School Run Suggestions?!

[FraggleRock77]

DS 4 and new unexpected DS 10 weeks! I undertook the school run today for the first time, which took me 2 1/2 hours in total across the two runs and our baby spent this time in the car. It takes this long due to traffic and it's 25 mins away from our home. We love the school and for many reasons don't want to move and don't want to buy closer as the local areas aren't great. Just not sure i can commit our baby to this for four years. My husband and i split some days and my mum helps but a lot of the runs will solely fall to me. Stick with it? Any suggestions? Advertise for a helper? Did it work for anyone else?x

By the time ds is 8 the baby will be about to start School though!

Surely lots of rural children do a run Ikea this? I know I did a at primary school. It takes me 50 mins round trip to take DS to school including driving there, parking up and walking to the school. It’s only 4 miles away but on a busy road. I do that twice a day and DC2 was only a baby when my eldest started there. It was fine. You just get used to it.

Like not Ikea!

It’s not ideal. But what worries me is that you think this school is ideal for your DS, but at 4 you don’t really know. A lot can change between 3 (when you choose this school) and 11.
The one other factor is play dates, what if his friends leave be 25 minutes in the other direction?

On the other hand lots of children have journeys like this, and you say in a few years there is the school bus. Lots of parents also do lift shares, which is worth a thought.

Doesn't seem that much to me. We did something similar for years and I know many who did the same if not much more. As somebody said it will get difficult with parties and social events as they get older not to mention maybe sports fixtures but only two choices in the end - move house or move school.

Why did it take you so long OP? Traffic?
Sounds horrendous.

Is there any public transport? Then you could read books etc on the bus

I think you are seeing this as horrendous as your DC2 is only 10 weeks and so so little. In 6 months time it won’t feel so bad and hopefully you’ll be less tired etc.

12 miles away for a school is a long way though - I’m assuming it’s 6 miles each way?

I’d work on the basis that the baby will sleep in the car. You will have to make sure that the baby gets a nursery space in the same direction though!

It will get easier as baby gets bigger. This is not such an unusual distance or amount of time to spend on school run errands. My friend lived a 30 minute walk from school (so she walked 2.5 hours a day to get her large amount of kids to and from school, including bringing many babies along for many years). You do what you have to.

We walk 20 mins to school. And we walked slowly today so we left the house at 7:45 at school at 8:10. Then chatted with another couple of mums. Started walking back at 8:30. Went to the shops and home by 9. DS2 did a nice hour long morning nap.

Did a similar walk in the afternoon and he continued his afternoon nap in the buggy. So yes he spent 2 hours in the buggy but we also did a music class in between and he had loads of play time. I do the school run on Fridays and the rest of the week we have a nanny. And it is similar.

We have a 4 year gap too. Hardest ages for the school run were newborn (where you are now) and around 9mo, when we hit 2 day-sleeps, both falling around drop off and pick up. Argh!

We walk to school and home, a bit over a mile each way, so 25mins each way plus the hanging around part. Once younger DC was older, we were able to stay out in the morning - playgroups, visit the park, music class, library etc. From around 5mo that was possible for us. Although that feels like forever away now, it is going to rock around soon.