Tell me about your morning logistics

[TotesAmazeGoats]

So LO is 10 months old, and hoping to be in nursery by end of may as we are finally on the go with opening up our business.

The nursery is lovely and she loved her visit, so looking forward to her going, I just CANNOT get my head around how on earth I'm going to get me ready, her ready, breakfast sorted etc and be out the door for about half 7. At the moment we report to no one and it's heaven!

OH is normally out the house for 5.30

I'm literally waking up in cold sweats think about it. So any proven routines or tips would be greatly appreciated. Or do you all just wing it!!?

Could you pack DD's bag for nursery the night before?

Can she have just a milk feed first thing and then breakfast when she gets to nursery?

Can you lay out the morning's clothes the night before?

Just a few suggestions? Don't know if they'll work for you?

Hmmm, didn't think about breakfast, and that's the biggest time killer to be honest. I'll have a chat with the nursery.

I think it's just a case of getting a bit more organised, but the idea of getting ready with a clock ticking over my head (not just to get her there in time, but open up the shop) sends me into a blind panic!!

I feel your pain. It will be the same for me in a couple of months! Am determined to enjoy this time at the moment where we can just please ourselves!

I would expect her to have breakfast at nursery. At DS2's nursery breakfast is available until 8.30. He doesn't actually go til after I've done school run, but certainly I wouldn't want to be faffing around with breakfast at home if he was going to be there in time to have nursery breakfast.

Do EVERYTHING you can the night before, even stuff like putting your keys, bag and shoes ready. Get all clothes laid out for both of you, and her bag packed. You'll soon get used to it. I have to get a 5,3 and 2 year old and myself all up, ready and out of the door by 8.30. If we loose something like a shoe or a hairbrush, its all over and we get late and shouty, so plan it all to the last detail.

Military precision the night before! Shower the night before. Ensure dd's nursery bag is packed. If she drinks cows milk, put it in the bottle in the fridge the night before. Lay out her clothes and your clothes. Just focus on the car and getting away!!

You may need to also think of other things- putting your makeup bag in the car and doing it in the office carpark was my favourite! Buy a thermos so you can drink your cuppa on the way to work. Always have a banana handy for an on the run brekkie!

Add extra time for everything into your calculations, so that if one thing goes wrong it doesn't throw everything else out.

I would get your OH to wake you up when he leaves. Hopefully baby won't be up then, so go and make yourself a cup of tea/coffee or grab a shower before she wakes up. Or alternately you could get up at 5.15 and do the shower while DH is still there in case she does wake up.

If you're not a morning person what works for me is thinking "If I get up by X time I have time for a cup of tea" and if I get up later, I don't have one because I won't have time for it to cool down before the mad rush before leaving part. It gives me the motivation to get up and not keep snoozing until it's too late.

I would definitely check if the nursery does breakfast. That will be a big thing which will save you a lot of time if you can get out of it.

Get everything ready that you can the night before. My two are a bit older and at school and playgroup now, and I've got it down to a fine art. Uniform/clothes etc laid out, bags packed, lunches made and put in fridge, breakfast table laid etc. It's routine now, I do it before I go to bed, them in the morning it's easy tbh, up, breakfast, faces and teeth, clothes on, then the kids play/watch tv for 10 minutes while I put my slap on and do my hair, and then we are out of the door. Kids to school, me to work. Honestly, I worried about it before I had to do it, but it is ok if you get into a routine. Kids know what they're doing too, which I think helps. Good luck!

We get a 3 and 1 year old out of the door by 7.20. It goes:
6am alarm. One of us showers, the other has brek with whichever of the kids is up and dresses them.
6.30 ish we swap over and parent no2 showers while parent no1 breakfasts with whoever hasn't yet had theirs and dresses them (kids usually wake up when we do, but we wake them by 6.30 if not).
7.00 teeth and face wash with DH while I round up shoes, coats and any book bags etc that might be needed for DS's nursery (if packed lunch is needed, I do it the night before)
7.10-7.15 shoes and coats on and kids into the car. DH and I then get our coats and shoes on while they are out of the way and gather up any bags, work stuff etc
7.20 Leave the driveway, sometimes kids have an extra rusk, smoothie or banana or bit of toast in the car.
It's a bit military but it works. You have to make sure your stuff is ready, no last minute ironing shirts or whatever. If we are running late I bring the toothbrushes down to the kitchen so they don't have to be herded back up and down the stairs. It can be done

Routine is the answer - so you know exactly what stage you need to be at by when (I find it helps to have the radio on so I keep track of the time).

Bearing in mind that your OH isn't home in the mornings, my routine when my DH isn't about is:

• up and shower before DS wakes up (in my case I get up about 6.20)
• wake him up and have breakfast together (when DS still needed feeding, it was one spoon for him, one for me...)
• back upstairs, I get dressed while DS plays
• get DS dressed
• teeth brushed, shoes on, out door

This takes about 1hr 30 in total, but can be shorter if we need to. It's having breakfast that takes the time - we started with DS having it at home because he couldn't wait until 8, but now it's just nice to have a meal together once a day. He could (and often does) have breakfast at nursery as well, which would cut the time down hugely.

We are similar to Fairy- one of us showering while the other does breakfast. DS gets a proper breakfast at nursery so on nursery days we just give him a bit to keep him amused while we eat. Nursery sort all his food, bottles etc and I sort spare clothes the night before. It is daunting when you first do it but it's not as bad as you think!

Honestly hats off to you guys with more than one, I don't know how you do it.

It's nice to know it can be done though, so thanks for sharing. Sometimes it's just good to get an idea of how other people manage it. Breakfast is the biggy though, if I can eliminate that, and get a good solid routine on the go maybe we stand a chance!! Time to start some practise runs maybe!!

DS is 2:

6.45 - 7.30 - showers, clothes, DS milk in our bed
7.30 - 8.00 - faffing about downstairs, breakfast, hair, teeth brushing
8.00 -8.15 - leave for nursery and work - DS has breakfast at nursery

Agree with pack and get clothes out the night before.

I think at that age we had a baby walker thing in our bedroom and would put DS in that while we got ready. Now once he's dressed he plays in his bedroom or ours.

It takes practice as well - I was all over the place for a few weeks but you do find routines/short cuts as you all get used to the new way.

Its a while since i had to do this, but this is what helped me....

I used to get a week's worth of daily clothes bundles (inc socks, vests and a nappy) sorted for DS on a Sunday night and then put them in one of those hanging storage things in his cupboard, one section for each day. I could then just grab the entire bundle in the morning and know that everything I needed was there.

Also, I used to get up and shower, get dressed and do my hair before I got DS up, but he was always happy to lie/sit in his cot if awake. I appreciate this would be more difficult with a more 'vocal' child!

Finally, I learned never put on my top/blouse/whatever until I was just about to leave the house. I used to sling an old tshirt on, even over the top of my dress if I was wearing one, to deal with accidental spillages/drool/sick etc.

Best of luck, you will find what works for you over time and it will become easier!

6.45 get up, get washed, dressed etc
7.00 open the door to my niece age 4 ( I child mind for my sister)
7.05 do my own make up / hair
7.15 wake my two girls up 7 and 5
7.20 wash my two girls

1. 25 assist with getting dressed, applying eczema cream

7.45 start on the pony tails/plaits etc 8.00 breakfast for me and three kids 8.30 tidy up , shoes on, coats, bags etc 8.40 walk to school 9.00 drop niece off at pre school 9.15 leave for work two mornings a week or leave for the gym 12.00 pick up niece 12.15 lunch 1.00 entertain my niece with some craft 1.15start to work from home, admin/marking/planning Entertain niece with craft/DVD/music/ipad whilst I work 3.15 pick up own kids from school 4.00 start on the homework 4.30 prepare tea 5.15 eat tea 6.00 say good bye to niece 6.30 start to wind down with the kids, get them in the shower 7.30 begin the school reading books process for two kids 8/8.30 put my kids to bed 9.00 -10 tidy up, prepare for next day 10.00 have a shower 10.30 get into bed and watch tv 11.30/12 sleep

It gets easier as they get older but there is more stuff to do with them such as homework, spellings reading etc as well as deal with the mountain of letters sent home by schools.

But the more you do the night before, the easier the next day is....I still only work part time and also work from home, I think sometimes it would be easier to work full time and let the after school /breakfast clubs pick up on the homework side of things!

My ds is 3 months but if were going out early next day i pack baby bag night before i get up an hour earlier to get dressed n sort myself out n make days feeds then DS wakes up feed him get him ready and out by 7.30 x

We went through a phase of giving dd breakfast in the car when we had to be out of the house early. Can't do that any mire as she eats her own body weight for breakfast these days!

I remember feeling the same when I started having to get DD (2.5) to preschool for 8.45am with newborn DS in tow. She starts school in September and she really MUSTN'T be late then. DS will just be reaching the painful negotiating age where you can lose huge chunks of time because they won't do what you ask or they get totally involved in something else or have a tantrum so that you cannot put their socks on as they are thrashing around so much. Slightly dreading it but hey ho!

Just to look on the positive side ... your DD is still far too young to want an argument about which clothes to put on or to refuse to get dressed because she is in the middle of playing dolls house. This is a great boon as it means you can be in control completely (the only googly she can possibly throw is a last minute dirty nappy just as you are about to leave!) When she is older there will be more, er, variables in the morning routine, most of which you can't aspire to have any control over.

Get bag and lunch ready the night before.

Get up and shower and make yourself tea before she wakes up. Once the kids are up, all bets are off!

Get her all dressed and ready to go before breakfast, then breakfast can last for as long as you have got. If all is well, she can have her 30 mins to spoon it all in herself and chew her toast. If you are late, you can take over and spoon it in pronto!

Imagine how long you think it all might take and add 30 mins to that, as you become more expert you won't need to do this.

Oh yes, never put your proper top on until you are just about to leave! Then your DD can't vomit on it or grab it with jammy hands!

My routine for 11.5 month DD-to get to work for 8. 15 was:

Me up 0630 having washed hair the night before. Quick shower and make up, do hair.
0650 wake up DD and breastfeed
0705 downstairs for breakfast. Cereal for both of us.
0720 upstairs, dance around the radio in our underwear, dress myself and DD and clean teeth and her face.
0740 aim to leave the house but end up doing short notice nappy change or clothes change when I'd found DD in the dog bowl.
Pick up pre packed change bag and get out the house by 0750.
Travel 20 mins to childminder. Quick handover and in work for 0815. (Cm very near work!)

The T shirt over clothes is a FAB idea. I would never have thought of that. DD is a food "sharer" too, so that may prove vital! Some interesting points/routines thank you!

This won't work for you as your DH has to leave earlier, but I'm throwing it out there for other people who might have diff schedules. I get up at 6pm, get ready, at some point before 6.45 DS wakes for a bf, I bf him, lay out an outfit and then leave the house at 7 to get in the office at 8. DH does the bit between 7-8 and gets DS in nursery for 8. I think the key is not to sweat small stuff and find a nursery which provides everything. I don't ever pack a nursery bag as it just has the same stuff in it so it never changes. It has a spare change of clothes (ok so if any of these get used I have to replace but it's a 1min task) , teddy and communication book in it.

DH does things differently at times - I've picked DS up in the afternoon and he's been wearing a pair of my socks as DH couldn't find any, but hey it was no problem, they stayed on under trousers! I buy a bug pack of nappies and wipes and nursery keep then there and just let me know when they need replacing. It's really not hard at all.

I read on here that something that takes ten minutes to do in the evening takes half an hour in the morning, and it is so true. Some brilliant ideas on this thread.

I prep everything the night before, down to putting out breakfast stuff and putting water in the kettle, coffee in the pot, etc.

Clothes out the night before for everyone, any admin for nursery/work done etc.

Knowing what time I have to be doing certain things e.g. I need to be in the shower for 7:30 at the latest or there'll be hell to pay.

No deviation from the routine and everyone knowing what they need to do (within reason, mine are 4 & nearly 1).