How do you get ready in the morning?

[Jemima14]

Maybe this is an extremely silly question. Logically, it doesn't sound like an impossible task, but I'm struggling with this big time. I have a 5 month old daughter who is high need & getting out in the morning is a mammoth task.

I feed her, change her, play with her & then try to get myself showered, breakfast, dressed, hair (thrown up) - I do the absolute basics & usually look a wreck - but this is all done to the background of her crying usually as she hardly stays by herself for any time, I usually do one thing then run bk & play with her & carry her from room to room with me, I will change where she sits, playmat, boucer, give plenty of toys etc, put the tv on (not great I know!) - but by the time I get all of this done, pack bags get her changed again & fed & coats on, its about 12 or 1 o'clock. I feel like I haven't stopped running around yet haven't got anywhere...

What do people do, literally.... I would like to find a bit of a routine that works better than this... lately I've just avoided leaving the house if I can help it!!

I'm breastfeeding too, which has all been babyled so far & that is constantly throwing me, sometimes she wants to go on every hour, or wants to go on for an hour at a time. Any suggestions?

[CultureSucksDownWords]

Firstly pack your bags the night before, when she's asleep. Make sure it's ready just to grab and go, or put it on your pram (if you use one) ready.

Similarly lay out her clothes and your clothes ready as well.

If at all possible and if you have a DP/DH, shower in the morning when they can entertain the baby. Or get up before she wakes to have a v quick shower if she's a predictable sleeper.

Apologies if you're already doing these!

[Nolim]

Get ready before you feed her, change her nappie etc.

[Jackiebrambles]

Do you have a partner there in the morning? When ds was born I got into the habit of showering and getting dressed whilst DH was still home, despite it being 7am and not having to actually be anywhere.

I'm still doing it now on my non working day.

[Alwaysinahurrynow]

If possible, I try and do the following;
Pack bag night before
Shower and decide what to wear
Sterilise dummies and bottles

[Buttercup27]

I have a 1 yr old and 2 yr old and need to be out the house by 7.30 am here's how I do it -
6.15 ish get up, showered, dressed and hair and make up done.
6.45 ish ds1 up and dressed (clothes and nappy in a pile the night before) dh takes him down stairs to have breakfast, while I dress ds2.
Everyone downstairs eating breakfast by 7.10.
Out the door by 7.25 at lates as it seems to take ages to strap them into their car seats.
This is the ideal and happens 3/5 mornings . The other 2 we don't leave til 7.40 as I haven't managed to drag myself out of bed until 6.30!

[Jemima14]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm a single mama, so no one to watch babs while I take a shower or anything. At the moment I just couldn't get up earlier than dd as she's waking up constantly in the night & I'm just so tired. If I have to be out early I'm always ready the night before - but I'm usually just getting to eat / tidy by the time dd gets settled that to do anything extra usually just gets left! So I have to just start doing it regardless! Thanks buttercup - thats amazing you get all that done in such a space of time, fair play to you......... I'm just interested to know what other people do, people are managing with more commitments & more than one so there has to be a way!

[neversleepagain]

It took a while but I became a pro at this . My twins are 2.3 now and I can get all three of us dressed, breakfasted and at playgroup by 9:30 (we wake up at 7:45).

Bags packed and in the car the night before. My clothes and bits ready for the morning, I shower the night before. I get up and dress before I wake the dc. Wake them, milk, nappies, dress them, downstairs and breakfast. We do this every single day so they know the drill now.

[Buttercup27]

Having really short hair helps too ! I can't wake up without a shower and if it was long I would never have time to dry it !

[Awakeagain]

My ds's are 2.3 and 12 weeks
I shower in a night once ds2 is asleep
If I know we are up and off in the morning I get the ds's clothes ready the night before
Nursery bag is already packed for ds1, changing bag stays as is, maybe have a few nappies or a change of clothes to replenish in a pile to take down stairs
When I was at work I would shower on a morning (don't think that will be happening with 2!)

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

getting ready with a little one is hard, it gets easier as they amuse themselves and become more independent.

I also breastfed on demand dd1 would sometimes feed for over an hour then want feeding again 30 mins later.. I started using a sling and would feed on the go obviously cant in the shower but if little one is really clingy could u get a bath seat that suction cups to bottom of shower so can clean u both at same time? I had one it was great or a door bouncer? both mine liked these and easy to transport room to room!

I never unpacked the buggy its always has essentials underneath and my handbag is always packed so pretty much ready to go. and I have a pot of snacky bits I can just grab from cupboard if we are in a rush.

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

I shower before DH leaves for work. It's like a military operation . I get up at 6.45am, shower and dress, downstairs for 7.15am. DH takes DD downstairs and entertains her until I'm down at 7.15, then he gets ready for work and leaves at around 8am. Nappy bag always ready/all stocks replenished the night before.

[ch1134]

Have a nice relaxing bath the night before instead of a shower in the morning. Have a chair you can strap baby into while you get jobs done. Minimise racing up and down stairs by planning what you'll bring with you.. for example, I always get totally dressed in the morning, including socks so I won't have to run back up for a jumper/ scarf/ socks...Don't take too much out with you: nappies, wipes, spare set of clothes and a muslin can stay in the change bag, no need to pack or unpack...

[TwiggyHeart]

On a nursery day I have a shower/hair wash the night before, clothes for all of us out the night before, bags packed and lunches all done before bed. I get up about 6:45, wash, dress, tidy up, windows opened etc. 7:30 feed baby while toddler plays/looks at books. DH leaves any time between 7:00-7:45 so try to do as much as I can before he goes.

[SASASI]

Can I ask a question to those who BF & shower before baby wakes - do you lose a lot of milk in the shower?!

My DS sleeps all night (not a stealth boast!) and when I wake much boobs are so full of milk I've usually leaked & DS is 5 months.

Some mornings if I'm up before he wishes I pump & freeze just to give me done relief. I would hate to see it literally go down the drain?!

[Whensmyturn]

I followed Gina Ford routine as she describes when to do what and how.

[Cupcakes123]

I have a 5 month old DS. The only way I can be ready is by getting up an hour before DP. He has the baby in bed, feeds him and spends some time with him before he goes off to work.
I then run around like a mad woman sterilising, tidying, packing bags and getting showered and dressed. Then I take over from DP and can get DS dressed and ready.
If for whatever reason I don't get my hour, it's quite likely I'll still be in my pjamas by lunchtime

[flanjabelle]

At that age I put dd in her bouncy chair in the bathroom with me and kept talkingn to her and playing peekaboo while I got ready. I would have a stack of toys that I didn't usually give her to keep passing her to keep her interested.

Now she is older she goes in her travel cot with lots of toys while I get ready.

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

Whens unfortunately DD didn't read Gina Ford's book so regardless of when I tried to do them, she wanted to do them differently

[Redling]

Shower the night before, lay out your clothes in the living room and get dressed downstairs, or pop her in the cot with mobile on while you get dressed in the room. I manage to straighten my hair while DS has his morning chat to Tigger and Winnie :) dress her when you do her morning nappy change of you have a morning thing to go to, I do so DS is ready to go after his first nap. Otherwise I leave him in sleepsuit until after.

[sillymillyb]

I am a lone parent too - and having a shower and getting ready was my nemesis! I think I had a thread on here on how the hell I could manage it!

My tips are similar to everyone else's to be honest. I had a basket in every room (babies / mine and living room) that had clothes for us both in, nappies / wipes etc. Mini deoderant and moisteriser and any essential make up (so I had a concealer and mascara) It was a bit of an outlay but I swear it was worth its weight in gold!

I would then put DS in his bouncy chair in the bathroom or the jumperoo on the landing with the door open so he could see me, or on the floor with some toys or in his bath seat in the bath with me while I had the quickest shower known to man. I could then go into any of the rooms and would have enough stuff there to help me finish getting ready. It was not a quick process, and the one thing I craved more than anything else was a long shower alone.

Once I was dressed I would tackle DS as I was always more productive and less stressed that way.

Good luck! Oh! And always have a bag packed and ready to go. That made things a million times easier too :)

[GoldfishSpy]

Pack bag, bath, do everything the night before.
Clothes out for me. DS has a bath and clean clothes the night before.

Alarm at 6.30am. Dress, makeup etc. Wake baby if he isn't awake.

7am Feed baby. Change him into a clean nappy.

7.20 Take him downstairs. We have breakfast together (he is nearly 6 mo so has some goop and toast) He is well covered up with a teatowel round him.

7.45 I leave for work. Hand DS to DH. If DS was coming with me we would just go.

[confusedandemployed]

My tip would be to take the baby into the bathroom with you as you are a lone parent.

When DP had gone to work I used to stick DD on the floor on a towel, supported by a horseshoe-shaped breastfeeding pillow. I spent as long as I liked in the shower and she was happy to watch me.

She's nearly two now and I have a load of toys in the bathroom to entertain her now!

[TheGirlAtTheRockShow]

I second all those saying wash in the evenings! Makes mornings much less stressful.
In the morning I feed DD, change her nappy and get her dressed. She then goes in cot with mobile or in bedroom with me on the bed while I get dressed. Then we have breakfast and get ready to walk the dog. She'll have her morning nap in the sling. Home and ready to start the day properly at around 10.

[mrsmugoo]

I bathe in the evenings. On work days I get up half an hour earlier than DS to get dressed/made-up. On non work days I get dressed when he goes down for his morning nap.

When he drops the morning nap I guess it will be getting up earlier to do it.

[dashoflime]

At 5 months I used to contain Ds in the bathtub (without water obviously!) while I showered.
Agree with pp re the rest: you either need to have everything ready the night before or get up before DC to do it.
I'm a bit skanky so wasn't adverse to leaving the house with Ds still in his sleep suit at that age. I had a change of clothes in a bag and used to put him into a "daytime outfit"at the same time as her next nappy change while I was out. Or more often, wait until sick or poonamie nessecitated it.