NOW CLOSED: UK MNers with a child aged 5-15: take a short survey for Warburtons - & share your best morning tips/breakfast recipes - £300 of Love2Shop vouchers to be won

[AnnMumsnet]

We've been asked by Warburtons to find Mumsnetters to:

~ Complete their survey all about the morning breakfast routine in your house - this is open to all UK MNers with at least one child (of approx school age) aged 5-15 years - complete it and add your details at the end and you could win a £150 Love2Shop voucher - here's the link

and also for all parents (whatever age child you have) to please

~ Share your top tips for making mornings run smoothly, your top breakfast recipe tips or top advice on how to get your children eating breakfast - everyone who adds a tip etc will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win another £150 Love2Shop voucher.

This is all in advance of a new book which Warburtons are producing, so please note your anonymous tips/ advice may well appear in the book - as well as stats from the survey. The book will be distributed free of charge next year and there will be an opportunity to get a copy via MN.

Here's the survey link again (at the end you will be redirected to this thread so you can add a comment then)

thanks
MNHQ

Good organisation the night before is always key to smooth mornings. Lunch boxes and clothes ready and bags by the door ready to go so minimal fuss in the morning.

Do as much prep as you can the night before and for schools days - feed them what they will eat. Porridge etc might be very filling and worthy but it's much better if they go to school with a tummy full of something, even if it's toast and coco pops rather than spending half an hour fighting over getting something, anything eaten.

I'm not really qualified to talk about organised mornings!

We tend to sit DD down with some cereal/fruit while we whizz around getting dressed and sorted for the day.

We aren't too bothered about what she eats in the morning so long as it has SOME nutritional value and keeps her happy.

Make packed lunches the night before. Dh makes them because he's making one for himself as well and used to insist that it was fine doing them in the morning, usually resulting in him dashing out the door just in time to catch his train and leaving me with all the clearing up. He's finally conceded I'm right about this! Also check you have enough milk for the morning before the corner shop closes.

The kids have cereal every morning. Breakfast is the one meal they eat without much fuss.

Top tip is to be organised the night before. Make lunch boxes after tea the night before, have uniforms ready to go, shoes polished (once in a blue moon), bag and PE kit packed, homework done. Shoes,coats,hats etc in their place ready to grab.Then there is much less to do in the morning. Just offer cereal and/or toast on weekdays, no need for mass menu planning. Fruit and yoghurts on offer too. Save cooked breakfasts for a weekend treat. I'm a bit boring but its stress free! Now the children are older, I often make the evening meal,while they're milling around, just to keep on top of things.

I always prepare and chill packed lunches the night before so that I don't have to do that at the same time as getting the boys fed and ready. DH often wakes up early with DS2, so he sorts out DS2's breakfast so I can concentrate on myself and DS1 when we get up at a more sociable hour.

yes to being organised the night before with clothes out at least. dd is 15 months. i find it quicker to dress the top of her after her breakfast when she is still in her highchair, as it saves lots of tantrums and me trying to do it while running after her.

for breakfast she has muesli, mixed with flaxseed, vitamin drops, hot milk and yoghurt. i then give her some dry cereal or toast to munch while i put my make up on, this saves time as she is easier to watch while she is eating instead of while she is running about trashing the house while im trying to get ready.

My biggest tip for a smooth-running ;(and quick) breakfast is to turn the TV off! DS always takes longer if he's sat in front of the telly.

Well I'd like to say we have organised breakfast times but sometimes they don't entirely turn out like that, mainly down to prima-donna issues over cold clothes, seams in tights etc...(and that's DD!). I would say that with a family you can never ever be assured that morning times do go according to plan!

Always do as much organising at possible the night before: a) do lunch-boxes and put in fridge b) ensure clean uniforms/work clothes are out and on radiators (for DD) so ready to put on in the mornings... c) ensure school bags are packed and all signed school admin is done and put back in school bags! d) chivvy children to do home-work in the evening e) make sure children go to bed at term-time bedtimes otherwise any thought of organised next mornings will go out of the window! f) check diary to see if there's any special things going on at school/out of school appts that require money/mufti/donations or alternative time-tabling arrangements.

But perhaps most importantly ensure that he or she who is at the helm of sorting out the mayhem of breakfast-times has totally organised themselves the night before, hasn't drunk too much alcohol (!), has had shower/bath so just ready to roll, gets a good night's sleep and wakes up a good 15 minutes before everyone else to set the ball rolling!

I find it's vital to ensure that there is a rolling programme of getting up so that not everyone is trying to get into the bathroom at the same time (for those of us unlucky enough to only have one!). This also works well when everyone has different leaving times as happens in our house.

It's worthwhile checking that there is variety for breakfast in the way of cereals/toasting products etc....and fruit of course. Find that if everyone has a good mix of filling carbs, fluids (milk or water) and fruit they have the energy and vitality to concentrate properly and don't get too hungry by lunchtime. I find that as long as there are options, the whole family can happily be accommodated with combinations of breakfast food that they will eat.

The other thing that's really important is to ensure that you build into the morning routine extra time (particularly important with primary school age children). We have quite a long walk to school (half an hour) and I'm very proud to say that in all the ten years of doing the school run, the children have never once been late. This is only possible because I ensure that there's extra time built into the schedule to cope with a tantrum/blip/emergency loo visit just as we are about to leave the house. Believe me it happens often in this household with DD so I've had to adapt to factor in this behaviour!

It's a difficult one though because I am quite perky and wide awake and therfore disciplined at getting out of bed in the mornings and ensuring that I don't have to rush (that freaks me out!). But if you're not naturally like that and love your duvet it must make it all a lot more difficult.

Packed lunches done the night before, and clothes laid out
I get up 20 mins before DC so I can have a shower and feel human before dealing with the kids
Split tasks for maximum efficiency - eg DH makes the DC's toast (and my cup of tea!) while I'm getting dressed and dragging the DC out of bed
No TV before school
DC eat breakfast in their PJs to prevent unnecessary uniform changes!

I do a meal planner for mornings, usually on a saturday night we decide breakfasts for the week, if I don't do one then everyone tends to want different things in the mornings which is a pain.

I also have set times for tasks so they get 15 minutes for breakfast, 5 minutes to get their clothes on etc, that way they are all doing the same things at the same time which makes life much easier.

No tv before school.
No sugary cereals.
Eat at the kitchen table with manners.
Tidy up after yourself.

Getting the children up - a task that flows smoothly on the weekend, but is impossible on a school day - dressed, with teeth and hair brushed and ready for breakfast is always an interesting way to start the day.

I get away without having to do the packed lunch preparation by signing both children up for school / nursery dinners. Clothes are picked up off the floor from the night before, given a cursory glance to make sure they're not too grubby and the child stuffed into them with words of encouragement like; "get a move on" and "you can play with your lego once you're dressed." or "Put the Lego down NOW".

DS likes porridge made in a specific way for breakfast. DD likes toast. DS can't bare the smell of toast so sits at the table with one hand gripping his nostrils while trying to eat the porridge. Occasionally, DD will have cereal instead. Phew.

As DH drops the children off at school, I either have toast for breakfast once they've left, or wait until I get into work and get a coffee and pastry from the local cafe.

Surprisingly, this rather lax way of doing things works remarkably well.

We are completely slack about breakfast in my house, mainly because my children eat it with no problem at all. The children have porridge with brown sugar, occaisionally followed by toast. I have eggs on toast as I have to have some protein in the morning or I am ravenous all day. DS sometimes has something different, like melon as he can eat his own body weight in fruit per day. Occaisionally he will have Weetabix or Sugar Puffs, but doesn't prefer this to anything else really.

Totally slack about TV too. It doesn't cause us any problems. Sometimes they want it; sometimes they don't. They know that when I say it's time to get ready, they have to do it. There's never much argy bargy.

All very unimpressive!

Sandwiches made in five batches on the weekend and frozen;
Breakfast laid the night before;
Clothes laid out the night before;
Bags packed the night before (if I seem smug, rest assured that mine is always ready; DS's sometimes ;
Division of labour (DH does beds, I do washing up, each of us to the task we're most efficient at)

Packed lunches made the night before
Clothes out the night before
Bags ready the night before
Allow enough time and stick to the same routine, then everyone knows what happens when
TV is allowed after the children are ready for school if there's time
Breakfast is always at the same time on weekdays and is eaten at the kitchen table.

Works like clockwork on weekdays but tends to go a bit pear shaped at weekends as the normal routine goes out the window. It doesn't usually matter though.

We prepare as much as possible the night before; make lunches, pack bags, lay out clothes. I try to make sure nothing needs to be done in the morning so it runs as smoothly as possible. Since baby DS was born our morning routine now includes one of us feeding him while the other is in the shower.

Cereal for breakfast most days. Sometimes I will make Irish soda bread which DH loves with butter.

No big secret to how our mornings go. It's a well oiled machine. As DH makes the lunches the DDs eat their breaky. Whilst he's eating his I finish lunches.

Variety seems to help with getting the DDs to eat breakfast, fruit bread cereals, fruit and yogurt, porridge and crumpets all feature in our breakfasts.

I think no telly before school helps too

Make a list the night before- things to remember, what needs doing etc.
Get up when the alarm goes off! Not always easy but makes things run more smoothly.
Aim to be ready 15 minutes before you really need to leave, that way there's always a bit of a 'buffer'.

I also agree that preparing everything the night before makes mornings run smoothly.

Clothes laid out
shoes and coats left by front door
Bowls, plates, spoons laid on table
Book bags ready and by front door

I don't nag about eating breakfast anymore, I find saying breakfast is over by 8.15am then at 8.15 tidying away whether they have finished or not means they soon learn to eat in the given time.

Tv/computer/playtime isn't allowed until everyone is dressed, brushed teeth and hair and had breakfast.

I provide a small selection for breakfast so they don't waste ages choosing between lots of different things.

Similar to others - prepare lunches the night before, put bags and instruments and sports kit in car the night before, make sure the cars are correct on the drive- so no car shuffling in the morning!

Ds gets own breakfast if cereal. Has done since he was about 8. School bag packed night before so no last minute rush. DH makes tea and lets dog out.

If Ds sleeps through alarm dog let into his room . Magic waking technique, groans accompanied by love licks.

If stressful day ahead for Ds, DH makes bacon sandwiches, with best bacon and best bread.everyone de stresses.

i love mornings. not sure what all the fuss is about but then it's just me and ds and we are both early risers. i don't eat breakfast just drink lots of coffee and ds has cereal which he grazes at whilst watching telly.

my top tip is get up early and assign time for drinking coffee, being on lap top, generally coming gently into the day.

i wake up at about 6 and leave the house at 8.30 to walk ds to school then travel to work - that is tons of time to have a really chilled steady easing into the day. couldn't stand to rush around in the morning.

other tip is don't be on top of each other - give each other space to wake up.

mornings are kind of luxurious here. i'm guessing that's mostly because we get up early and slow boil the preparations for the day.