How do you get yourself ready on a morning with the children?

[CapaldiL]

I am soon going back to work and wondering how people manage to get themselves ready for work when they are also getting a child dressed/ fed etc.

DD is one and DH goes to work early before she gets up around 6am. I need to get her dropped off at nursery at 8am and then get myself to work. When do you shower, do make up etc? She doesn't play independently for more than a couple of minutes and I could shower the night before and then put a bit of mascara on in the morning but I'd just feel a bit grotty.

What age are your kids once they can dress themselves and leave you for 20 mins to get ready?

I always shower the night before, especially if hair washing. If I do then shower in the morning I'm in the water for about 30 seconds to wash bits and pits. Hair knotted up.

Put clothes on, forego makeup(never wear it).

Dc can sit in the highchair with toast while you get ready. Dress them last so they have a fresh nappy.

Another here who showers the night before.

It's not that grim, I can assure you. And it's quite relaxing, washing the day away and popping on fresh pyjamas.

I spend 10 minutes in the morning getting dressed, freshening up and putting make up on while the kids amuse themselves.

I'm a sahm but DH is out the door by 7:20 and we leave for school at 8:15.

I also have to be out of the door for 7:50.

DS usually wakes sometime between 6 and 6:30, I get him up at 6:30. Change his nappy and get him dressed (I leave his clothes out the night before to make this faster). At the moment, his dad is leaving the house at 7 so I can put DS in the playpen downstairs while DH eats his breakfast and I shower. When DH is leaving earlier, DS will come upstairs in the playpen in our room. I get dressed and then we have breakfast together at 7 (I tend to leave the bowls and stuff out the night before). This takes till 7:30, then I clear up and put the lunch I made the night before into my lunch bag. I also put tea in the slow cooker (made the night before). I then take him upstairs, brush both our teeth, change the typical breakfast poo, maybe do makeup if I have time (or the inclination). Then downstairs, start getting ready to get out to the car at 7:45 (it takes longer to get into the car than you would think).

What happens if you leave her in the playpen while you shower? Honestly, I panicked about how I was going to get out of the house before 8 but it isn't an issue usually. Plus work is less tiring than looking after a baby all day so I found it easier to get up in the morning.

Also in my first few weeks back I used to get both mine and DDs clothes out and ready the night before; I’ve relaxed that over time but it helped as then no time was wasted working out what to wear. Same with making sure our bags were ready to go.

I bathe at night to save time in the mornings. I wake up half an hour before the children.

I shower and wash hair night before and very quick shower of body in the morning.

Put an old jumper / sweatshirt over your work clothes until you’re heading out the door... otherwise you’ll be babywiping porridge / snot off your shirt at your desk 🤣

I don't have the option of showering before the baby wakes as my 4 year old's bedroom is next door to the bathroom so it would wake him up.

My baby is 11 months, crawling but not walking, so I make sure the stair gate is across and just leave him to potter with toys scattered around while I shower with the door open and do hair/make up. It can be stressful depending on his mood! But if you get your baby used to it now, it might help her patience - my older DS is used to waiting around now haha.

Does she have breakfast straight away when awake? I used to give my DS1 half a banana chopped up in a bowl first thing (once he wasn't having formula any more) and he would sit and eat that while I was showering etc, then he'd have proper breakfast downstairs. If she's in nursery at 8am, she'll have breakfast there surely? So she can just have some milk and fruit/something light at home?

My DS is 18 months and we get up at 7. I change his nappy and get him dressed, then we're both downstairs for breakfast. I eat while he does, and maybe empty the dishwasher or put some washing on. Head back upstairs, he plays with bath toys on the bathroom floor while I shower. Brush his teeth then set him free to roam my bedroom and his while I get dressed etc. Shoes and coats on then out the door by 8.40

Dh and I both shower the night before. Get dressed and put makeup on while mine plays around my feet. Pack bags while had breakfast and I make my lunch etc the night before and make sure all my work stuff is in one place then too. Dh and I alternate long days so we each do mornings/evenings on our own while the other works. It’s really no trouble with a baby or toddler. It’s when they get to 6 and you have to spent 15 minutes screaming at the to put their damn shoes on and get out the door that gets hard.

I don’t see how showering in the evening is not a good idea. I hate going to bed without showering, it’s like going to sleep dirty. Japanese people do it and they are clean freaks. In hot weather I’d also have a super quick shower in the morning but otherwise it takes no time at all to wash your upper body in the sink (I prefer with cold water to wake me up properly) in the morning so you feel clean and re-freshed.

Wake up a bit earlier to get dressed, wear a lightweight dressing gown, get your hair done then tend to DD. You can do your makeup in stages as you get a few minutes here and there. Get all the clothes and bags ready the night before and breakfast pre-prepared as much as possible in the evening.

Shower before bed. Get up stick the telly on in our room and put on peppa pig, given them a banana/apple/dry Cheerios in a cup with raisins to tide them over. Get ready in 15 mins, then get child ready and go. Never found it a problem. They soon get used to your routine.