How long does it take you to get showered etc and leave the house in the morning with a toddler? Canvassing opinions.

[goofypanda]

Canvassing here for what is 'normal'. So how long does it take you to get ready and out the door with toddlers?

I'm going back to work soon after maternity and don't drive (so commute is over 90 mins) and I just don't know how I am going to do it because currently it's taking around 2 hours or at least 1.5 hours to get us both up, breakfast for DD and me, then change her twice usually need to, dress her, teeth, put her in playpen where she sometimes screams whilst I shower, get myself ready dressed etc and I have thin hair so needs styled which takes time.

I can't wake up at 5.30am!

Obvious solution is to get showered and do as much as possible at night but I have teenager as well and they are always occupying the bathroom and DP as well. I much prefer getting ready in the morning, hate showering at night but it doesn't seem feasible and I'm going to have to ask DP or teenager to swap with me. Only one bathroom, and childminder cannot give breakfast as has school runs to do.

What’s taking the most time (meant in a friendly way, not bossy!) I find often tasks expand the more time you have to be fair. So you might be much faster than you think!

Nursery is great for this full breakfast from scratch every time would you consider it?

Why can’t you get up at 5:30am? I get up at 5:45/6:00 and that helps me leave the house by 7:30 and not rushed. Showers in our house are in a strict order of timings (doesn’t sound fun but works for us!)

Can you shower the night before, or just tie your hair back? You might have to tell the others you need a turn.

Does nursery/childminder not provide breakfast? For me it was up and shower at 6am, then out the door at 7, toddler had breakfast at nursery and I either ate something in the car or at my desk once I got to work.

And 5:30/6 is a perfectly normal time for adults to wake up to get ready for work

What time does toddler get up?
Get up 15-30 mins earlier to get yourself ready.
Then get toddler up, eat breakfast together (15m)
Brush teeth, get toddler changed and dressed (15m).

Soon you will absolutely not be able to put him in the playpen at all, so bear that in mind. Once they're walking and climbing, they're not staying in that thing.

You either get DH to help or wake up before DS. There's no way I could style my hair as well as shower and get ready with my 2 year old around me.

TV is an option but it makes my DS into a zombie, so we can't do that.

I used to do it in about 30 mins, albeit no child breakfast.

Some tips:

• Leave dressing child and you til last thing. That way clothes stay clean while breakfast happens.
• Do their breakfast - move yours til after you’ve left. Skyr yoghurt pouches are easy to eat in the car / keep a box of cereal at work / belvita biscuits.
• Sort clothes the night before.
• Can you shower before getting child up, then multi task the breakfast and hair styling

I used to be out of the house at 7.20am.
I cant remember whst time the alarm went, but it wasn't 5- anything. So, 1hr20 tops.

That said, im out of the house in an hour these days, and that involves 3 lots of packed lunches and a 10 min physio routine.

Write a rough schedule of how things work niw, and im sure soneone will suggest which areas woukd be easiest to condense.

My kids are 9 and 12 now but I went back to work full time when they both were 9 months.

i used to get up at 6 every morning and out of the house by 8. Im in a corporate role so I was doing my hair and a full face of makeup every day.

Nowadays we’re still out of the house at 8am but I get an extra half hour in bed. From next year my youngest will walk to school and so will end 12 years of drop offs. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself!

To be fair, until around 12 months, mine woke up so many times a night, that I could not have conceived waking up earlier as I only got maybe 3-4 hours MAX total sleep per night. So the thought of waking at 5.30 is quite scary until your child starts sleeping better.

30 minutes should be more than enough time to sort yourself if you get up first and have zero interruptions. Then get the toddler up. Prepare everything the night before so it’s clothes on, teeth and go. Total time 45 minutes MAX. Breakfast at nursery ideally or if that’s not an option they eat on the way with stuff like a banana, yoghurt pouch, cereal bar.

Minimum 40 minutes, usually an hour. 15 min wake up/ chill, 20 min breakfast, then 25 minutes to get everyone dressed and sorted (alternating with DP who gets to shower vs who dresses dd). If toddler needs longer for breakfast, one us goes up to get dressed sooner. I don't wear make up or do much with my hair etc so that saves time.

45 minutes. But I do everything the night before, including showering, getting both our outfits ready down to the underwear, shoes ready by door and bags packed.

It takes us ages with our 3 year old. Very rare to be out in under 90 minutes on a workday (breakfast at nursery), or under 2.5 hours on a weekend (breakfast at home). But he breastfeeds a lot in the morning, and that delays everything because both him and me get trapped. He is also not an early riser, we have to wake him most days. He would sleep until 9 given the opportunity.

Granted it’s just the two of us but when DH is away for work DS and I get up at 6.30 and are out the door at 7.25. I shower and lay out both of our clothes the night before then he’s up, changed and dressed, plays while I get dressed and sort my face out, then breakfast (some combination of yoghurt / fruit / toast) teeth brushing, shoes on, sun cream if necessary while he’s in the high chair so can’t get away and straight in the car. Same routine actually when DH is home but we both shower in the morning and get time to sit with a coffee.

No way would I get up before 6 voluntarily. It’s bad enough when DD wakes then!

Absolutely no time to shower in the morning. Shower at night - even though you don't want to - you might have to!

Get everything ready before you go to bed. Pack DDs bag, pack your bag. Lay out clothes for you and literally lay them out in the order you'll be putting them on and the same for DD. If you can save a few minutes here and there it all adds up. I have always done this and still do even though I don't have early mornings any more. It just becomes a habit.

Make breakfast a grab and go for you and a very simple snack for DD, yoghurt and fruit perhaps that you can take out of the fridge. Everyone in the family will have to compromise to help make it work for you all. Good luck!

Wouldn’t it make more sense to get yourself up and showered before getting DD up?

I've gotten up at 7 and left at 7.30 with my 7 year old since I first went back to work when she was 12 months old. Showered the night before and laid out clothes etc. I get up and dressed, her up and dressed then out.

She had breakfast at nursery and I still eat mine on the way to work and pop my makeup on in the car just before I go into work.

I can't imagine getting up hours early to loiter about. I'd rather be asleep.

Thanks everyone.

I can't (or really don't want to) get up at 5/5.30 because I don't sleep well, DD sometimes keeps me up and also when DD goes to bed I need an hour or two to myself to recharge because I am on the go all day with various things.

What takes the most time? I'm not sure but here's routine now EVEN WITH SHOWERING MY BODY AT NIGHT AND SETTING OUT CLOTHES AND BAGS -

7am - DD wakes and me too. get her changed, pee etc
7-7.30am - make and eat breakfast with DD (she still has bottle and can't feed herself yet takes a while)
7.30-7.40 - wash and change (she poos again) and brush DD teeth
7.40-8 - put DD in playpen (it's quite big and says up to 2y so hopefully) and brush teeth, wash my hair, contact lenses, wash face, get dressed
8-8.25 take DD out of playpen if she wants out and put her into my room with me and style hair (this is probably the biggest time drain I have fine thinning hair so takes a lot of blow drying, strategic parting, camoflague powders etc) cannot do this at night. At this point I should shave it off and get a wig honestly.
8.25-8.30 - fight DD to put jacket on etc and leave

It's taking at least 90 minutes and that's with showering at night.

Only place I can see leeway is the breakfast, when she's a bit older hopefully she'll eat independently say whilst I do hair. I can make breakfast in minutes and myself I eat it in five.

7.40-8 - put DD in playpen (it's quite big and says up to 2y so hopefully) and brush teeth, wash my hair, contact lenses, wash face, get dressed
8-8.25 take DD out of playpen if she wants out and put her into my room with me and style hair (this is probably the biggest time drain I have fine thinning hair so takes a lot of blow drying, strategic parting, camoflague powders etc) cannot do this at night. At this point I should shave it off and get a wig honestly.

So you need 45 mins for your routine? Maybe 30 if you're doing it without a baby in tow?
In which case just get up at 6.30 and do it then!

Then having breakfast and getting your DD washed and dressed will only take another 45 mins?

@maggisimpson Yes I think I'm going to have to get up before her. Only thing is she's a finicky baby and the times she wakes vary a lot, so she might have to just wait She'll be going into her own room soon so that will hopefully help.

I get out of bed at 7, which is 30 mins before I leave. Shower the night before but if it’s been hot I wash my body (not hair) for 2-3 minutes in the shower in the morning. DH feeds the kids breakfast while I tie up my hair/do my makeup (10 mins) then 10 minutes to get them both dressed, shoes on, bags checked to make sure there’s a clean change of clothes, and we’re out. I eat breakfast at my desk (a breakfast bar and a coffee) or in my first meeting if it’s internal. We’ve consistently kept to 30 mins since DD was 14mo, and older DC has SEN so can’t dress/toilet himself. I really recommend washing/drying hair at night and just putting your hair up in a bobble instead of styling it everyday, doing hair is the biggest time sink.

How are you washing your hair having showered the night before? Woukd it actually add very much time to your routine to shower and wash hair and face in one block?

Woukd hair styling work uf your hair was pretty much air dried? Im thinking get up 6.30, shower and hair, face etc. If DD wakes, tough, she waits. Then your normal morning, but the 7.40-8 bit has been removed.

Id definitely try DD in her own room before you go back to work. It could make a big difference - and if its awful, reverse it before work starts!!