Any time saving tips for managing morning school run when no 4 arrives

[Fresh01]

Dh leaves by 7.15am in the morning so getting the kids up and out by 8.30am is all up to me, after his initial 2 weeks off. Just trying to work out how we will all be ready to leave the house by 8.30am when no. 4 arrives and I have the 45min plus morning breastfeed to fit in as well??? So far all I can think of is kids morning snacks will need to be done the night before and I will need to just throw clothes on and get a shower some other time.........

Kids are nearly 6, almost 4 and 20months. So still young enough to need help although the older 2 can do some things for themselves.

Already have their clothes downstairs the night before as if they go back upstairs it takes forever : )

Any good tips for getting out the house?

[CherryPie3]

Hiya Fresh, I was thinking this exact thing when I was pregnant with #3.

It didn't help that at the time my older 2 were 4 and 5 and a bit used to be doing up all their shirt buttons, making breakfasts, packed lunches, snacks...

It took me a looooong time to get used to it but what I (actually it was usually dh as I was glued to the sofa/chair with a breastfeeding child) did was prepare and refrigerate the packed lunches and snacks the night before. Lay out all the uniforms right down to shoes pants and socks. For my daughter I also laid out hair accessories for that day so the morning scavenger hunt could be cancelled!!

And I always left my little tiny one until last to get ready, often not bothering until we were back from the school run (obviously his nappy was changed but nightclothes stayed on unless poop stained )


Hope this helps :)

[CherryPie3]

Should add, my dh was always gone by 6:45 too so very similar situation x

[CherryPie3]

And we had a rule of no tv as that would make them dawdle and daydream and not get ready :)

[Scootergrrrl]

We have a rule of no television until you are completely ready - down to shoes, hair and teeth done etc. That certainly makes them speed up.

Also when DC3 was small, it was very much a case of get the big ones ready for school and delivered there come what may - the baby was certainly always in his pjs for the school run and a good proportion of the time, I still had my pajama top on under my coat . There's plenty of time to get dressed later!

[CherryPie3]

Loopy I love that routine - in fact it is copied, pasted
and emailed to mine and dh's email. Loving the ruthlessness. :)

[whyme2]

This is what we did, I had a 5 and 3 year old (one at school and one at morning nursery) and a 20 month old when dc4 was born.

Dh left between 6:30 and 7 so sometimes I would get a morning cuppa.
At around 6:30 I would get up and shower and then change and feed baby. This was hopefully all done by 7:15. Baby would then go in pushchair either to fall back to sleep or be rocked by sibling. Older dc would be awake by now so they would dress while I sorted the toddler.
Get self dressed and everyone down stairs for breakfast.
We had to leave at 8:30 so I had times in my head when things had to be done by, ie all dressed by 7:45, breakfast finished by 8:15 etc.
In the winter it would take at least 10 minutes to get everyone's hats, coats, gloves on etc.
Also train dcs to leave things in the same place everyday - book bags always hung on door, box by front door with all hats and gloves in.

[4madboys]

well firstly get everything ready that you can do the night before, clothes laid out, pack ups done, bags ready etc so you just have to get up, have bfast, get washed do teeth and get dressed and go!

you can even lay out bfast bowls and the boxes of cereal!

we get up, have bfast, get washed, do teeth and THEN get dressed so uniform doesnt get dirty, whilst the elder ones are eating i feed and change the baby, she sometimes goes to school in a babygrow if i dont have time to change her clothes.

and i get up half an hour before kids so i can have a shower, get dressed and have a cup of tea before they are up!

we have to be out by 8:10 so i am up at 6:30ish and kids up at 7am :)

and yes coats and shoes by front door, hats etc in a box in the front hall etc, everything laid out and ready to go basically!

[4madboys]

loopsy i was like that with the boys, but with having dd after four boys, she has been dressed from birth pretty much! only in soft comfortable clothes and not everyday for every school run, but i am loving dressing her up

[Fresh01]

Thank you for the ideas : )

CherryPie3, had to smile at the hunt for hair accessories. DD1 is currently obsessed with having 2 plaits each day so needs to find 4 matching bobbles.....so that is definitely one thing I will start doing. Have also managed to teach her how to tie her own tie this week : )

Agree with you all about the no TV rule, we had that last year till they were ready to go then it was on for 10mins but DS (20 months) discovered Fireman Sam 2 weeks ago so putting that on is keeping him still in the mornings at the moment but is distracting the girls : $

We have to get dressed after breakfast or we would be changing again. Not the oldest but regularly no. 2 and definitely no. 3.

Looks like many of you get up 30mins before the kids to fit in a shower and getting ready. I can see that having to happen or I will still be trying to get a shower when I have to go pick them up again : )

Loopymumsy, like that you are so strict on the times in the morning. The 20mins to eat is sufficient if they aren't on go slow mode.

Might need to start implementing some of these ideas now : ) Good to hear a babygro is suitable attire for DC4 : )

[harrygracejessica]

Ive got a 4 year old, 3 year old twins and 5 month old twins so hectic. I make DS's lunch the night before as hes all day at nursery, the 3 year old twins are only mornings but I make their lunch at the same time and put in lunchboxes in fridge overnight.

I wake up at 6.20ish lol, get dressed and ready. Kids get lights on at 6.50, sat eating brekkie at 7am. 7.30 if pissing around with brekkie it gets binned!!! by 8am all 3 bigguns are dressed, teeth done (toothbrushes in downstairs looto save time lol) inbetween this the younger twins are fed and if time dressed and put in the buggy as they are ready. Out the house for 8.20 but allows 10 min leeway.

Big twins are girls so hair stuff is laid out ready as they have different colours so people dont get them confused lol

[louloubelle]

Mine went (dd 6, ds4, dd 20m when ds2 born)...everything laid out night before, I got up at 7, made porridge (bags packed night before, lunch boxes done just need to be taken out of fridge), milk out etc. Dd1 and ds1 up at 735, they get themselves dressed whilst I dress dd2, all down together, do hair while having milk, sit them down, they start breakfast while I get up ds2, breastfeed him at table whilst eating my own breakfast, then leave him to wiggle while doing teeth shoes etc, then all in buggy and out by 815. Tight but it works, key is to get all shoes, coats, bags etc laid out with military precision, and don't get baby dressed til you return!

[WidgetWB]

contemplating number four and this makes me feel SO much better and more confident that I can do it! Thank you all, made me laugh and feel much braver. x

[Rikalaily]

Our school morning routine -

7am I get up (3 oldest are usually already up) I get dressed, tell the oldest to get dressed and I help sort the 6 & 4yr olds to save time.

All downstairs by 7.20, I get the kids cereal, make a cup of tea and babys bottle, I make the 3 packed lunches while the baby's bottle cools and the kids eat (also used to nip out for a cig in this time before I quit)

7.40, give the baby her bottle (she holds it herself) and I read the newspaper online with my tea while the kids watch tv. (This time was spent bfing dd3 when she was bfed)

8am, change and dress the baby, brush teeth, wash, brush hair (all of us) at 8.35 we get coats, shoes, bags and out of the door, could be done much earlier though if I didn't sit round for half an hour with my cuppa.

Exact same routine every week day, military precision but is able to be flexible with having the chilling time in the middle which can be cut out if needed.

[fatbottomgirl]

Our morning routine (DD8 DS1(7) DS2(5) DS3(9 WKS) )

The older 3 are up with their dad at about 6.30am. He makes sure they are getting breakfast as he leaves (DD is very good at telling her brothers to get sorted ). I will be BF baby while all this is going on. Once they are finished breakfast I am normally finished BF and DS3 is back asleep. The 3 big ones come up and get dressed in uniform that was sorted night before, teeth and hair all done before they go back down.

Once down they double check they have everything need and that we have signed letters and check who is doing what that day. This is normally 7.45am they can then have the TV on while I get dressed and sorted if DS3 wakes he is put on his play-mat while his siblings play and talk to him.

If DS3 needs another feed this leaves me plenty of time, if he stays asleep I have a cuppa and chat to the kids. We leave the house at 8.40am. DS3 has a sleepover pram which we use as his mosses basket so if he stays asleep I don't disturb him (this was a major consideration when buying a pram!)

[imip]

I have a routine much like those above (dd1 4, dd2 3, dd3 18m dc4baking...). My school run now complicated by an 8:45 drop off for dd2 and a 8:55 drop off for dd1. Can only be done by driving through busy east London traffic...grrr. dd3 is currently resisting going into the car seat. dd2 is resisting against everything, full stop. One thing I do though is tell the kids that we need to leave the house by the time the alarm goes. I set the cooker timer to 8:30, and we are generally out of the house by then. They kinda like the alarm idea. No idea how I am going to manage this with dc4, post c-section in winter.... When dd3 was small and we walked (both dds then in same nursery) and I mastered breastfeeding in the sling - 'twas a lifesaver!

[whathappenedtom]

Have you though about getting a doula in for 6 to 8 weeks?