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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:
misspinkcat · 08/01/2007 08:20

Agree re breakfasting the night before. Maybe like SOME mners kids they should sleep in their school uniform! GFs to be organised get up earlier!

misspinkcat · 08/01/2007 08:21

GF! How did she slink in? I meant fgs.

persephonesnape · 08/01/2007 09:18

Giraffski, I have never thought of freezing sandwhiches before, what a great suggestion. I just do everything that everyone else does, but would add that yopu should star/reward chart the mornings so the first one dressed, teeth brushed etc gets a star. in our house 20 stars by the end of the month for helping mum means a trip to the pound shop (whoo-hoo!) If everyone gets a 20 stars then we go to the cinema or bowling.

also, theres a reverse school run as well, on the way home, pack a snack, because kids will probably be hungry and fractious. it's a lot easier to drive if they're eating a quick half sandwhich or something.

unicorn · 08/01/2007 09:28

if possible,arrange to meet another set of parents/kids at a point on the way to school at a certain time. Nothing encourages them to get dressed/have breakfast and get out of the house quicker than the prospect of seeing their pals.

or...
If the school has a breakfast club use it. The stress of getting them into class on time will no longer be yours!

fortyplus · 08/01/2007 09:30

Each child has a calendar in his room marked with stuff needed that day.

Get it all ready the night before - especially the school tie!

Baths/hair wash in the evening.

No TV/computer/PS2 on a school morning... ever!

I find time to make packed lunches in the morning, but obviously it would save time to make them the night before.

Make sure they know what time they need to do things. eg in my kids' case - up at 7, finished breakfast by half past, dressed by 7.45, clean teeth - out the door at 8.05. So as long as the child can tell the time they soon know what they should be doing by what time.

Goes without saying that the easiest way to achieve a smooth morning routine is to make sure that your kids are getting enough sleep.

Mine go to bed at a reasonable time so they are bright and breezy at 7am. Kids who are allowed to stay up till all hours will be tired and grotty in the morning - a recipe for unpleasant conflict imo.

ParanoidAndroid · 08/01/2007 09:34

DH puts the kids bedroom lights on when he gets up at 6.45am and they tend to be more awake when I wake them at 7am.

No TV at all.

Get dressed before breakfast but they put a non-school jumper on to protect uniform. This stays on until after teeth are brushed.

Everything laid out the night before. Reading records filled in the night before, all after-school clubs, letters etc dealt with.

Breakfast table laid and ready bar stuff from the fridge.

We have a 20 min walk to school, so the dc either ride a bike or take their scooter, and I walk or run depending on how fit I am feeling! Occasionally if it is absolutely tipping down or someone isn't feeling brilliant, we will take the car in which case we have an extra 15 mins at home and I never know what to do with myself!!

(The above constitutes an ideal morning in the Android household. What happens very often is that I shout and shout and shout until I am hoarse, DS can't do anything without moaning severely about it, DD can't go anywhere without trying several different hairstyles, and for a good part of our 20 min journey, none of us are talking to each other )

redshoes · 08/01/2007 11:19

My way:-

  1. Get clothes ready the night before
  2. Keep cereals and bowls in low cupboards so dcs can assist in setting table
  3. keep spare toothbrushes in downstairs loo so no-one goes back upstairs
  4. tv only allowed after everyone is dressed, breakfasted, clean (inc teeth) and have shoes on
  5. dcs watch tv while I make packed lunches
  6. coats are by front door and dcs collect these then their own scooter and wait by front door while I get the baby into pram

Dcs also have their own sticker chart showing times they have to do things by eg breakfast 8am. Agree taking responsibility for themselves is most important objective. My eldest ds (14) is out the door before I am even fully conscious!

saadia · 08/01/2007 11:32

I'm sorry if I come across as smug but I'm surprised it's such an issue getting kids ready for school in the morning. Perhaps it's because I only have one at school ATM.

I wake at seven, get ready myself, make ds1's sandwiches, make porridge for dss (nearly 5 and nearly 3). Wake them up, they have breakfast.

The brush their teeth, I iron their clothes, they get dressed.

Ds1 just takes his book bag and lunchbox with water bottle inside.

They put their shoes on and we're ready to go at 8.25 - obviously takes longer to get going in winter if the car has frozen over.

I must admit that I don't usually have time for breakfast though, so I have that when I get home.

Enid · 08/01/2007 11:40
fortyplus · 08/01/2007 12:00

saadia - I always found it harder when only one was at school! So when your younger one goes, too you should find it a breeze!
Like you - I think that by sticking to a routine you can make life easy for yourself.
I've got friend who let their kids stay up till 11pm and have the TV on in the morning, then wonder why their mornings are so stressful!

bea · 08/01/2007 12:51

all the obvious ones have been done???? will i still be entered in the draw if i repeat them??

for us the simplest thing is lay out clothes for the morning... have bags by the door ready to go... basically get everything done the night before (including dinner money etc!)

but i have it easy as dh (who is a very good boy!... ssh! don't tell him i said this!) gets dd1 and ds1 up and takes them down at about 7pm... where they play and he gets them tehir breakfast and by the time i get down with dd2... at about 7:45 i do the dressing (if they aren't dressed a;ready) and do dd's hair (dh hates doing it and can only do very insipid pigtails! - plaits for me!) tehn out the door by 8:30

Nearlypinkmummy · 08/01/2007 16:54

No TV or Playstation.
Radio on - seems to make them hurry up and not sit over breakfast staring into space.
Get up earlier than you think you need.
Empty dishwasher the night before and put the next clothes wash in the washing machine the night before too then all you have to do is switch it on in the morning.
If you want to walk but feel its a bit too far then scooters, once they are used to them, will speed you up. I have to wear trainers to keep up with the dc!

misspinkcat · 08/01/2007 16:58

YOu " no tv -ers must be mad.

Never in the course of history is tv more needed than when you get ready for school.

Nearlypinkmummy · 08/01/2007 19:15

I cannot stand the pleading to watch the end of the programme before they'll get dressed, have breakfast, brush teeth, put on their shoes or whatever. Which is why I banned the TV before school. It works for us anyway.

Blandmum · 08/01/2007 19:18

How to get ready for school on time.....have my ds!

This morning he woke me and dh at 5.00 (we get up at 6.15) he was fully dressed and said, 'Get up, I don't want to be late for school'

Because he is cute and rather sweet, we decided to let him live!

fortyplus · 08/01/2007 19:32

misspinkcat - can you just run past me how having the telly on can possibly be a help getting ready for school?!
Mine would be so busy watching it that they'd slop their milk all over the table. Then they'd want to watch the end of the programme before they went upstairs.
TV is for flopping in front of when they've got nothing better to do on a wet day. I don't have to enforce that in any way - they'd much rather get outside on their bikes or with a football. They do like to play with the PS2 before we get up at the weekend, though, but as they're 11 & 13 I don't have a problem with that. We didn't get a games console till ds1 was 11.

Stickmyoarin · 08/01/2007 19:34

Incentivise!

In my house the plan is that the whole family (dh included) sit down for breakfast at a set time, and then leave the house together with Dd strapped in the buggy for speed (first 10 mins of the walk in the same direction).

For my Dd reluctance to break a family ritual and the prospect of missing out on a chummy morning walk with daddy is a great motivator to rattle through the routine without resistance.

Enid · 08/01/2007 19:35

tv works as fly paper for children in this house

Stickmyoarin · 08/01/2007 19:37

fortyplus, for younger kids the cbeebies schedule is much more real than a clock to show the passing of time.

Think mummy running around saying "gaah! Boogie beebies already?!? We're running late!"

Kif · 08/01/2007 19:42

En route discuss the day ahead. I think this helps them mentally prepare, and make them more positive and co-operative.

fortyplus · 08/01/2007 19:43

A few years back (when my 2 were both still at primary school) I used to be a drop off point for several of their friends whose mums worked. They used to love that - a whole little gaggle of boys walking up to school together.

Mind you, we had 2 visitors who did ask...

'Can we wath Cartoon Network?'

'No'

'Why not?'

'Because we don't have Sky!' - tee hee!

Nearlypinkmummy · 08/01/2007 19:44

My lot would rather be late for school and have me blow a gasket before they'd miss the end of Boogie Beebies!! Totally agree that TV is for after school.

Kif · 08/01/2007 19:49

I have a mirror by the door to show Dd how much 'like a princess' she looks as she leaves. She moans less about hair brushing if she is enthusiastic about the end result.

Before that I used to chase her around the house with a hair brush in the style of tom and jerry - at which point she'd pull out the hair bobbles in any case. I was considering giving her a crew cut... (you laugh, but my mum had me in a boy's haircut until I was eight!).

persephonesnape · 08/01/2007 19:55

I have three children dd (11) ds1 (8) and ds2 (7). single parent, work full time. i get up at a quarter past seven. we are all dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed, bags packed etc by ten to eight when we leave for school and work.

we have the TV on. it isn't a big thing, because when i turn it off, it's turned off for good. It doesn't rule our lives, it's just an additional thing that has to go off at a certain time so mummy isn't going to be late for work, because mummy has to work to keep a roof over our heads.

I agree with the mums saying it's a time keeper for younger children as well. it's easier to understand, 'the end of noddy' than fifteen minutes.

Donk · 08/01/2007 20:42

My DS is very easily distracted from breakfast/getting ready for school by ANYTHING - so

  1. NO TV
  2. All lego/other construction toys are put away out of reach every evening and are not got out until after school.... or the morning turns into a battle of wills as he demands 5 more minutes to finish this machine/find an essential part, then another 5 minutes etc....
  3. Like everyone else, the school bag is checked the night before and left by the front door. Shoes are polished (if necessary) the night before. School clothes laid out the night before.