What your morning routine with your 2-3yo?

[koalabearboombox]

We have zero morning routine and as a result we end up chasing our toddler round the house trying to make him get dressed / brush his teeth with varying results. Not to mention often tears from him and frustration from us. It's really annoying and stressful and at the weekend it can take HOURS. Sometimes we end up giving him one of our phones to watch because that's literally the only way to stop him and get him to get ready.

As a comparison we have a rock solid bath/bed-time routine and have rarely had issues there. I know he could benefit from more structure but I'm just struggling to work out how to go from no morning routine to proper routine.

Help!

This is definitely in the category of "just do it". Make a change once, rather than many small changes so the goal posts are constantly shifting.

Our routine is pretty simple, it's just one thing after another! So breakfast asap downstairs with everyone still in PJs. Wee on the potty with a story followed by getting them dressed (i put the clothed there the night before). Then do teeth. Theu get to draw/use paint pens at the dining table (all totally washable....) afterwards while i clean up breakfast remnants and do hair for my eldest (who gets dressed and does teeth will I'm sorting boys after potty). It helps that we always have a deadline to work to - school run on weekdays, and eldest has ballet on Saturdays and swimming on Sundays. It wasn't quite so regimented when we only had one child and feweractivities! DC4 arriving tomorrow, may well destroy functioning routine....

Small childrenlove.to know what is going to happen next. It's very comforting for them. Pick whatever you want your mornings to look like and stick to it for a week.

I have an older DD so my youngest (3) has always had to get up and out early for the school run. I'm ok with that to be honest as we follow the same routine most weekends for days out, walks, swimming lessons.. she normally wakes between 5-6 and has some warm Milk and a sofa cuddle! Breakfast at 7, dressed by 7:45, out the door by 8! It's hectic but I set everything out the night before, clothes, snack pots, water bottles etc.. so it makes the mornings run a lot smoother!
Make sure wherever we go we're back home for a Nap at 1.

Ours wakes at 07.30. Husband and I wake up at 06.45, have a coffee in bed, read emails, etc., then we shower and get ready. Toddler wakes up, brush teeth, quickly get dressed, then out of the house by 07.50 to walk to nursery for 08.00. We don’t really have time to do anything else, so just have to wrestle the clothes on them!! They have breakfast at nursery don’t need to worry about that.

DS is 2.

He wakes anytime between 0700 and 0730, but we encourage him to stay in his cot til 0715 when his GroClock lights up.
As soon as he is out of the cot it's breakfast (cereal or porridge with fruit weekdays; eggs etc on weekends). Then potty, teeth and get dressed (as he has a bath in the evening). If nursery it's out of the door to nursery; if a day with me / DH at home he plays or watches Peter Rabbit whilst we dress.

I can get out of the house in 20 minutes with my 3 yo if pushed most of the time it's 30 minutes.

I struggle with mornings so everything that can be sorted the night before it is. Bags are packed and by the front door with my lunch packed. Mine and my daughters clothes are laid out for my daughter I always have two outfits which gives 4 combinations and enough bartering without too much choice.
After snoozing my alarm more than I should I run out of bed make a coffee for me in a travel cup and get some oat milk for my daughter. Go upstairs and wake her up. I undress her and give her the oat milk tucked under our covers then get myself dressed. I get her dressed and do my teeth and open all the curtains. I take her toothbrush downstairs and she sits on the bottom step I do her teeth and put her shoes on and then we head out of the front door for coats and get in the car.

She has breakfast at nursery and I have mine at work. Any door that has a room with toys is shut and she is kept upstairs until we have to leave.

I have Wednesdays off and it's similar but we have breakfast at home and I get her dressed in the kitchen and are up and out in 45-60 minutes.

Anything goes on the weekend

Not being a morning person has meant I have had a life time of finding ways to get out of the house with half the time you need!

Up at 6am, I shower and dress whilst husband gets 2 year old up, teeth brushed, potty and breakfast. He gets showered and dressed whilst I do kids' hair and eat breakfast. Older DD mostly gets herself ready to the same routine. All outfits out and bags by the door the night before. Out the house at 7:30am.

Could you make a visual timetable so he knows what to expect?