yogurt or banana and starts eating.
I wake up Kid 2, get her dressed and bring her down for breakfast
DH starts breakfast while I walk the dog

6:50-7:00 - Kids eat breakfast (my 6.5yo eats fast; my 3yo takes forever to eat). Kid 1 goes back upstairs to finish getting ready as soon as he's done eating.

7:00-7:20 - Kids brush teeth; finish getting dressed; do hair; use bathroom; DH gets dressed during this time

7:20-7:30 - Back downstairs to put on shoes, grab school bags/lunch boxes; out the door no later than 7:30 am

The night before we each shower, lay out school outfits (I lay out my work clothes) and pack lunches. Having my 6.5yo get himself ready every day is a big help because I can focus on the 3yo.

Breakfast is usually yogurt, toast, eggs, fruit or oatmeal (I make steel cut oats the night before and then just reheat them in the morning and kids can pick their own toppings). Quick and easy.

We are pretty efficient and I don't think it's possible for us to get the kids up and out in less than 1 hour (at least at these ages).

[Anonymous]

^^That should say we eat breakfast from 6:30 - 7:00.

[Anonymous]

As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

Yes, as I said earlier, I think we just move on and appreciate our breakfast-time together. We could manage the grabbing stuff and running out the door but I'm not sure it's worth the extra 30 minutes of sleep.

[Anonymous]

How do you all have two parents every morning? My dh is up and out the door by 5am. He works out and has breakfast at the office. So it's me every morning. But then he is home at 4:30 including a trip to the grocery store.
I have no issue of sitting down to eat as I think meals should be eaten slowly and Sitting down and not inhaled in the car. I shower at night most of the time since I just can't in the am since the kids get up at 6 and I'm not waking up earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

Yes, as I said earlier, I think we just move on and appreciate our breakfast-time together. We could manage the grabbing stuff and running out the door but I'm not sure it's worth the extra 30 minutes of sleep.

Does your whole family really sit and eat together for 30 min in the morning for breakfast?

I have 3 kids and I'm a SAHM. DH is out the door before kids eat breakfast. I put a hot breakfast on the table and kids eat while I'm packing their lunches and snacks for the day. The whole process takes 30 min. No way am I sitting with them at the table for 30 min.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

Yes, as I said earlier, I think we just move on and appreciate our breakfast-time together. We could manage the grabbing stuff and running out the door but I'm not sure it's worth the extra 30 minutes of sleep.

Does your whole family really sit and eat together for 30 min in the morning for breakfast?

I have 3 kids and I'm a SAHM. DH is out the door before kids eat breakfast. I put a hot breakfast on the table and kids eat while I'm packing their lunches and snacks for the day. The whole process takes 30 min. No way am I sitting with them at the table for 30 min.

Yup, we all sit together for 30 minutes. Why, if you stay at home, is there no way you'd sit with your kids for 30 minutes? As I'm thinking about it more, we have very different conversations about at breakfast than we do at dinner. At breakfast we talk about things that are coming up, make plans, and are generally sillier. At dinner, it's more often reporting back on things that have happened during the day, etc...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

Yes, as I said earlier, I think we just move on and appreciate our breakfast-time together. We could manage the grabbing stuff and running out the door but I'm not sure it's worth the extra 30 minutes of sleep.

Does your whole family really sit and eat together for 30 min in the morning for breakfast?

I have 3 kids and I'm a SAHM. DH is out the door before kids eat breakfast. I put a hot breakfast on the table and kids eat while I'm packing their lunches and snacks for the day. The whole process takes 30 min. No way am I sitting with them at the table for 30 min.

Yup, we all sit together for 30 minutes. Why, if you stay at home, is there no way you'd sit with your kids for 30 minutes? As I'm thinking about it more, we have very different conversations about at breakfast than we do at dinner. At breakfast we talk about things that are coming up, make plans, and are generally sillier. At dinner, it's more often reporting back on things that have happened during the day, etc...

This is such a stupid post, one of the worst I've read on here. You are asking how to make the mornings go quicker. Don't sit and eat breakfast for 30 min!!!! Don't shower in the morning. Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A half hour to eat seems luxurious if you're trying to streamline. How old are your kids?

Kids are 4 and 7. They mostly get ready on their own with some encouragement. I still need to do the 4 year old's hair. Possible we could streamline the breakfast/lunch prep by having both parents working on that while the kids are getting themselves ready.

The 30 minutes to eat does seem awfully long, but even with that, it seems like we're always rushing the kids to finish up and get out the door. I guess the bright side is that our kids like to sit at the table and chat...

I think you either need to shorten breakfast (it takes <10 minutes to eat some scrambled eggs and toast) OR just appreciate the chatty, long breakfasts and enjoy them. Maybe wake everyone up 10 minutes sooner if you're feeling crunched.

Your kids are older than mine so maybe this doesn't work anymore but sometimes we have our 4 and 2 year old sleep in their clothes. Especially in the summer when it's just t shirts and running shorts half the time anyway.

yeah, I guess it is what it is. I was just reading on another post about 30-40 minute morning routines and thinking wistfully of sleeping until 7!

I value sleep. I wake up at 7. Kids wake up at 7:30-7:45 usually on their own. They eat breakfast and then get dressed for school. All out the door by 8:10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

Yes, as I said earlier, I think we just move on and appreciate our breakfast-time together. We could manage the grabbing stuff and running out the door but I'm not sure it's worth the extra 30 minutes of sleep.

Does your whole family really sit and eat together for 30 min in the morning for breakfast?

I have 3 kids and I'm a SAHM. DH is out the door before kids eat breakfast. I put a hot breakfast on the table and kids eat while I'm packing their lunches and snacks for the day. The whole process takes 30 min. No way am I sitting with them at the table for 30 min.

Yup, we all sit together for 30 minutes. Why, if you stay at home, is there no way you'd sit with your kids for 30 minutes? As I'm thinking about it more, we have very different conversations about at breakfast than we do at dinner. At breakfast we talk about things that are coming up, make plans, and are generally sillier. At dinner, it's more often reporting back on things that have happened during the day, etc...

This is such a stupid post, one of the worst I've read on here. You are asking how to make the mornings go quicker. Don't sit and eat breakfast for 30 min!!!! Don't shower in the morning. Sheesh.

wow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love this except in my house (7 and 4 year old) you'd have to add:

6:35-7:05 Kids engage in fighting/discussion/crying, either with each other or Parent 2, over a) whether today is a weekend or not; b) whether Parent 1 is actually in the shower, has already taken a shower and just has not come out of the bathroom yet, or has yet to take a shower - in which case "I want Parent 1 to show me how to solve a Rubik's cube;" or c) whether bagels are a breakfast food, a lunch food, or a brunch food, followed by a discussion of potential names for hybrid animals.

So that pushes our time out the door back quite significantly.

Haha. Thanks for the infusion of reality of planning with small humans!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

Yes, as I said earlier, I think we just move on and appreciate our breakfast-time together. We could manage the grabbing stuff and running out the door but I'm not sure it's worth the extra 30 minutes of sleep.

Does your whole family really sit and eat together for 30 min in the morning for breakfast?

I have 3 kids and I'm a SAHM. DH is out the door before kids eat breakfast. I put a hot breakfast on the table and kids eat while I'm packing their lunches and snacks for the day. The whole process takes 30 min. No way am I sitting with them at the table for 30 min.

Yup, we all sit together for 30 minutes. Why, if you stay at home, is there no way you'd sit with your kids for 30 minutes? As I'm thinking about it more, we have very different conversations about at breakfast than we do at dinner. At breakfast we talk about things that are coming up, make plans, and are generally sillier. At dinner, it's more often reporting back on things that have happened during the day, etc...

This is such a stupid post, one of the worst I've read on here. You are asking how to make the mornings go quicker. Don't sit and eat breakfast for 30 min!!!! Don't shower in the morning. Sheesh.

wow

Wow what? OP has 2 parents at home leisurely eating family breakfast for 30 min and she is asking how to make it go quicker. Obvious answers are to shower at night, pack lunch at night and not sit and eat for 30 minutes.

My kids crawl in bed with me every morning. They play. We eat. We get ready. Some days are more rushed than others. The kids wake up anytime between 6 and 7:30. If they aren’t up by 7:30, I wake them up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read it, all four of you are sitting down together for 30 minutes to eat? If so, Parent 1 could maybe get another 15 minutes of sleep if they only made breakfast while the kids dressed, then ate their breakfast in the kitchen while heating lunches. Parent 2 could sit down with the kids.

I think the 30-minute-mornings people make full lunches the night before, grab a pre-made breakfast on the go, and have kids who don't need help getting dressed. They do as much as possible the night before, everyone's tasks happen in parallel, and there's no kitchen time at all.

If your family can't manage all that, then you have to live with the current schedule, and make the most of that half-hour at the table together before you go your separate ways.

Yes, as I said earlier, I think we just move on and appreciate our breakfast-time together. We could manage the grabbing stuff and running out the door but I'm not sure it's worth the extra 30 minutes of sleep.

Does your whole family really sit and eat together for 30 min in the morning for breakfast?

I have 3 kids and I'm a SAHM. DH is out the door before kids eat breakfast. I put a hot breakfast on the table and kids eat while I'm packing their lunches and snacks for the day. The whole process takes 30 min. No way am I sitting with them at the table for 30 min.

Yup, we all sit together for 30 minutes. Why, if you stay at home, is there no way you'd sit with your kids for 30 minutes? As I'm thinking about it more, we have very different conversations about at breakfast than we do at dinner. At breakfast we talk about things that are coming up, make plans, and are generally sillier. At dinner, it's more often reporting back on things that have happened during the day, etc...

This is such a stupid post, one of the worst I've read on here. You are asking how to make the mornings go quicker. Don't sit and eat breakfast for 30 min!!!! Don't shower in the morning. Sheesh.

wow

Wow what? OP has 2 parents at home leisurely eating family breakfast for 30 min and she is asking how to make it go quicker. Obvious answers are to shower at night, pack lunch at night and not sit and eat for 30 minutes.

My kids crawl in bed with me every morning. They play. We eat. We get ready. Some days are more rushed than others. The kids wake up anytime between 6 and 7:30. If they aren’t up by 7:30, I wake them up.

wow to the tone of the response

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love this except in my house (7 and 4 year old) you'd have to add:

6:35-7:05 Kids engage in fighting/discussion/crying, either with each other or Parent 2, over a) whether today is a weekend or not; b) whether Parent 1 is actually in the shower, has already taken a shower and just has not come out of the bathroom yet, or has yet to take a shower - in which case "I want Parent 1 to show me how to solve a Rubik's cube;" or c) whether bagels are a breakfast food, a lunch food, or a brunch food, followed by a discussion of potential names for hybrid animals.

So that pushes our time out the door back quite significantly. Omg yes! I have a 7yo.

[Anonymous]

Big breakfast is a no-go here. It’s cereal or bagel w/cream cheese or toaster waffles. If you are hungry have a little more of the same (no one ever does.)

My kids from wake up to school drop off are 30-40 minutes total including the 3 minute drive to school. Have been this way since kinder.