getting out of the house on time

[busybeedebs]

Hello all,

I am fed up of the sheer trauma of trying to get myself and two kids out of the house in the morning. The screaming and the tantrums are exhausting, even those that aren't mine!When I get to school I see other families that have coats done up correctly, all bags with them, no toast shoved in toddlers hand and there on time and I think how do they do it?

We try to get things done by a set time i.e 08:00 breakfast on table, 08:30 get dressed, 08:45 leave house and that helps to a certain extent but it's still a rotten time of day.

What are other people doing that works? Am I the only one or is it just that I'm there too late to see the other parents struggling with it?

Your thoughts please x x

Maybe just move everything earlier? Worked for us. Means get dressed 8.15, and always leave 10 minutes for the actual process of putting on shoes/coats and going out of the door. I started getting up 15 minutes earlier and it just doesn't work any other way.

I agree with Acinonyx. Shift everything back a bit, and leave loads of time for actually walking through the door. It's easy to underestimate how long it takes little children to do things (and sometimes big adults).

If they're old enough (mine were about 5 & 7): I used to have problems getting my girls to do routine things like tooth brushing without being nagged, but when I put all of these little tasks onto a chart so they could tick them off, they did them without being reminded (tearing into the kitchen to tick the chart after each one).

Could do with it now, 5 years later, but they refuse...

Make them get dressed before breakfast? You definitely need to allow 10 minutes for shoes & coats.

The only way is to get up earlier. Mine are up at 7.00 and everything is done and teeth are being brushed by 8.00. Sometimes we even have time to practice spellings. Morning tantrums usually happen when the kids feel rushed, so I would give them more time and make them get up earlier.

I am in the shower for 7am and kids are up and teeth brushed and downstairs by 7.45am. Breakfast has to be finished by around 8.10am and then they get dressed. We start getting ready to leave around 8.35am as it takes a good 10 minutes just to do jackets, shoes, get them in the car, etc. Dd's school bell rings at 8.55am and we are normally there about 5 minutes beforehand so not that on-time!!

so I have 3 kids, 3 5 and 8

700 awake and dressed
730 downstairs eating b'fast
800 shoes, teeth hair etc etc
815 leave the house

never any tv or ds or wii time for anyone!

sounds bit militant but works for us
I get dressed/showered when they are eating bfast

I would work it backwards.

leave house at 8.45
need to be at the door getting shoes and coats and stuff at 8.30
need to be getting dressed 8.15
need to start breakfast 7.45 (breakfast always take 30 mins from start to cleared table)
up at 7.30 for teeth cleaning and face washing and bed making.

We always have our shoes in the shoe locker by the front door and the coats in the cupboard so we know where they are in the morning. Book bags are hung on the door handle with relevant books/paperwork in them the night before. Water bottles are filled and by the door the night before.

This wouldn't work for everyone, it is just what we do.

definately agree with others . You are half an hour too late! 7.30am breakfast for us (earlier sometimes), in school clothes by 8am (teeth brushed inbetween).

Bags etc sorted by 8.15 and ready to leave by 8.30am. If I was still sorting breakfast at 8am , I would be in a panic!

I have found that getting dressed before breakfast (children) and me after breakfast helps.

They know to put their shoes on at the end of Chuggington and at the moment we are doing all right (fewer banshee wailing episodes here recently).

I do my best to get everything ready the night before, which does help.

I'm managing, but only with 3 year old dd and 3 month old ds, by not going downstairs until everyone is dressed and teeth cleaned. Then no one is allowed back upstairs unless there is an emergency!

We are good at doing things quickly - not sure how but can get up at 7:45 and leave at 8:30 without too much runnign around.

Turn the TV off...mine aren't allowed it on unless they are dressed, washed, breakfasted, teeth, shoes, coats, packups and bags and are sat in a row ready to walk out the door.

No TV in the morning is the key to a lot of it I think.

Mine are now 6, 8, 10 so can do a lot more themselves but we have had a strict morning routine for years - we HAVE to leave the house at 8 on the dot or they miss the school bus!!

I get up at 7, have quick shower, get dressed.
Kids are usually awake by the time I am out.

7.10 - downstairs in jammies for breakfast
7.30 - back upstairs, clean teeth, wash faces, get dressed
7.45 - must be back downstairs for bags/lunches etc
7.50 - shoes on, much running about looking for homework/pencil cases/trainers for gym/hair clips etc.
7.55 - coats on
8.00 - leave house.

I try to do lunches the night before and ds always has school lunch (he loves it!) - and STRICTLY bags are packed the night before.

Amazed at how many of you seem to clean teeth before eating breakfast! What's that all about?

its supposed to be better for your teeth if you brush before breakfast as it helps prevent dental erosion. It also means that once we are downstairs we dont need to go back upstairs again.

Brush Before Breakfast advises the British Dental Health Foundation

we do it before because if we let the boys go back upstairs they wouldn't be back down intime - too many great distractions with lego and other toys.

Ask your nanny to do it.

Leave the house to go to work at 7am, leaving DH to do all the breakfasting, dressing, dropping off at 8am before he goes to work.

Return at about 6pm, by which point he has picked up and is doing the evening routines.

Makes my life so much less stressful

i get up at 0645 make lunches and have breakfast myself. get kids up at 0705ish . they have breakfast while i have a shower. teeth are cleaned, they get dressed , find shoes and make sure book bags are by door. out the door by 0805.

Get them up earlier - have 30mins extra time after getting ready just in case & have everything ready the night before.

Thats interesting seona! We don't have acidy things at breakfast though, just plain cereal with milk, so we're OK brushing after!! (according to their list)

I hate the taste of minty cereal!! Or - urgh! - minty coffee!!

I just go back up with mine and encourage and if I even hear a lego brick then it gets shouty more encouraging!

I think they don't play in the mornings as we've always had to do it this way - school bus that doesn't wait if you are late - and so its super-ingrained by now.

People who don't rush get up earlier. move it just by 15 mins, you might be surprised. was your OP just rough ? does it really take you 1/2 hr for breakfast ?
ds gets up at 6.45. dressed and brushes teeth(sometimes brushing is psot breakfast. breakfast - either toast or cereal onmly takes a few minues. get coats on, out drink and snack in bag - he does this, he has to puit school bag by front door. then he has 10 - 15 mins to do with as he wills. leave at 7.30.
generally, no problem. when i don't work we leave at 8.20. the only trying thimng is having to jolly him along and ask 15 times to get him dressed. painful. we are working on this.

Fifteen minutes to get dressed and get out of the house?

I agree with everyone else. We have to leave house at 8.45 as well and we are getting shoes on at 8.30. Our routine (DS is 3 and DD is 17 months and I am 9 weeks pregnant so not great on the mornings)

6.45 all up, I jump in shower
7.00 DH leaves for work and brings up bowl of dry cheerios for DC. All get dressed
7.30 (latest) Breakfast. I make packed lunch while they spend ages eating breakfast. We then clear table and tidy downstairs..
8.10 Upstairs to brush teeth, make beds, make sure all tidy
8.30 Shoes on...out the door.

We often have loads of time for stories and singing and DS that if he gets dressed himself and rushes a bit then we have time for a story

It took a lot of practice but I finally have a routine that works now.

I lay out everything the night before. And I mean every single thing.

Uniforms, undies and hair stuff hanging on radiator in their rooms.

I lay the breakfast stuff out at the table: 3 x bowls, spoons, cups, plates, cereal boxes, fruit.

Bread board and loaf ready with jam etc and knife and 3 x plates.

Snacks and drink bottles out where I can fill the bottles and leave on edge of worktop for kids to collect.

Bags, shoes and coats, hats etc x 3 laid out at the door where we leave the house. Homework done, signed and packed the night before.

I get up at 6.30am and shower and dress, wake kids at 7am, everyone in kitchen by 7.30am fully dressed and ready.

Pour cereal and fruit juice, I make their toast and make snack (or packed lunches) whilst they eat. I clean up as I go. And I eat breakfast once they are in school and I am home again.

Just before 8am they go up to do teeth and I clean up.

We leave 8.10am.

If they are up and dressed early they can watch TV in the kitchen until I get there. They used to help themselves to breakfast but there were too many arguments so now I serve and they eat.

It works like clockwork now (mostly) and largely due to having things out exactly where I need them and doing it the same way every day.

Its military all the way

Thanks for all your thoughts. Will try moving everything earlier, think that 15 mins might come in v handy.

Will also aim towards a reward chart, positive approach so they can get praise for hitting the deadlines, something they have to learn sooner or later.

Here's to less screaming in the morning