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......

Yep that's kind of how it works in our house too on a good day Taps.
We never have the TV on, and they have to get dressed before breakfast then teeth brushed.

Only think that needs improvement is when DD's long hair gets done. Any advice - while getting dressed or during time back upstairs for teeth brushing?

I usually get dd to brush her hair after b'fast Sidebar, but only until recently (she is 11), her hair is long, we try and make sure it is loosely tied back in a braid(s) at night, then it is much less knotty in the morning, so it makes brushing so much easier!

I only ever packed them in the car in their night clothes once. They learnt very quickly that it was much better to get changed at home than in the car outside school.

If by breakfast you mean tea, toast and marmite, then yes, getting yourself up and washed, dressed, face on and ready to roll includes breakfast. Takes no time at all to toast bread and slather on some spread and eat it. Breakfast is a meal eaten on my feet.

If someone has long hair, brush it and plait it at night. Take out the plait in the morning and you will find it's easy to brush through. (Well, easier than hacking through a rat's nest style tangle if your DC tosses around a lot while asleep).

Hair can be done by the DC in the car if you're in a rush. I keep some hairbands and hair elastics in the car for emergencies. In my home, DD4 is the only one who brushes her hair in the mornings and she leaves it til last. The other two DDs still living at home have curly hair that they don't brush.

For curly hair I recommend the Curly Girl Method that involves no brushing whatsoever, just a spritz with water and a bit of fluffing up/scrunching in the morning. It will work for boys as well as girls.

x post there about plaiting..

I've slept with my hair in a plait for the last 30 years ....
always seemed a no brainer to me.
DD does in the summer but her hair is shorter than mine.
DS has self combing wire wool hair

I have 5DC and pretty much always managed it on time even when had newborn twins, a toddler and 5 yr old. This is because I get everything ready the night before. Clothes, lunches, cheques for dinner money etc etc. I don't have my breakfast till I get back at 9.30. I don't wash my hair everyday either which saves time. I don't get them up too early either like someone above said. Far better to get them up, teeth, hair, brekky then out the door than have ages to faff. I get mine up about 30-40 min before we leave. Oh and don't put the telly on till they are ready!

I often do the opposite & get myself ready after getting DDs ready, having everything by the door ready to go. BUT I always have breakfast & drink coffee while making packed lunches.

I have to get them up (or rather start getting them up) 1 hr & 10 minutes before we have to go out - yes it can be done in 30 - 40 minutes, but the time pressure makes me stressed out and shouty. Having the extra time makes us all feel calmer. I was the same when I was going off to the office in the morning, even pre kids, would get up earlier to have more time to wake up properly, and not feel I had been hoiked out of bed & plonked at my desk.

I have 2 absolute dolly day dreamers to be in school for 8:30am so adopted the hard ass approach too.

2 days of the shame of going through the office and facing the Head Teacher (and loss of golden time) and 1 day of very nearly going to school in their pyjamas (and I would have taken them in their pjs too if they hadn't got their fingers out and got dressed just as I was about to march them out the door) stopped the dicking around.

We get everything ready the night before - lunches stashed in fridge, they hang their uniform up ready, they shower before they go to bed so just need a lick and a promise when they get up, bags packed and left by the front door, etc.

I'm up 1st, shower, get dressed, lay out breakfast before getting them up at 7.30, (which takes some doing as they like their beds). DD2 needs constant reminders - she's dyspraxic and struggles to remember what she's supposed to do next. I now leave DD1 to her own devices, she's 11 and she needs to start taking responsibility. She can walk herself to school and if she's late it's her punishment, her Y6 teacher is very strict so so far she hasn't dared to be late.

I make a huge effort not to shout or let them rile me and be all zen about it, the more I shout the more obstinate they get.

No TV before they are completely ready to go out the door and I aim to leave 5 minutes before we have to

I find the less time we have, the more they stay focused on the task in hand and the smoother the morning goes. Getting them up earlier just means more time for them to wander aimlessly around and faff about. We get up, eat, wash, teeth, dress, leave.

Definitely things tend to take as long as you are prepared to give them.

Leave a clean jam jar / container with tooth brushes by the kitchen sink - no upstairs after they've come down.

Never have the TV on.

Have your coffee and shower before you wake them / their alarm goes off.

Get some egg timers.

Relax, don't shout - they have a day ahead of them, and need to know you love them.

Lick and a promise here too, DD showers at night.

I plait DD's hair the night before and smooth it out / redo the plait tighter and add clips when we chat about the day ahead. Gives her a moment to get her head around school, remember any last minute requirements and settle down.

A cuddle is a major priority IME and IMO, so factor in the time for that.