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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

MNHQ

Your help required - top tips on surviving the school run

241 replies

JustineMumsnet · 05/01/2007 11:48

Hi there,
We've been asked to put together a list of tips on surviving the school run/surviving car travel with the children in general eg how can you save time in the morning, at breakfast, how do you get them to leave the house/ stopping squabbling in the car etc etc

All your wit and wisdom gratefully received plus all who post a tip on this thread will be entered into this week's competition to win a Nintendo Wii games console and game .

Many thanks,
MNHQ

OP posts:
puddle · 05/01/2007 13:40

Things that stop the squabbling in our car are:

  • Story tapes
  • Games (require parental involvement sadly)
  • A good burst of the Kings of Leon or similar
  • Stopping at a Moto service station (my kids love the balloons and the kids tv area) - this may not work for a school run though!

Agree totally with Roisin on giving them responsibility and having a timetable - visual ones have always worked when mine have been younger.

puddle · 05/01/2007 13:41

The ability to walk to school in five minutes really does iron out those morning glitches I find.

whatkatydidntdo · 05/01/2007 13:42

My tips for getting everyone ready and out on time are:
1)make sure bags are packed in the evening.
2)uniform ready on hangers in front of children no routing through cupboard and getting easily distracted
3)NO TV -NO EXCEPTIONS even if one child is on a TD day they dont get to watch TV until after school going children have left.
4)Make up lunch boxes the night before as much as possible.
5)And my favourite one is the bedroom clocks are set 10 mins fast and the one in the kitchen is 5 mins fast so the kids see it and get a move on but I am not rushing about like a looney!;)

Enid · 05/01/2007 13:44

iron and get all uniforms ready on Sunday, stacked and hung so you can just grab what you need in the morning - I include tights and pants, hairbrushes and hair bobbles in the uniform pile which I keep downstairs.

Keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in your downstairs loo if you have one or kitchen if you don't (stops children fannying about upstairs when they should be cleaning teeth).

Always have apples in the house. They are healthy and, more importantly, clean so make the ideal breakfast top up for slow eaters.

Get up half an hour before everyone else does - have a shower and lay out the breakfast things. Decant milk into an easy pour jug then even the four year old can make her own breakfast. If you have a willing 7 year old breakfast is a doddle as they think its amazingly good of them to put out the spoons.

When they are fed and dressed, with clean teeth and brushed hair, put Cbbc on to keep them stuck in one position for 5 minutes while you stack the (car if you drive or in our case the buggy) with school bags, lunch boxes etc.

Oh and you can freeze cheese sandwiches very successfully.

MrsSpoon · 05/01/2007 13:45

My biggest tip (and the one I really, really need to implement myself) is get up earlier than you think you have to. For me this would be 7.30 am prompt instead of 8.00 am to 8.15 ish it was prior to the holidays. To implement this I also have to go to bed early (which considering I went to be at 2.45am last night/this morning, it's going to take a bit of work).

The DSs however are pretty good at getting themselves ready. My tip there would be to teach them how to get their own breakfast in the morning so that even if I am struggling with the routine they can get on with it themselves.

flatmouse · 05/01/2007 13:45

Leave it to DH to do....

But as mentioned by others - no TV until breakfasted and dressed and start "going" 10 mins before you really need to go.

To stop them squabbling in the car - walk instead

tortoiseshell · 05/01/2007 13:45

Oh, alright, please do enter me, but if I win send it to marina!!!

whatkatydidntdo · 05/01/2007 13:46

I dont have a problem with kid in the car as we walk and always have. We live painfully close to school now but previously the walk to school was an opportunity to chat, look at things out and about, count cars or worms practise spellings etc.

When-ever possible I would carry their bags so kids where free to run, skip, hop etc without feeling weighed down.
Occasssionaly we would take scooters or skipping ropes along with us too. (if I could manage them on the way back)

PrettyCandles · 05/01/2007 13:47

Get dh to help! With three or more young LOs who need a lot of help or supervision, having two adults to do this makes a huge difference.

If they're at the stage when they can, just about, manage to wash/undress/dress etc, but easily get distracted, then it's faster to just do it yourself, without comment, than to keep nagging at them and reminding them. Also more peaceful! There are plenty more opportunities in the week to practice these skills unassisted.

Get whatever you can ready the night before. This is a good opportunity to involve the child in getting ready to take responsibility for him/herslef.

We keep outdoor shoes by the front door, so the last thing is to send the LOs to the front door in their coats to put on their shoes and then to stay by the front door. That way I can rush around doing the last-minute jobs and not have to then run aournd again rounding them up when I'm ready to leave.

Enid · 05/01/2007 13:48

If you have to lug a baby everywhere too, make sure you buy two nice snowsuits.

These are ESSENTIAL - then you can whip a shreddies covered baby into a clean snowsuit - voila you look like supermum.

fruitful · 05/01/2007 13:48

Do not rely on the baby to wake you all up in time, just cos he is always up at 5.45...

mumfor1standfinaltime · 05/01/2007 13:49

Don't have anymore than one child if possible, less to iron, less lunches to make.

Walk to school so avoiding traffic queue if possible. If not then make sure car has enough petrol to avoid busy petrol stations (couldn't believe how busy mine was at 9am this morning!)

Lay out all breakfast items night before - including tea bag in your cuppa.

Pack lunch boxes night before.

Lay out all clothes night before ready to step into - including yours, and yes include underwear and shoes.

Don't actually do a school run but I do start work at 6am so have the same principals with getting my things ready night before. Dh meets me from work at 9am so I get ds stuff laid out night before too. Can't wait to have to fit school run in around it too lol.

whatkatydidntdo · 05/01/2007 13:49

OMG no way when DH has a day off he keeps well out of the way, until we our out of the door, otherwise no-one would be ready.

PrettyCandles · 05/01/2007 13:50

Which reminds me, don't bother dressing the baby if you're running late - no-one will know she's still in pjs if she's wearing a snowsuit!

Enid · 05/01/2007 13:50

oh and HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN

buy a good longish coat and a big scarf and keep lip gloss and a hairbrush in the car or by the front door

Saturn74 · 05/01/2007 13:50

Sobernow posted exactly what I was going to say!
My other tip was to let the children eat their breakfast before getting dressed - certainly saves sponging cereal from school sweatshirts!
(Do I get any extra points for alliteration? )

slalomsuki · 05/01/2007 13:54

I use the TV as part of the routine.

We leave when a certain programme has finished and when it does get the kids to switch off the TV and clean teeth etc before getting in to the car.

Sort out bags etc the night before and leave in a pile in the morning so you have to step over them to get to the car. That way you don't leave anything behind.

Empty bags when they return the day before and pack stuff for the morning.

I agree with the extra 10 minutes

Use a baby slibg to carry the baby from the car. It leaves both hands free for my other two.

PrettyCandles · 05/01/2007 13:54

Girls with long hair (this only applies to pre-pubertal girls) should only ever have their hair washed on a Friday evening. Freshly washed hair is a demon to get into plaits!

fruitful · 05/01/2007 13:55

Don't give them choices - they have to wear the clothes that are hung on the front of their wardrobe, they have to eat the breakfast you put on the table, they are walking to school, they are having a school dinner.

jura · 05/01/2007 13:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Anchovy · 05/01/2007 13:57

However early you get up, you do not have time for any free-form larking around. Treat the hours between 6.30am and 8.15am with the meticulous planning required by the critical stages of a military manoeuvre

Develop a slightly shouty "I mean business" persona and never allow them to see any chinks in your armour.

DH is regarded as a bit of a pushover by the DCs (3 and 5), so he is put on duties which are not time critical or which do not have options attached - porridge duty, tea making etc.

Never allow the DCs to think that a lengthy
poo is a good idea just as they are going out.

Enid · 05/01/2007 13:59

and if all else fails, remember that being 5 minutes late for school is not the end of the world!

Twinkie1 · 05/01/2007 14:03

Get up 15 minutes early - take the time to make a coffee and drink it leisurely - then before you have to wake the kids prepare youself for the hour of chaos ahead and get everything you didn't do last night done at double quick speed - get them out of bed whilst wiping their faces with a flannel and then plonk them straight into their clothes - if you can get them to wear their clothes under their PJs when they go to bed the night before all the better as this will save you lots of time.

AlienEars · 05/01/2007 14:06

Porridge is a risky business and should be left to the weekends, so it doesn't drip down clean uniforms...

BettySpaghetti · 05/01/2007 14:18

School mornings:

-let children have breakfast and brush their teeth before putting on school uniform (avoids that Sods Law moment of toothpaste or jam down the last clean school shirt!)

-write things you need to remember on the calendar, that way you can tell at a glance if its recorders/deadline for school trip money/non-uniform day etc etc

Journeys:

-if you have a child in nappies always keep a spare nappy, wipes, change of clothes in the car as leakages can happen on the shortest of journeys (when you've not bothered with the changing bag!)

-keep a bottle of water and snacks within reach

-buy a couple of small Mega-Sketcher type toys for the children to use on long journeys.