Getting Ready & out the door ...

[TheLondoner22]

So, start back at work 5 Jan.

HOW .... do I shower, get dressed, change & dress 13 Month old, feed 13 Month old breakfast & get out the house?!?!

Sounds easy on paper ....

But honest tips would be greatly welcomed. Suggestions on order of tasks would help


I used to get dressed when DS had morning nap but that obvs won't be happening anymore

[SweepTheHalls]

What time do you need to leave the house?

[TheLondoner22]

I need to leave the house at 8:45am

I'm also a lone parent so no help etc ...

Am I making a drama out of this? Just it's really stressing me :(

[ZenNudist]

Will nursery or childminder not feed breakfast if you provide it? Or pay for it?

Get up early. Pack bag the night before.

I feel your pain. I return from mat leave end of feb. I'm dreading the evenings most. Mornings are fairly easy if you're organised. I'm just not sure how I'm going to deal with 4yo and 1yo at 6pm doing tea when I'm used to doing tea at 5pm right now.

[MrsPepperMintonCandyCane]

Get as much ready the night before as you can. Outfits, breakfast things ready, bags packed etc. Get up and shower you, put on dressing gown/clean pjs, sort any hair/makeup. Get little one up and have breakfast. Dress them. Dress you. Out the door.

Other way is to switch to an evening shower with a quick wash in the morning.

[ZenNudist]

Xpost. 845 sounds great to me! I get. Up at 6 for a 715 departure with nursery feeding baby brekkie. I'm not sure if ds1 is just going to wolf his own brekkie or eat at nursery when I start back.

[SweepTheHalls]

It really is fine. We leave at 7.35, my timetable runs like this,
6.00, I'm up, empty dishwasher, lay table for breakfast. Upstairs and shower, kids up, dressed, they watch cbeebies whilst I dress and do my make up. Everyone eating breakfast at 7.00, sort last minute bags at 7.20ish, shoes on and out the door by 7.35!

[FlossieTreadlight]

Set alarm early, grab shower
Wake DC
DC has milk while you get dressed/ready
DC dressed
Both go downstairs
Brekkie
Teeth brushed
Out door

Key - bags packed night before, clothes all out and ready, be prepared to do make up after drop off if you wear it. Hope this helps and good luck

[sunnyfrostyday]

At nursery age - get up, straight in shower. Get dc up on way out of bathroom, milk etc. They sit in bed and watch while you get dressed, make up etc. Get dc dressed, leave.

Mine always had breakfast at nursery.

[imostlyreadandlurk]

I went back to work in May and also worried about this as I'm truly rubbish in the morning! My DS usually wakes 6.30ish so I get up by 6.30. We leave around 7.45 if running on time!

I find the key is to get up and showered before DS wakes up, and the older he gets the happier he is to hang around in his cot for a bit.

then Ituck him into my bed with a drink of milk while I dry my hair and get dressed.

then I do his nappy, get him dressed. Do teeth cleaning for both of us.

agree bags must be packed the night before! If DS sleeps in I get dressed and hair dried and putbags and coats in the car. That's the bit I struggle with most - caryying our bags and coats, wellies and trying to stop him from running into the road while I lock the door! But he's getting really good at standing still and waiting.

you WILL be fine - somehow it all comes together!

[imostlyreadandlurk]

Oh, nursery provides breakfast and I eat when I get to work as always hated eating breakfast early anyway.

[Daveface]

You shower the evening before! Well I do anyway!

And my biggest tip is get yourself dressed as soon as you get up and don't go downstairs until you are dressed.

Give your baby something to eat while you eat/make up/do hair etc. Get baby dressed after breakfast, grab bag and go!

I have an hour, on my own, to get my 3 year old and 1 year old out the house & it's fine once you get going! I try to put all our clothes out the night before so I'm not stressing trying to find a clean vest/a tshirt that matches etc in the morning.

[guineapig1]

Agree with previous posters. It is all really about organisation, you will be absolutely fine. I also do mornings entirely alone as DH's work hours mean he leaves the house at about 5 am. Manage to get out of the house by 7.45. Do as much as poss the night before, bags, lunches, clothes out, tomorrow night's suppers prepped/ planned, car filled with petrol, then in the morning just get up and go. Have spare clothes/ wet wipes everywhere. Also I had a couple of practice runs getting out of the house on time, even if just to go to the supermarket etc before I went back which gave me confidence, good luck!

[TheLondoner22]

You are all amazing!!! What stars you all are

Ok ... Few practice runs I think ....

And organisation I should be good at ... I'm a PA!

Ok ... Let's do this ;)

[TheLondoner22]

Perfect practice today!

Got up 15mins early & showered, made everything else fit in to place :)

Amazing how 14 Months ago I was terrified of giving birth - now I'm terrified I've getting ready & going back to work

[FlossieTreadlight]

Well done

It is hard going back to work but it's also lush having: uninterrupted weed, hot cups of tea, silence. Sweet, sweet silence.

[FlossieTreadlight]

By weed, I meant wees unless of course you work for Walt or a n other drug lord.

[GaryBaldy]

I switched to getting me dressed last of all, after walking out the door with a trail of milky sick down my back and not realising...

[TheLondoner22]

PMSL!!!

[LinesThatICouldntChange]

Great advice above. It really is all about creating a workable routine.
FWIW, when I had dc1 I couldn't imagine how I would ever get out the front door again, but 12 weeks later I was back working 3 days a week. Then if you have another child, you go through the same thing again, and wonder how on earth you'll do it with a toddler plus baby. We have 3 children and the hardest (and most expensive!) phase was getting the eldest to the childminder who did the school drop off, and the younger two to nursery by 8 am, to be in work for 8.20. But it really is all manageable- like giving birth, its just hard to imagine until you do it!

[MatildaV]

I've been back at work just over a year now and have to get 2 out of the house by 7.30am. I've found that I've had to adapt the routine over time - at first, they were happy to sit having some breakfast while I nipped in the shower, then would watch as I got dressed. Now, some days they hate me leaving the room and hate sitting in their chairs and I can't guarantee that I'd be able to get in the shower in the morning, so I do it the night before and just have a wash in the morning. Even though it's sometimes the last thing you feel like doing, getting all bags and clothes ready the night before really is the key. Good luck!