Your help required - top tips on surviving the school run

[JustineMumsnet]

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

The school run risks falling apart spectacularly if there are any last minute hitches. For example, someone's gloves are lost or there's only one shoe available for a child and the other could be anywhere.

Deep level preparation is the key making sure that each pack member takes some personally responsibility if they are 2.5 or above. Drill them, when they RETURN from school, to hang up coats and bags on their own peg(s), put shoes in shoe place, take lunchbox/money pot and water bottle to kitchen.
No telly or drawing or reading or anything until this is done. Mine do it like robots now.

Also get up early. Give yourself ten minutes extra for unforseens because, with the best of intentions, unforseens occur around 76% of the time IME.

Leave in good time so that you don't feel rushed. Children who are being rushed and made to walk quicker than they'd like can be stroppy and argumentative. It isn't worth the risk. Go at meandering pace.

Invest in a Gaggia Cubika Espresso machine to improve your performance from the word go.

Don't attempt to shower, put on make up or put any thought into your wardrobe as you'll only fail and upset yourself. Let go of your personal satorial ambitions from the outset.

This book has a whole chapter about how to accessorise your pyjamas so you can nip out wearing them.

Good one batters. a bit too late for some of us though.

It was Zebra who said she put her children to bed in their school clothes iirc.

on a Friday we make a week plan for the week ahead (we go Saturday to Sunday as dh has to have his weekend planned too ) and we mark on it all the week's activities, including when they have school/playgroup/swimming/football etc.
I even include favourite tv show, but now Robin Hodd's ended, it's blank.

We stick this plan up (just printed on a piece of A4) low down in the kitchen, so everyone knows who's got what when. The kids really like knowing what's going on, and even the non-reader can recognise key words in the weekly programme. really helps us all keep organised

We have a shelf by the front door called the school shelf. It's above the kids pegs. It has letters to and from school, homework, water bottles, money pots etc.

I get everything ready the night before. Their clothes are laid out ready and they always leave their shoes and coats downstairs ready for the morning.

We set the table ready for breakfast so that when they get up they can help themselves to cereal. Then the morning is theirs until I call them to get ready for school. As everything is set out already it only takes them 10 minutes to get ready for school and then they know they can play until its time to go.

I get them to get their shoes and coats on 5 mins before we leave the house as with ds it can easily take that long. The child who behaves best in the car gets first go on the playstation when they get home and that seems to work well.

We also do a token scheme and they earn tokens for doing all the tasks expected of them in the morning (and the rest of the day) and they can also earn extra tokens to spend for really good behaviour.

If you have more than one child, encourage them to race one another to get dressed.
Also agree with, get all bags etc ready the night before,frozen sandwiches, no tv in the morning, and shout a lot

Get yourself showered and dressed before even entertaining allowing the children to come out of their bedrooms.

As said by many, organisation is the key. I have a wicker basket where book bags go when dc come back from school. I put it by the front door when i get up and chuck packed lunches, snacks, kit if needed, hats and coats too. Everyday shoes go in one of those coloured trugs in understairs cupboard. Coats hung up.

Do as much as you can the night before. Uniform ready, books in book bag. I make sandwiches in evening but assemble pack lunches in morning. Breakfast is fairly regimented. 2 choices of cereal and toast. Sometimes they have a choice of spread. Mostly tho they don't. Water to drink. Brush teeth before uniform. Toothpaste a nightmare to remove from polyester. No playing before completely ready with shoes by door. Drum it into them enough it will become second nature. I try to put on my best Mary Poppins voice too but despite all above usually end up sounding like a mean cop.

I get up 20 minutes before everyone else, so I am ready come what may

If pushed for time, a jam buttie in the car makes a good breakfast. Lol@the pjs tips!

Encourage children to dress themselves as early as possible (in terms of age)
School uniform is easy. All shoes are taken off by front door and are left by the front door so everyone knows where theyare in the morning.
We also have a basket with brollies, hats, gloves, raincoats etc by front door so if the weather is bad, it is all together in one place, easily accessible to all.

Oh, and I don't know how this would work in other families, but when all else fails, I sing to my sons in the morning. They hate it and find it really embarassing. I make the most of it by threatening to sing at top volume if they don't hurry up. I have done this before with windows open, so they know I mean it.

I make up random songs on the spot ie 'now is the time to clean your teeth' to the tune of 'Here we go round the Mulberry Bush.' I sing deliberately badly and out of key, and only stop when my sons do what they should be doing.

Get ready the night before.

School bags and shoes left by front door.

Never return to the house after leaving - if it's left tough, they will learn.

Make them walk.

Keep toothbrushes and flannels in the kitchen, in order to stop trips upstairs, coz once they go up they are hard to get back down

You need tv in the morning to stop them trashing but agree only after they are ready.

My best one is to move house to be 60 metres from the school. You can then get up at 8 30 and still have full make up on by 8 45 to get them there in time. You can also send them to school alone - there you are school run done and not even got out of bed.

Ithankyou

( the Wii is mine)

In the mornings, move in one direction only. Eg once you're downstairs, don't let them go back up. Get dressed upstairs, then go down for breakfast, and keep a toothbrush downstairs. Always move towards the door.

I think the only real solution is contraception.

Tell them they can play with the Gameboy (or should that be Wii? ) if there is still any time left between them being ready for school and leaving the house.

Cannot believe any of you actually put makeup on to do the school run.

Sophy, some of us have to go straight to work afterwards. I make babies cry without makeup !