how the heck do you get your LO to school on time.....

[babymutha]

dd will enter reception on Sept 12th. We were late for pre-school virtually every day, whether I got up at 6, 7 or 8am. DD v strong willed, won't dress herself unless she feels like it, won't let me brush her hair, takes 30-45 mins to eat a bowl of cornflakes, sits of toilet without weeing or pooing for AGES and then walks at the speed she feels like (although I have managed to enlist tree fu tom big world magic and a scooter to speed her along, so that is the least stressful bit of our journey). I don't want to spend every day YELLING at my child. Please give me your wisdom......

Bribery I'd say for yours. Start charts and prizes.

Mine is not allowed telly until he's dressed, but he's an amenable chap.

If she takes forever over breakfast I'd get portable breakfast so that it wasn't an option to dither over it.

Did she just not want to go?

For some reason all the DC I know were very keen to get into school uniform so that should work in your favour.

'wont dress herself unless she feels like it'. Set an alarm and tell her if she isn't dressed by the time the buzzer goes off she'll be going to school in her pjs (and follow it through)

You could set alarms for eating breakfast too and give a sticker, or whatever, if she manages to finish her breakfast in 15 minutes.

Also make sure you've got everything ready the night before (lunch boxes, uniform, shoes by the door, bags packed and by the door)

You have to really, really have it as your priority to be there on time. It will be very hard on him to miss the start of the day routines in school, and unfair on the rest of the class.

When you really mean it, it happens - after all, you've never been late for every single holiday flight, have you?

So, you have to get up as early as it takes. Minimise the number of tasks you both need to do: up, dressed, breakfasted, teeth/hair and out. Get all school bags ready the night before, to minimise what you have to think about.

Also, you need to work on her general compliance before the start of term. I'd major on getting dressed promptly, as you can always eat en route.

Are there any other areas where she is regularly disobedient? Can you adopt the same approach you did for those to this?

On the slow eating, get everything laid out the night before and then tell her she has max 15 mins to eat b/fast and if not she'll go hungry.

Ditto everything all ready to go the night before (although it does make the house look a right mess!).

I've been wondering the same.. How do we get there on time?! It's nice to see some good tips for awkward DC. I already know most of them don't work so hopefully more suggestions keep coming in.

Since DS2 was born, family life is chaos. If I'm allowed to answer your question Edith - we DON'T book flights because we would miss it. :( We are late for virtually everything unless my DC don't play up that day. But then again, we are suspecting SN with our DS1 and possibly DS2, no support given to us despite countless visits to GP , paed etc. so perhaps that's why we're struggling.

Can we at least put DC in bed with their school uniform on to save 2 hours in the morning?

Never stop moving her along. Never. From the moment she wakes up until you depart make sure she is making progress towards getting out the door.
And a schedule, write a schedule for getting things done & follow it.

DD just has to get ready, we have to leave the house at 7:45am as the school bus picks her up from the end of our lonning at 7:50am. I have a 14mth old DS (and myself) to also get ready, so I cannot pander to her wants. Things that work for me is making sure everything like bookbags, uniform, money, letters etc are ready the night before to just pick up and go. There is no TV in the morning, unless she is absolutely ready to go out of the door with time to spare. Breakfast is usually simple, things like cereal or toast which are quick to get ready and she has school meals, so I don't have to worry about that. Other than that, I explain how long we have left and what is still to do, that way she takes 'responsibility' for ensuring she is ready on time.

Reward charts work for some people, so that might be worth exploring.

mumoftwolilboys: that sounds really tough.

Actually, if you're sure they won't wet the bed then I think you can have them sleep in uniform. The snag is, at some stage they'll tell everyone which might be an awkward moment. And the bigger snag when you want to get the out of the habit....

They can't go to bed in their uniforms!!

Ah.... thank you all, but this is just the tip of a behaviour mountain. We have had more reward charts in more colours, shapes and sizes and with more exciting sparkly and cat-themed-fairy-toystory-smiley faced stickers than I care to remember. She likes making them. She likes them for a day, maybe two. Then she gets all on me...
I always do packed lunches and bags the night before (more for my own sanity than anything else)
Tree fu tom works, as does Puss in Boots.
Anything magic and a bit crazy-woohoo works
Me yelling works - but I DON'T WANT TO START EVERY DAY LIKE THAT .
Good old fashioned common sense and gentle reasoning are dead in the water.
I need something fun and exciting and, dare I say, bonding, that is not going to make me want to get myself adopted by Wednesday.... please inspire me. (Sorry to sound negative, I'm tired.)

I am usually late for everything, but not been late to school yet (only done 1 year so far) Assuming SAHM here, not going straight to work after.

I only wake the children about 40 mins before we need to leave - any longer and they start fighting or wanting the TV on.
No TV.
Have uniform assembled (polo shirt plus dress/trousers and jumper/cardigan) on a hanger in wardrobe with school socks etc in their own drawer.
Find shoes/reading book/letters etc the night before.
Make packed lunch the night before.
Make sure you have milk in fridge for breakfast and money for any random dressing up days etc.

For you - if you can, get up well before the children. Have breakfast, coffee fag and poo before you get them up. Just splash face and clean teeth and chuck yesterdays clothes on for the school run then have a shower and get ready properly after you drop them off.

That's how I do it

and mumof2 I salute you . She's my only one, if there were two of her I could not be held responsible for anything.....

Ah you need the gold old school fairy to make a visit and leave a special glittery chart and glittery stickers which she gets for having breakfast in 15 minutes, getting dressed without a fuss etc. Then when she's filled the chart up the school fairy can leave her a present on her bed with a little well done note while she's at school

My friend's DD was like this. Then she was late a few times; she had to go into school 'through the office', leaving her mum at the door instead of going with her into the classroom. She hated it and was on time after that.

I'm not saying that's the best way to run things and being late is never preferable but if your DD's school is anything like ours they are pretty draconian about punctuality (they have to be) and this trickles down to the kids.

TV is banned anyway. Friday night DVD is the last weapon in my gentle arsenal....

I think you might be on to something Betsey - and yes they are v draconian on punctuality. I (and all new parents) have already met the member of staff specifically assigned to lateness - (and she's scary). I was trying to think of any way to avoid the inevitable but maybe if it doesn't kill DD it really might do her some good [evil grin, wahaha ha ha....]

Sounds very like my DD one day in school in PJs solved that. Reception class teacher backed me all the way on it - I never looked back as far as getting dressed is concerned.

right
with the carrot of the old school glitter fairy, and the stick of mrs scary late lady, (and going to school in pyjamas) I feel more confident about this being on time malarkey. thank you all. I'm off to bed.

Oh my two would hate to ba late, the shame of going to the office would be too much.

I have 4 DC and have done the school run pregnant and with a BFing newborn.

You need a routine, you need to know the exact times you need to get things done by.

I get myself up and ready first, sometimes there's one or two up. Breakfast is on the table they get about 15 mins to eat it, big ones get themselves dressed, little ones I dress. Tv only goes on once they are all ready.

Will second what everyone else says about routine.

But one thing I would add is get dressed last (DC obv. Not you!!) so that breakfast does not get spilt over clean uniform or toothpaste goes down the front!!

My DC have brekkie in their PJs and then clean teeth and then get dressed.

I have 3 DC, 2 of whom are at school. We are all ready by 8am, and aim to be all ready by 8am. We have to leave at 8.15am. I have coats, bags, lunches, water bottles, shoes and uniform ready and located the night before. We don't have morning TV, and there's no playing until the kids are in their uniform. It's usually quite relaxed, as the kids like being ready early so they get more playtime before school. Occasionally, things get derailed, but we always have that 15m buffer zone, so we've never been late, so far.

Simpson - yes good point! DD does teeth and has breakfast BEFORE getting ready. I cannot imagine how she would look in her uniform otherwise...

Out of bed
Breakfast
Teeth

Forced into clothes (I don't care - just MAKE her do it)
Dragged out the door (threats of losing key things to speed along)
Carried under arm if need be

Anything other than this means going to school with no breakfast and in PJs.

Bunnyjo - this is through bitter experience gritted teeth

I am soooo glad that today was not a school day, DD had a physio assessment at 10 am and we were ready to leave on time and kids were clean, dressed etc and suddenly DD announces she had forgotten to put on knickers soooo I was left shouting at the front door waiting for her to go put underwear on and of course we were late.

Just thinking of the shame if I had sent her into school with no knickers on!!!

Sorry if I was snarky... just used to get a small one to nursery for 7am from 1-4yo.

9am will seem like a walk in the park tbh.