How to get dd1 to school on time?

[Biccy]

I just wondered if anyone with experience would share their routines for getting to school? DD starts school next week. We need to leave the house by 08.40 (which isn't that early, I know!), complete with packed lunch.

Our current morning routine (which won't get us there on time!) is:
07.00 (ish) baby wakes and feeds
07.20 (ish) get up, go downstairs, make coffee, change ds's nappy, put away dry dishes & empty dishwasher, make breakfast & drinks for dd, ds and me (she invariably likes porridge, he is baby-led), clean up baby & dress him, clean up kitchen (awful mess due to baby led!), upstairs to get me washed and dressed, get dd dressed, and somewhere amongst this normally put ds down for a nap.

The earliest I have managed to have us all ready to be out is 09.25, so I need to shave off 45 mins.

The only way I can see is for me to get up at 6.15, get myself dressed and do the chores before the children wake up.

But - I'm lazy (and sleep deprived) and I don't want to get up before 7am.

Is there a way?

doesnt dp have to get up for work or anything?

Have a shower the night before
do packed lunches the night before
ditto making up bottles for the baby

Biccy - does your dp not have to get up for work or does he work late in the evening hence not being good at getting up early?

Just seems odd that you are asking for help from random strangers on the internet on how to get your 2 kids up and ready on time when their father isnt to be disturbed from his bed....

Now now ladies, we were asked not to comment on her comatosed sleeping DP so until we have confirmation on why he cannot get up in the morning let us wait til the OP comes back.

I am sitting on my hands, collision. I am sure there is a very good reason.

TBH I have tried other ways of getting out of the house in time but have had to give in and just get up earlier. I get up around 6:20ish get myself showered and everything ready for the children then get the baby up at 6:50ish.

dh doesnt help in the mornings. because he is usually at work before we get up.

Just get on with it like millions of others have to.

same here Misdee

Oh and leave all cleaning until later, washing up can wait!

but when dh is here, he is more of an hindrance than a help and sends dd's to do things in the wrong order. or lets them put the TV on. never a good idea

misdee it is so good to hear you say that, your DH has done fantastically well (sorry thread highjack)
op - as others say, everything possible get ready the night before, get up earlier, leave the chores, dd needs to dress herself, leave baby in jamas. honestly you can do it, duting term-time i'm out with 4 dc's by 7.25 am (disclaimer am not domestic goddess )

If your DH cannot help routinely, I would suggest that you occassionally make him do it, so that

a) he gets a deeper appreciation of what you do, and

b) if ever you or the baby are ill and he just has to step in, he'll have some idea of where to start.

Firstly, thank you ever so much to the majority of posters who have offered me some help.

But my goodness. There was me thinking millions of more experienced mums could offer me some useful tips on how they do it, the fabulous people, as I as yet have never had to....

I said I didn't want opinions on DP and I was sure lots of amazing mums/dads must do this on their own each day, admittedly mostly because the other one, if there is another one, goes to work early; but that they could give me the benefit of their experience.

TBH if DP did get up at a normal time then he should be off to work anyway, not helping me.

If I choose to live with the fact that he is horrid in the mornings and would rather do it myself to avoid the inevitable unhealthy confrontation then I think that's up to me.

I also think having made that decision, that there is no harm asking on here how other people go about it and find comments like 'just get on with it' really unhelpful - Sixtyfootdoll, why did you bother replying when you have nothing useful to say to me? Some of us just aren't as capable as others at this sort of stuff. It's people like you that make me steer clear of this site for months, which is probably what I'll do again now. You don't sound big (nowhere near 60 feet) and you don't sound clever, just smug.

If I were ill, then DP would take over. He is not that bad. But in my normal day-to-day life, unless I run up and down stairs every 5 mins, pleading for help, I am on my own.

And I'll say it again. It's up to me if I don't want to plead wityh him to help, and what that says about our relationship has nothing to with any of you unless I start a thread asking you.

I am fully aware that people manage this much earlier and with lots more children than I'm going to have to. That's why your advice could have been so incredibly useful.

Thanks again to the majority of people who have been very helpful.

Well I gave helpful advice , did you read it?

Yes you did compo, thank you. Yes I have. Defo no showers for me pre school run, promise to knuckle down to the lunch the night before and I will express for baby's breakfast night before too.

oops misdee, meant it was fab your dh was on work, not a hindrance (i must be a very slow typer)

Yes definitely a good plan!
Good luck , don't be put off mumsnet, you can get fab advice here

Hiya Biccy - we're about to start the school run routine here as well. I think that the people saying 'get on with it' forget how its all new at first. I'm sure within a week we'll be old hands as well..
Was wondering if you could give your baby a fairly non-messy snack before school run and then more substantial brekkie when you get back?
I'm also going with everything laid out beforehand both for my girls and me and just getting up slightly earlier