Morning routines for preschooler / early primary child?

[ViaRia01]

If you have a fairly solid/ consistent morning routine for your little ones, say aged 2-6 years, would you be willing to share it?

My sons are 3.5 and 2 years but until now we just kind of cobble together each morning with no particular timings or order of things. Do you have breakfast in PJs and then everyone goes upstairs to get ready for the day? Do you let them play or watch TV for a while before breakfast or do they just eat first thing?

Do you to be any where for a set time?
7.15 get up
7.30 breakfast
8.00 teeth brushing and getting dressed
8.15 get annoyed that they haven’t started to get dressed
8.20 try to fit in hair brushing, shoes, getting them to put water bottle in bag and sun cream
8.30 out of the house

always dressed before breakfast, otherwise the faff of getting them back upstairs is unreal. No screens in the morning so if there’s time after breakfast they do some drawing.

Mine is a little bit older now (6), but I’d say this has been the same for awhile as we’ve always had to get up for school and nursery. Timings vary depending on school/nursery as they change them periodically.

7-7:30am, we wake up and then basically I do whatever is easiest. Usually they watch a bit of tv or play (older one spends like 45 minutes doing her hair 🙄). We get them to eat when they will and get dressed when they will. Everything happens downstairs. We don’t go back upstairs once we’re up (clothes, second toothbrush, hairbrush, etc live downstairs). All that happens between 7-8:30am (with added complication that I need to drive my older one to the bus stop for 8am).

Then we are out the door for 8:30-8:40 (brush teeth, suncream as we are leaving) for 8:45 arrival at school, which is about a 3 minute drive away.

So this is basically to say it all takes 1-1.5 hours but there is no set schedule or routine. My secondary school age one is way more difficult than my 6 year old. 😂 So that is where most of the effort goes. Younger one, if he is dressed and still alive and I manage to get him to school, then it’s a good day.

@Brokenforsummer we don’t have a need to be somewhere at the same time every day. Sometimes we need to leave by 08:30, sometimes by 11:30 - so it varies a lot. Even on the later days, that doesn’t mean we don’t go out earlier than that and do something else first.

@readingmakesmehappy Where does brushing teeth come into play? Before breakfast while your still upstairs? Or do you bring toothbrushes downstairs?

To be 100% honest...Our pre-morning routine is terrible. We are a house of owls, and have an amazing bed time routine.. but mornings? Messy rush. Generally it's:

Wake up:7:30am, teeth, clothes, out the door by 7:50am. Buy breakfast in the breakfast shop, eat in the car in the way. Drop son off at KG at 8:10, at work at 8:20.

(The breakfast shop sounds weird to UK people, but it's normal here.. they are like neighborhood cafe/restraint places that sell lots of healthy local hot breakfast food.. honestly I miss them when I'm back in the UK!)

@Brokenforsummer same question for you, if you don’t mind? Where does brushing teeth you brush teeth?

I think basically I’d find it easier to brush teeth first thing and then go downstairs for breakfast but I don’t think that’s best practice from a dental hygiene point of view…? But getting them back upstairs again after breakfast can be such a faff!

Our timeline:

Adults up between 06.30 and 7.00. Get DD up at 7.10 if she hasn’t already woken up. Then breakfast which has to be completed by 07.45 - she keeps an eye on the time and knows how much time she has left. DH does breakfast and I wash. At 07.45 it’s brushing teeth, wee and then get dressed while DH finalises packed lunch and pack her bag. Then at 08.00 we are putting on shoes and out the door for 08.05.

We do teeth brushing at 8 back upstairs but you should really either wait 30 mins after eating to brush or brush before eating.

https://www.colgate.com/en-gb/oral-health/brushing-and-flossing/is-brushing-teeth-after-eating-good-for-you

I just googled and apparently you're supposed to brush your teeth before breakfast, not after!

I'm also on a mission to improve our morning routine (which currently involves me doing EVERYTHING for DD, while she watches TV 🤦‍♀️) so following this thread with interest!

We get up at 6. Get dressed, then downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast we do spellings, then toothbrushing and hair. Out if the door by 7:15.

Sounds like a well-oiled machine. How old is your DD, and would you say she is fairly agreeable or does she sometimes need a bit of hurrying along?

@NJLX2021 thabk you for your honesty. We have to take forums like this with a pinch of salt, as you often only hear responses from those who feel they won’t be judged in some way.

This morning was one of our ‘out at 8:30’ mornings which ended up with skipping the DSs’ bath and breakfast in a cafe next door to preschool. It was quite nice actually but not something I could afford to do every day!

Up at 7.30/7.45. Cuddle in bed and have a talk about what we're doing today. 8am face wash/teeth brush/get dressed. 8.15am breakfast and out the door at 8.30am.

PS You'd be amazed though how few kids brush their teeth (and adults!)

@newdaynewnam sounds like a tight turnaround to me, does it feel like enough time to you or do you feel rushed and chaotic?

When are you showering during that time if you don’t mind me asking?

Different for us and we've got school and nursery to get to, but we get up at 6:45, get dressed, brush teeth, into the car, breakfast club for the eldest and nursery for the youngest.

On the weekend when we don't have to be anywhere early, the eldest gets herself up at 7 and goes down for breakfast, sometimes takes the 3 yo down with her, then get dressed and teeth afterwards

I bring toothbrushes downstairs. Going upstairs is a faff.

@Poodley yep, I’m also significantly more invested in this than my two boys are. I’m hoping to get a better structure in place so that they know what’s expected of them and get on with it with a bit more independence.

@Poodley how old is your DD?

@ViaRia01 i shower (quickly!) before the boys get up.
It’s not rushed at all, we just keep a routine and no faffing around ;)

Brush teeth after breakfast but bring toothbrushes downstairs. With 6yo we lay out school uniform the night before on the floor of his room so he can get himself dressed.

My 5 year-old has a gro clock and is allowed to come in and see us from 6 onwards (which is around the time his baby sister wakes). He plays independently, usually with Maga-Tiles currently, whilst everyone else gets ready.

I lay out clothes for him in his room the night before, usually giving him a choice of two outfits. He can then choose his own underpants and socks from his wardrobe. He dresses himself and puts his PJs in the laundry in the bathroom.

Before I head downstairs with the baby to make breakfast, I call him to the bathroom so I can brush his teeth (I have a turn first then he does). He knows he is welcome to come down and join us once he is dressed. That’s the rule.

Weekday breakfast is some form of eggs plus either porridge or toast and fruit/veg. He carries his plate to the worktop when finished, washes his hands and then can play in the kitchen or living room whilst I clear away. No screens though.

We leave for school at 8:40. He gets himself in the car, straps himself in and we listen to audiobooks for him on the journey.

I hadn’t realised until writing this out just how good and easy he is. I dread mornings but it’s cos of the baby and weaning mess, not him. I feel bad for him as I’m constantly on at him about making sure his shoes are put away so she doesn’t chew them and closing the cloakroom door so she doesn’t go in and stock her hands down the toilet.

@mindutopia i think we’re probably doing the same sort of approach by judging in the moment what will they willingly do right now and just mixing it up each day depending on how cooperative they are being etc.

I am just thinking that next year my oldest will be going to school and we’ll have a bit more pressure on us to get out on time, at the same time, every weekday. So I need to streamline things and I’d rather work on it now rather than when school comes along, if that makes sense.

Do you mean this September? Or September 2026? If the latter, I would t worry too much. Our routine has just naturally evolved a lot within the last year.