babies and the school run: eeek! (to impose a routine or not )

[SenoraPostrophe]

I don't think i need to expand on the title really. have to get 3 kids in car by 8.50am on Monday, including 2.5 week old ds2. it will be hell, but i'm wondering whether imposing a routine will help (and I'm using "routine" here in a generic sense, with no connection to any author).

I probably will I think (based on bad experience with not imposing a routine on ds1) but wondered what others had done. also just wanted to post a thread with eeek! in the title.

I'd love to do school dinners, but no can-do. but then I was exaggerating when i said packed "lunch" - it's dd's mid morning snack (school is 9 til 2 with no lunch break).

congrats on the baby! i missed the announcement i think!

I had a 4 year old, 2 year old and newborn for DD1's reception year, we never made it in before 9.20am nobody batted an eyelid by Christmas, everyone had given up !

Hi there,
well...I have never done a sctrict routine thing, but found it helpful, to all of us as a family, to wake up my Baby's in the morning and found that basically then they would put them selfs in a sort of "routine"....because they would then nap more or less at the same time and feed roughly at the same time....etc....but nothing was forced, other then the morning waking up...but well..if you got to get an older Kid or 2 to school you don't have much choice do ya!

how did it go?

well, we got to school on time twice!

I never managed that 2 days in a row when i only had 2! I am supermum. we did forget all of dd's things (she has to take things like plate, cup, cushion at the start of time), but they were clean and fed and we had packed lunches.

but the routine hasn't happened yet: I had to wake ds2 yesterday, this morning he woke at 7.30. he's got a cold though, bless him. I'll work on that bit next week i think.

I was about to reply when I noticed you have managed it anyhow, well done !!

When DS1 went back to school this term DS3 was 2.5 weeks and I had never managed to get there so early each morning before (though the novelty is wearing off now!). I'm finding it so much easier to get everyone out of the house than I did when I was pregnant; it really helps being able to run around the house easily.

I also find it helps to allow a realistic amount of time for the journey and plan to be out of the door 15 minutes before I need to be (i.e. 5 minutes for each child to cause some sort of commotion!).

Well done though and I hope it is still going well.

Crayon

not on time this morning though.

You see, it's all very well talking about allowing plenty of time and getting in car 15 mins early etc when you haven't been woken up 4 times in the night by the baby and twice by dd. never mind. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

hang on, it's thursday! 3 out of 4 ain't bad. where did the days go?

Not read whole thread, but school run = routine to me. I am a hopelessly disorganised person, and I know the only way I can manage things like this is to be very very routined. I set my alarm for many different times between 7 and 8.30 so I know when each new stage needs to be starting

Works though!

You have my respect SP, I am still struggling with one DD! Luckily she is an early riser, and we are washed, fed, dressed and out of the door by 0830, at school by 0845.
There are bound to be days when you struggle to juggle on time.

I don't do routine but my life would probably be eaqsier if I did. When baby was tiny I'd put her in her car seat after feeding etc then just grab her and go. She's 2 now. Dd1 left homework behind so I chased the bus (in the car) with her totally naked yesterday.

So chuffed to have found this thread - i've also got 3 kids - dd 5.2, ds1 1.11 and ds2 only 4 weeks! have also found life really stressful trying to get dd to school by 8.50! only way i found to do it was to wake ds2 up at 6.30 meaning he was proper tired by the time we leave at 8.30 - the chaos that goes on between 6.30 and 8.30 is unimaginable but i do as much as i can the night before and just keep repeating to myself this is only for a few more weeks then the baby will be more awake and not instantly fall asleep in the car!

wow, ella, we have very similar families!

if it helps, the arrangement I eneded up using was this: let ds and dd wake me up at 7.30 ish. then they wake up the baby. then we all go downstairs and they "entertain" ds2 while I sling some cornflakes in a bowl or stick some porridge in the microwave. (or if they're in bad moods I hold baby and do the porridge one handed). then ds and dd sit in front of telly eating breakfast while I feed ds2. I hold remote control, periodically turning telly off if eating slows down and, after breakfast, if they refuse to get dressed. then there's a mad dash with flannel and hairbrush and we're out! (NB I did get clothes and bags ready the night before).

6.30 just seems a bit excessive!

(dd is 4 btw, and ds1 is 2)

6.30 just suits us cause my ds1 is an early riser and my dh is getting up for work at that time!but it kills me every day!