What do your morning routines look like - getting ready for school...

[Timetheworldsaysicantafford]

I'm thinking ahead to next week and school starting again... Hoping for a bit of a fresh start routine wise. Currently our kids get up about 7am ish, and eat breakfast on the sofa and put the TV on straight away... They have 45 mins or so of "waking up" and then go get dressed, teeth brushed etc when we ask /nag them to. I'd love us to sit and have breakfast as a family but that's just a step too far given work and timings. How can I manageably make the mornings a bit better/please tell me what your mornings look like?? Kids ages 7 and 9 🙂

Forgot to add in that I also do the dishwasher/wipe dow thr kitchen/hang out washing etc over the course of the morning. Usually whilst they're eating/getting ready/watching TV. If only it was just making packed lunches.

I go straight to work from drop off and DH WFH so I leave the house and kitchen in a decent state so he's not coming down to chaos and having to pick up after us before starting his day.

DC don't come downstairs before getting dressed, they sort their lunch box and breakfast, they can have their tablets or phones while eating breakfast but they put everything away and brush teeth before leaving.
I get up, grab a coffee and take the youngest to school. They've been responsible for sorting themselves out since Y3, age 8. I only get involved if they miss their alarm clock.

We don't do TV or screens in the morning. My ds is 6. We use the radio or Yoto instead. We wake around 7, he brushes teeth, changes and makes bed while I shower and get ready. He then has breakfast while I make his snacks for school, we usually listen to the radio and chat at this time. I then spend about 20m tidying up while he plays. Then it's time to leave for school. He will come home and get 45m of screen time, but I feel using it before school just sets him up badly for the day.

Previously

Up around 8, get dressed (including socks) can have screens until called for breakfast. Breakfast 8:30, 8:40 hair/ shoes/ teeth. 8:52 was the deadline for getting out for a brisk, short walk to school. One is neurodiverse so the routine flowed from the bedroom to the front door to cut out distractions. It works better for us that breakfast was a motivator to get off screens, and a tight time schedule works best. If I pushed getting ready then allowed screens it would be a pain getting them off to leave the house and they'd be ill-tempered.

Now one's moving up to secondary school
7am first call. 7:15 last call, get dressed (DS1) get both down for breakfast for 7:30. Hair/ teeth/ shoes. DS2 has more flex because he still doesn't need to leave until around 8:50. DS1 needs driving by me or DH. On a me-day, DS2 will have to get himself out because while I should be able drive back with 10min to spare, that gives little flexibility for delays.

Time to wake the big one up!

DC wake up at 6.30 and come in our room, we read to them and school aged DC reads to us.

By about 7/7.15 we send them to get dressed while we get dressed. On childcare days (twice a week) by 7.30 we are downstairs and we all eat breakfast, brush teeth, and are out of the door by 8am. On non childcare days, breakfast is more like7.45 and is less rushed and eldest does 10 mins piano practice before school. We leave the house at 8.35 to drop at school 8.45.

We don't have tv or screens in the morning.

Two kids here, 6 and 8.

6yr old has always been an early riser, he wakes me just before six for a cuddle then heads downstairs to watch TV while he wakes up. I get up with him and make coffee/put laundry in if required/run water to wash breakfast dishes then we chill with cuddles on the sofa til 6:30 then I shower/get dressed for work. I wake the 8yr old at 7 for breakfast if she isn't alriup (90% of the time she is well awake by then).

After breakfast they help clear the table, scrape plates and put dishes into sink before they go to wash faces/brush teeth/get dressed while I sort school bags/water bottles and snacks. They are back downstairs by about 7:30 and I help with hair brushing if required. Husband gets up at 7, logs into emails etc then showers and he takes over with the kids on my office days.

One of us takes them to the bus stop at 8:15.

Our routine only works because the kids are early risers, they have lots of downtime in the morning. Its like a military operation here in the mornings!

DS 13 and DD 7.

5 - my alarm goes off
5.15 - 6 get up, make coffee, empty dishwasher, pack lunch bags and do water bottles, put cereal ready in bowls and leave on dining table.
6 - get dressed and the head out for a swim. DP’s alarm goes of at about 10 past. He gets up, has his shower etc.
6.45 DS’s alarm goes off, he comes downstairs for his breakfast, then cleans teeth and gets dressed.
7 DD gets up, comes down for breakfast, then watches tv.
7.20 I get home, DP goes to work, I jump in shower and get dressed.
7.30 DS leaves to catch his bus.
7.50 Call DD up to clean teeth, get dressed and do her hair.
8.10 I have my breakfast and tidy dining table.
8.25 DD shoes and coat on
8.30 DD and I leave.

DP has breakfast with them and I have tea at 5pm with them so there’s always someone at dining table with them (particularly with the youngest) and at weekends we have each meal together.

DD goes to bed at 7.30, DS and I go about 9, although we’re both watching tv or reading until about 10.

No TV before school. A play outside if there's spare time, or read their books waiting to go.

We have breakfast t shirts that are bigger cheap t shirts that go over the uniform because DC are very messy eaters!

Our routine was pretty chaotic manly due to DD (9) bring a massive faffer. She changes school in September and we have to be out earlier so things will change! Plus she'll be in breakfast in for 8am one day a week.
We always do school lunch/ snack / drink the night before so it's ready, that helps.
DH is very little use as he's out to work at just after 7am just as DD is (in theory) waking up.
No TV or screens until DD is ready to go otherwise we would never leave the house.

Not looking forward to Wednesday when we start the new routine!

DH and I wake up at 6am, shower, dress, get ready for work. Empty dishwasher, make breakfast.

Kids (a few years younger than yours) awake at 6:30am. They dress their bottom half. Sit down for breakfast. Brush teeth, brush hair, go to the toilet. Finish getting dressed.

School bags, shoes, coats, PE kit are all ready from the night before.

Kids play in the playroom once ready.

Leave house at 8am to drop off DC1. Home again by 8:15am. Bring DC2 back into the house. Leave with scooter at 8:30am, walk to school, drop off DC2 at 8:45am. Home by 8:55am. Make a cuppa, log on to work at 9am.

No tv on weekday mornings, it totally screws with the routine.

Same age dc here. Usually they need waking up at 7.30. They eat breakfast downstairs while DH irons their uniform.

They do watch tv but it slows them down so much, so at about 8.10 it gets switched off and they end up rushing around to get dressed, teeth done etc ready to leave at 8.25.

On the 3 days DH takes them I don't get very involved other than doing their water bottles. On my 2 days I do a lot more chivvying. They have school lunches, I'm happy to pay any amount of money to avoid making a pack lunch!

7am wake up, kids get dressed
7:15 breakfast together at the table
7:30 parents get showered and dressed while children play (no TV)
8:15 we all leave the house to walk to school/work

I wake at 5.20am and leave the house at 6.05am.
The kids (secondary school age) get themselves up and ready and out for school.

Get a grip ffs

6am - I get up for coffee in peace
6:45 - kids up and dressed before coming downstairs
7am - breakfast on the table
7:20 - teeth, toilet, wash
7:30 - 8:15 - TV, or bits of homework such as spellings or times tables
8:15 - Shoes and coats on
8:20 - out the door

LOTS of warnings between 8 and 8:15 that it's nearly time to go otherwise they're too engrossed in whatever they're doing to leave on time!

Can I ask how do people who iron uniform the night before and lay out do it? When I do this it without fail just seems to wrinkle up so by the morning it doesn't look like it's been ironed at all?? Therefore I have to iron out 3 sets of uniform every morning 🙄

This time we will ...
Wake at 6:30 dress upstairs (the boys) , cone down brush teeth, watch tv with breakfast. Then adults take in turn shower and dress

Up at 6. I feed cats and prep coffee and breakfast. All bags and food for the day are prepared the night before.

Both children (8 & 6) are autistic. 6 with many support needs and at a special school and 8 at mainstream with significant emotional struggles. We do everything for them to expedite the process and avoid emotional distress. No chores for either of them

Wife showers and gets son ready - showers him, gets him dressed, makes his bed and tidies his room.
I get daughter ready - get her dressed and her hair done, I make her bed and tidy her room.

Wife leaves for work at 7 ish.

I shower. Children are downstairs at this point, eating breakfast of something like croissants or bagels or brioche and juice. Telly on in the background with Bluey or something. Toys not allowed apart from books or numbers & letters or drawing stuff at the table.

Homework / spellings done.
Housework done - vacuum everywhere and washing up done and put away. Laundry in machine.
Teeth done.
House left tidy and clean and calm and ready for our return.
Leave to take daughter to school first then son and then I drive to work to arrive for 10.

Kids 9&10.
I’m often up at 5.
kids up at 6(they wake up naturally early).
6-6.30 get dressed, breakfast
6.30-6.45 get things ready for school
6.45-7.30 homework & music practice.
7.30 leave the house.

I’ve never ironed any part of a school uniform.
there is no TV. A few weeks into reception with DC 1 we stopped TV on school mornings- we’d never get out if the TV was on.

I've been thinking about our routine a lot too as I have a 5 month old baby to factor in now. Usually wake up about 7:30 (or before depending on how baby has been through the night).

By this time ds is usually already up and pottering in his room so I'll go say hello to him and get his breakfast sorted. Then change and feed the baby. After his breakfast ds will get washed and brush teeth and dress himself. He's 11 so can do all of this unaided. Then I give the baby to dh or pop her on her playmat while I get myself dressed and throw on some very basic make up!!

Then we leave the house about 8:30 and walk to school. Once back I'll have my own breakfast and a coffee. Put the baby down for a nap around 10 and that's when I have my shower etc. When she starts weaning she'll probably have a bottle first thing and then breakfast with me when we get home from school.

I honestly use the TV because they're less likely to start getting toys out and creating mess. Mine are 5 and 2 and are usually up at 6.30am but don't need to leave until 8.40am if DH is WFH or off.

645 My alarm. Wake kids and go back to bed
655 son gets in shower (followed by me shouting at him to get out quite a few times)
700 check kids are getting up & dressed

7-745 kids eat breakfast, make lunches (if not made night before) and put shoes on
725-745 I shower & get dressed
750 kids leave house for school on bus
I then have my breakfast

They're teen/preteen and have got their own lunches and breakfasts since age 8.
No TV in mornings.
They can go on phones IF they're completely ready including shoes on.

TBH I don't usually have this problem. I just fold them, leave them on the table for the morning and they look fine. I don't mind a fold mark down the middle as that will drop out once the clothes are on any way. I'd rather that than be lugging the ironing board out every morning.

I get up at 6am, and over the next hour I sort out feeding dogs and horses, doing stables and kennels, drink coffee, listen to the news and get showered.

Wake DC at 7.15am ish. DC is 8 so dresses alone and has done for years. Breakfast, can read but no TV.

7.45am DC will go and do their yard chores.

8.00am teeth, hands, face, check school bags and reading record for DC, I do my make up and check emails ready for work.

8.25 school run for an 8.40am arrival at school, then back to my desk at 9am or off to client meetings.