Morning Routine

[Kez437]

I would like some insight into other peoples morning because so far ours is really not working. 2 kids, 2.5 and 9 months old and they both go to parents for childcare 4 days a week while I work from home. The current plan is that they go to parents for 8.45am to give me enough time to come back home and log on to work for 9am. They both usually have breakfast with parents but DD will be starting school in September and obviously I need to give her breakfast before then so I don't think that we have a good approach here.
Problem is that DS (9 month old) normally wakens at 7am on the dot. At the minute I bring him into our room, he either gets into the bed and snuggles up or plays with his blocks beside the bed. DD then inevitably wakes up and she comes into the room, she can be pacified with some Paw Patrol at this stage but DS is now getting yappy. DH then gets up and starts to get ready for work, he has to leave around 8am. Trying to get ready with 2 children under his feet in the room is obviously not ideal and he is getting irritable. I generally stay in the bed so I am also not under his feet and wait until he leaves before I get up and get the kids and myself dressed and round to parents. This doesn't leave a lot of time and I feel rushed and DH leaves in a bad mood which is not a great start to the day.
I had planned to start getting up around 6am so I would have some time for yoga and a hot cup of coffee, ideally I'd like to get dressed and sorted for the day too but equally don't want to waken DH? In theory if I'm good to go by 7am when DS wakens do I dress him in his room and wait for DD to waken and then dress her in her room and take them both downstairs and give them breakfast? Essentially I have 1.5 hours in the morning from when they waken until we have to leave that I need to fill without giving myself mountains of work first thing in the morning.
What do other people's mornings look like?

Surely it makes sense to get up and start getting ready for the day at 7 when the little one ‘wakens’?
I couldn’t be doing with rushing around.
Also what would you be doing that’s so loud that you would wake Dh?

No way could we get out at that time if we didn’t get up until 8am.

Your dh is at home until 8am, use him to help the process

Here our 2 year old wakes 6.30am onwards, so he’s awake basically. Occasionally 7am.

dh and I start getting ready around 6.45am. We tag team who showers, and who gets Ds dressed. Then opposite person showers whilst other takes Ds downstairs and makes nursery packed lunch and starts getting breakfast ready. Ds plays in living room.
Ideally by 7.30am we are all at breakfast. Ds starts nursery at 8.15am.

It would be a lot longer process if only one of us did everything. In your case I would do similar. You and dh up and showered and dressed 6.30-7am. Your dh will have to just wake earlier also. Then 7-8am you tag team getting all four of your ready. Then 8am he goes to work, and you have 20-30 mins leeway to let kids play whilst you finish odd bits before you leave

And why does it matter if dh gets woken at 6am? He has two small children so lucky they sleep that long anyway. It’s a normal time that millions of people are getting up to get themselves and children ready for school and work.

I would think that with those ages it’s never going to be easy. However, I wouldn’t use TV in the morning routine because I find taking it away again reduces cooperation. Audiobooks are more often more useful because you can get things done while they listen.
If the kids are anyway up I would be going to the living room/kitchen with them unless you’re staying in bed for warmth or to feed the baby. I find that eating is actually quite a good occupation for them as it keeps them busy and in one place. I put mine and their clothes on the living room radiator the night before so it’s easy to find a moment to change or get them dressed. I don’t know if you need time for hair or makeup — I don’t do either so it’s pretty quick. With a 2 year old plus baby I would have been out of the house within 30 minutes of getting up.

You just need to get up earlier. Your dh gets the kids ready with you before leaving for work. You both need to get ready for work and it's not any more irritating for him than it is for you to have to do that while also parenting small children.

We have to be at school for 9am (and before that, nursery was the same). Alarm is set for 7:30. Sometimes one of us gets up earlier than that (today dh did because he was leaving for work by 8, sometimes I do if I want to finish a few things before kids are up, as it's a nice quiet time of the day to clear through some work things). But generally, we get up at 7:30, make coffee. Dh takes dog out and then feeds her. Usually 1 dc is up around this time anyway/older one gets woken about 8. I find all the school uniform and organise school bags or anything else they need to take with them.

Then usually by 8:15, they are having breakfast and getting dressed and then we usually leave for school at 8:50. If I wait til get up until 8:00, it is much more stressful, but getting up and getting started at 7/7:30 makes a big difference.

Would grandparents take them earlier? I pick up my two grandsons at 7.15. The boys have breakfast at my house then I drop dgs1 off at nursery. If that's an option, then wake the older child up, dress them and drop off early. That would give you plenty of time to do what you want before work. I hasten to add, I'm happy with the early start as it's only two days a week. I might not be so keen if I was doing it four days a week.

Just get up earlier and your DH should help you get them ready too. I don’t mean to sound horrible but you’re overthinking it somewhat. At home, we both have to be out the house by 7.20 to drop off kids and make it to work on time. I get up at 5.45 and have a shower before the kids get up at 6. DH gets the breakfast while I get ready then when I’m dressed etc I take over and he showers and gets ready. It’s always a mad rush but we get there in the end.

I don't really understand why your husband is getting annoyed? What does he need to do to get ready? Shower and dressed? If he has to iron can that be done the night before? I'd expect him to help you get them dressed, 8am isn't early to leave the house.

If I was you I'd get up at 6:30am and get myself ready before your kids wake up. And I'd drop at grandparents at 8:30am so it's less of a rush to get back.

I usually wake at 6, get up have a coffee and check my diary for the day. I set out the kids clothes for school and wake them at 7.30, breakfast around 8 and out the door for school run at 8.40, home for 9.10 and either start work or have a cup of tea and start catching up on housework.

I think the reality with young kids means early mornings, I couldn’t get up at 8 and hope to be out on time.

I am not a morning person at all. In this house as much as possible is done the night before such as leaving out clothes for the kids and bags packed etc. Why doesn’t your husband help get the kids ready in mornings? We have two under two so my DH does his share.
My eldest is a teenager and is on the spectrum he finds being rushed stressful so I need a relatively calm house because if his day starts off stressful then he finds it tough to turn it around and have a good day.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I knew the answer was in getting up earlier, I feel like I need time to get myself properly awake before get to started with the kids. We sort of hang around the bedroom groggy and grumpy which isn't good for anytime.
Although definitely taking on board DH helping more before going to work, I think it's because I work from home the attitude of it being left to me has crept in because it's a lot more flexible. That's a bit crap though because by the time I've made it to my desk its certainly not bang on time and I haven't had a minute. Going to talk to DH about this too and tell him we both need to be up and dressed before 7am so he can help with the kids too.
Appreciate the help everyone

Well it is a bit crap that it’s all falling to you.

Presumably if your dh leaves at 8am, he isn’t starting work until 8.30-9am either with commute.
Your needing to leave not long after him with all three of you ready to commute to grandparents and get back, and start work at 9am also.

If children are basically ready by 8am, you can leave a fraction earlier to drop by 8.30am and get back home with time to put laundry on and make a tea before 9am

Getting clothes/bags ready the night before really helps us, as well as preparing breakfast to some extent.

If you both get up at 7am, DH could have 15 minutes in the bathroom to get himself completely ready (except breakfast), whilst you get one of the children ready.

Then swap over and you get bathroom time whilst he gets the other child ready.

Then you have half an hour together to prepare and eat a family breakfast and do some chores, before he leaves for work.

There's even then time for you to take the children to the playground or do something else fun together before dropping off at parents' house.

Both adults fully awake by 7, tag team showers and getting ready, tag team the children, you just need a routine. You really can't be creeping around trying not to disturb another adult, if you're not getting enough sleep go to bed earlier.
For many years our day started with one of the dc waking at 5.30, yours sound like bliss in comparison.