How do you manage termtime mornings & schoolrun with a newborn BF baby in tow?

[Buckets]

That's it basically. DS2 is nearly 4wks, DD starts Y1 next week then DS starts pre-school the week after (8.40 start!)
Any tips and hints most welcome indeed.

[ghosty]

DS was at kindergarten when DD was born (in NZ that was 5 mornings a week).
I used to get showered and dressed before DH went to work ... no matter how early that was (sometimes I would get up at 6am if he had to leave very early) so that he could hold the baby and deal with DS (give him breakfast, get him dressed etc) while I was getting ready. This was purely to avoid my turning up at Kindy in my dressing gown and slippers.
Once I was dressed I could handle the rest ... I didn't stress if we were a bit late.

[Buckets]

LOL just ordered a Moby wrap!

[foxytocin]

Get a sling, preferably a stretchy wrap sling. Learn to breastfeed in it. This leaflet shows you how to tie on a tiny baby and then adjust it later if he needs a feed.

[Piffle]

I bf on demand too and co slept in bedside cot.
But he alwYs howled on school run
Dd is visually impaired and needed lifting so sling for school run was out
Had carseat straight onto pram but he hated the whole shebang
It was forgotten until one day when he was toddling recently (now 17mths) and one mum said
Oh he finally stopped crying then
Cos' he was my 3rd I did not --care- notice really!

[cupsoftea]

It was no problem for me - I bf & co-slept so little one not hungry. Just got up, got kids sorted & off we went.

[SoupDragon]

I panicked about this before having DD. As it turned out, it just happened and you get on with it. She was always in a sleepsuit and she was rarely fed before we got home. A sling like a coorie is a godsend because when the baby is all tucked up inside, they snooze and aren't so fussed about being fed Right Now.

[ByTheSea]

I don't know how I managed but it just wasn't a problem. (I had two DSs at primary and one DD at nursery 3 days a week when DD2 was born). DD2 has always been a really easy laid-back child and just went with the flow. I put DD1 on a buggy board attached to the pram.

When DD1 was born and I had DSs at nursery a few days a week, I would push the DSs in a pushchair and DD1 was happy to be in the sling and never fussed.

[notsoteenagemum]

The feeding will come don't worry. You can feed in sling, I had a wilkinet and managed quite well you could try the babe in the sling round the house instead of trying to settle him back down most babes like it. And you need to differentiate between the things you want to do and the things which need doing.
Took me a while to learn this but it was a break through when I did stopped me feeling bogged down. When do yours start back?

[Buckets]

OK thanks, think I'll be fine as I don't bathe or dress DS2 in the mornings, don't iron clothes or do more than brush my hair!

DS1 (preschooler) is a terrible walker (sits down after 5mins), will be taking the pushchair for him and slinging the baby until we can try the buggy board.

It's feeding the baby that worries me, I can only do rugby hold with umpteen cushions and lying down feeding so far so there's no multitasking possible there yet. Think I'm going to have to wake him at 6am to feed and settle him back to sleep so I can get everything else sorted out as he just cries if left more than 5mins. What if he doesn't want a feed when I want to feed him? Can you tell I'm still lacking in confidence re BFing? The other 2 were formula fed.

[notsoteenagemum]

Get some good running shoes!
Leave baby in jim jams or dress at early feed. DS fed every three hours starting 6 am so I got up fed him put boosters in his nappy then and put him in pram ready to go did all the school shizzle eg lunches, got DD ready and finally self. Dropped off at school ran back got back into bed wth DS for feed had an hours sleep. Also invested in really long coat and went to school in PJ's a few times in v.early days. (DS born on Monday DD's first day at school Wed, DH no pat leave.) You soon get into it.

[WilfSell]

I know someone who swears she used to put her kids to bed in their school clothes (well, she said, they don't sweat at that age do they? ) and then wrap a towel round them for breakfast and teethcleaning.

That has seemed a very attractive option some mornings...

[keevamum]

Agree with anorak I also used to shout a lot. Not good but I have never managed a nice calm morning when trying to get to school unless I am up about 6.30 am. But I used to take DD2 in her sleepsuits and make sure I had fed her before we left so she wouldn't scream the place down. It does work like others have said because it has to.

[lucysmum]

Get as much as possible ready the night before. Don't worry about getting baby dressed. Give little top up feed while older ones are eating breakfast, doing teeth, whatever, just before you leave. Or even better, build in 10 mins CBeebies. , Be prepared for last minute nappy explosion - have spare clothes, nappies etc to hand. IME school are very understanding of lateness if there is a new baby around.

[weblette]

Our mornings are very very regimented, they have to be with 4dcs...

Up at 6.45 - bfeed ds3, dressing/washing/breakfast finished by 7.30, 7.45 drive dd to school (too far to walk alas ) back home by 8.30 on a good day, walk ds1 and ds2 to school/nursery, ds3 down for nap at 9.10. Feet up and coffee 9.15

It doesn't always work, especially if the traffic's bad, and I'm very flexible about when ds3 is dressed. The school is also very understanding - I'm sure the playgroup in particular will be for you. Good luck!

[pushchair]

Often used to wear tracky type things in bed, get up and walk to school in them and only change into fabulous outfit [hah] on return to house. Yes I am a slob. Its a great time to indulge that inner slob.

[anorak]

I used to get up very early and shout a lot.

[FlightAttendent]

A double buggy may help in that case Wilf. Bung in the two smaller ones and go for it!

[lovecamping]

our routine is

7.00am wake everyone up
get breakfast with baby in sling and BF baby whilst others are eating,
7.30 am upstairs to get dressed/teeth/wash face, baby follows and gets put down in chair/floor/bed/cushions while i help dd2 (3yrs) to get dressed.
7.45am two girls watch TV whilst i get dressed/teeth, get own bag ready etc baby with me
8.00am BF baby again and then put into buggy, baby usually falling asleep by then
8.20am TV off and shout at everyone to get shoes/school bags etc. change nappies if necessary
8.30am leave house for 20min walk to school

Rules - no TV until breakfast, dressed, washed face and breakfast gets cleared after school run. sometimes its still there after school pick up

it does work!! the kids have never been late for school unless when DH takes them ...

[WilfSell]

I do have to say though, 3 is quite hard, especially at that age if you're walking.

I would try to arrange as many 'someone else taking the preschooler or new schooler' options for first few weeks... DH? Granparent? Trusted friend also going to school/preschool?

The real problems arise when your 3? year old decides to sit down on the way, the 5 year old gets freaked about being late and the baby starts kicking off. Have been there and my schoolie is now 9! But last september we were in exactly this position.

We did do a lot more driving than normal but we could only get everywhere on time like that.

But please do share with others - it really helps...

[FlightAttendent]

Remember if you are in a car you can always feed baby on the passenger seat or front seat if you slide it back.

I would sometimes get back to car and have to feed him before going home - so just get in, shut door, feed and then get out again to put him in his seat.

If walking you'd have to find a spot to sit down, maybe at school or something.

[Tommy]

baby still in babygro and sometimes sleeping bag.

I found a dummy really helpful TBH

[Piffle]

get up early
Be prepared get stuff ready night before
Be late sometimes
Mostly babies cry...
Sometimes pop a boob out in the car after drop off
Tis v stressful initially but does get better but then nap times clash with pick up times etc
Sorry!

[pushchair]

DP breakfasted DD1 and DD2 while I Bfed DD3. Luckily DD1 dressed herself. I staggered downstairs to a scene of carnage and dummped baby in moses b. or pram while dressed DD2.
DP also did packed lunch for a few days. Raving hysteria whilst hair brushing. You must be dressed before you come downstairs because you will never get up them again. Baby screams. Pop her on for a mini feed while shout at other two to find shoes/coats/lunchbox/stop that! Eventually everyone ready to go. Its 8.45. Pick baby up to put in pushchair and find shes had a poo. Cry!
No really agree with the above you do it because it has to be done. You will be sectioned fine

[FlightAttendent]

I found it fine, mine was about 3mo at the time ds started reception.

We weren;t allowed into the school so I didn't have to worry too much about the baby crying or anything...walking to school was easy, just plonk baby in buggy and ds would walk.
By car we used the lift-in-and-out car seat, the sort that fits onto a travel system etc only I mainly just used it to hoik about on my arm!

It saved waking up baby when I parked and took ds into school - return to car, plonk seat back onto base, drive home

So not hard!
Baby usually slept in the car anyway. I'd feed him when we got home, if he woke up. otherwise left him in the car seat, but not all day or anything - just till he woke!!

It helped if baby was already in car seat before we left. That way I could put it in the car first and drag/encourage ds with both hands

[WilfSell]

Are they all reasonable walking distance of each other?

You march all the kids to preschool then march the school child to school, basically...

Get organised and set up a walking bus for when she's a bit older. That way you cut down the number of school runs you do.

Share with other parents.

And yes, chuck a warm all in one over the babygro and full nappy, feed baby once when it wakes up and if necessary quick top up just before you leave and if necessary again, once you get the final child to school!

Or just run like mad if baby starts screaming (I have done this a lot )