What are your best "getting out of the door in the morning" tips?

[Anonymous]

I admit, mornings before school are often harried and full of raised voices.

What are your best tips for making it (more) calm and orderly?

[Anonymous]

I do not come downstairs or wake the kids until I am fully dressed and ready to go. I'm showered, dressed, make-up done. That means I'm less rushed and not running back upstairs. It's the one part of the morning I can control.

Then I wake the kids up and get them going. We do easy breakfasts, ie things that are frozen and can be microwaved or toasted, yogurt, cereal.

I have often brought their clothes for the day downstairs so they can dress right there.

[Anonymous]

Keep shoes, bags, and keys in the same spot every day.

As part of the getting ready routine (the night before or morning of) You can put socks with the shoes.
Pack lunches the night before when possible.

[Anonymous]

Have your kids plan what they need for the next day the night before. Lay it all out. This gives them ownership in the process. Make your routine as much the same as possible every night and every morning, so that they know what to expect.

[Anonymous]

Get everything ready in advance. People often say so things the night before. I do everything on Sunday. Lunches packed for the week. Clothes laid out. Breakfast menu made, which I pay out the night before. Backpacks on the table. I also multitask. I made a space for breakfast in a sitting area upstairs so I can get ready while the kids eat.

I also never pick battles in the morning. If someone wants help getting dressed, I help.

I am out the door super fast and my house is peaceful in the mornings.

[Anonymous]

Do everything in advance. Everything. When we were still in daycare, we packed the daycare bag the night before. I had an organizer in the closet that I put a complete outfit into a space for each day of the week. We dressed our daughter for years beyond when she was capable of doing it herself to make it go faster. Once elementary school started, my husband took over the morning routine since he drives to school. I haven't come downstairs in the morning for years now.

[Anonymous]

DD cannot have breakfast or video until she is dressed.

[Anonymous]

2 minute YouTube video if DD brushes her teeth, eats breakfast, gets dressed. Amazing how much smoother mornings are with that small change. Her only screen time all day and well worth it! This has been working for a year now, and mornings were a disaster before.

I do everything except getting dressed before waking DD. I wake her up early enough so we aren't in a rush and she has some time to play in the morning. I'm in sweats playing with her and put on my work clothes the minute before we walk out. Usually bring my clothes downstairs, so I change right before we leave. Helps avoid any messes, wrinkles etc.

[Anonymous]

I made a list for my 9 year old of what to do:

make bed
get dressed
brush teeth
put on shoes
etc
etc
etc

Its a life saver. She loves it, and it keeps me from having to tell her what to do and/or ask her what she's done.

Plus, I do lunches the night before and backpacks are ready the night before. Also, clothes are chosen the night before as well.

[Anonymous]

Lunch packed the night before, clothes picked out, and we don't wake up earlier than 30 minutes before we have to be out the door. The less time we have for goofing off or fighting the more efficient we are.

[Anonymous]

I plan to leave 30 min b4 we actually need to leave. Then we usually end up leaving 5-10 min before we actually need to leave. If by some miracle we are ready to leave 30 min early, we leave and when we get to our destination, we find a place to skip around, which DD loves.

Also, we do the most troublesome (teeth and hair) last, and DD gets to hear her fav song in the car if she's cooperative.

[Anonymous]

Although I know, I really do know, and believe that getting things ready ahead of time, and waking before the children, is the key to a calm morning -- I also know form experience that those things just don't happen in our family.

So what helps, given that we will all be waking at the same time?

I think about what causes me to lose my cool in the mornings; what slows us up. And then try to help that one thing.

At first it was dawdling. I was always yelling... keep moving! Let's go! What helped was the rule of no TV or computer time until everyone is dressed and has had breakfast.

Then it was kids getting dressed but not including socks and shoes. And not being able to find socks and shoes in time to get out the door. So now we always keep shoes and everyone's socks in a basket by the door. The kids don't have socks in their bedroom. Their socks are by the door.

Kids putter around instead of eating breakfast. So I have my husband set the table when he wakes up (he's the early riser) and when the kids come downstairs, they see their full cereal bowls waiting for the and they are somehow better inspired to sit down and eat. Don't know why that works but it does.

Kids need more sleep and if they dawdle around in the AM that means they have to go to bed earlier the next night.

Not being able to find their uniform clothes (kids are in school) ... of course it would be best to lay out clothes the night before. But failing that -- we keep all uniform components (tops and bottoms) in one location (one dresser drawer) and I do try on the weekends to be sure that drawer is well stocked with clean clothes.

Not being able to find lunch boxes: When kids come home from school I try to make it a habit/rule that they unpack their backpack in front of me, carry lunch box into the kitchen, empty it and place it in the kitchen sink. I rinse it out and put it on its shelf (or in the freezer). If I am feeling really organized I tell the kids to fill the lunch box with snacks, juice, etc. that night but I usually don't get around to doing that.

Not being able to find permission slips, etc.: I try really hard to keep all papers to be signed in the kids' backpacks, not on a table, counter or bulletin board. I do make a photocopy of important papers and post them though.

If kids are running late in the am I give them a baggie of cereal to take on the walk to the bus stop.

School lunches don't need to be ambitious. I show my kids I love them in other creative ways. School lunches are 1) sandwich 2) fruit 3) drink.

[Anonymous]

No choices regarding clothes, food, etc. clothes should be laid out the night before and child(ren) has to get dressers, brush teeth/hair and what not before s/he comes downstairs. Ditto for you as pp mentioned. No choices for breakfast. They eat whatever you make

[Anonymous]

We put on fun music after bfast, give them x amt of minutes to clear table, sweep, wash hands, brush teeth, bathroom, get dressed, and shoes. They know when we put the music on clock is ticking- they think its fun. I ty to have the kids work together to finish before the timer, not have them beat each other. ITs not rushed, its a very reasonable amount of time.

[Anonymous]

I put my kids to sleep in the clothes they'll wear for school next day.