Talk to Allianz about school run stress and you could win a £250 John Lewis voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

The team at Allianz would like to hear about Mumsnetters' experiences with school run stress,

Here's what Allianz have to say: "The school run is an important component of every day family life and we are keen to help families across the UK make the process as enjoyable as possible."

So, which factors cause the highest stress levels on the school run? Maybe it starts with getting everyone out of bed on time? Or perhaps it's getting everyone out of the house on time?
Do you have any tips for making the school run a smoother and less stressful experience? If a stressful school run is unavoidable, how does it affect the rest of your day?

Whatever your experiences of school run stress, Allianz would love to hear about it.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £250 John Lewis voucher.

Please note your comments may be included on Allianz's social media channels, and possibly elsewhere, so please only post if you're comfortable with this.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

I have to get up much earlier than everyone else to get showered and dressed or there is no time. Everyone wants me to do something and they mess around, so I have to hurry them. I get annoyed with the traffic on the way and also my kids fighting in the back of the car.

I make sure everything is ready for when we leave for school i n the morning. Despite this we are always late, my 3 children never want to get up, and my youngest always gets food all over his clean school jumper. We walk down to the school , it is about 10 mins walk.

five minutes late leaving means 15 minutes late arriving!

As grandparents we're frequently running our grandchildren to school which is across town from us and can take up to 1/2 hour due to traffic at that time of day. One of the most important things I've found ,when they are sleeping over, is preparation the night before, checking if there is need for sports clothes or anything else. Getting them to sleep at a reasonable time is important but not always achievable! Not getting stressy ourselves - not easy to do! N singing along the way - gets them over the grumps!

School run stress is always about the last minute items we need just before we leave the house, like finding a pair of gloves or an umbrella because its just started to rain!!

Our biggest headache is the traffic. They closed the school that my son was due to go to & amalgamated it with another, so instead of a 15 minute walk to the school we hoped for, we have a 4 mile drive twice a day. The traffic is awful & the bus is unreliable. It can take 45 minutes to drive the 4 miles.

We make sure that all his school stuff is organised each night, so that we can head off early & with the least amount of stress possible

My DD1 has just started school so it's early days yet! DD2 is still in a buggy, so she's easy as she stays put when I've got her ready, and I can concentrate on making sure DD1 has everything. I think, as time goes on, the key will be be preparation the night before, getting DDs into bed early, and allowing plenty of time in the morning so the last minute panics don't throw the schedule out of the window!

Make sure everything is ready the night before. I even have their cereal out with their bowls and spoons, at the ready!

Getting the kids out the door is stressful enough! There is always an untied lace, gym kit missing or hunt for the car keys! Then with the traffic and parking it is a nightmare! Becomes worse if the kids start bickering!

Had a nightmare afternoon earlier this week. Hubby was at a meeting so my turn to pick up daughter..

Had taken the dog out, laid stuff out for dinner so ahead of the game...goes out to the car to see a super flat tyre!!! No time to change it either a no chance of driving anywhere without ripping it to shreds.

My parents live 50 miles away, husbands parents 30 so no chance they can help. Frantic call to brother who works about a 20 minute journey away. Grabs car seat from my car and arrives 10 minutes late...not too bad given the situation!

Yes to the stress of last minute items ChocolateCake - on Friday dd(15) remembers at the last minute that she'd need PE kit on Friday. I had been wondering which day she might take it in. Luckily kit was waiting (freshly washed and dried) in laundry basket, but still had a last minute panic for the trainers. It's always the shoes isn't it? I'm all for keeping them in the corridor but DH reckons they get in the way with his bike etc.
Not to self - will find regular place for school shoes, and not just under the sofa!

Some days it works - most days it doesnt! You have to allow time for things that you didnt plan for - someone falling over and hurting themselves, a lost shoe, a toilet accident. We seem to never learn that with kids these little things can crop up in mornings and as prepared as you get the night before, you just never know what a morning might throw at you!! In saying that, when it goes well and we are all out the door on time, its a real sense of accomplishment! But i definitely need a strong coffee on arrival at work!

Which factors cause the highest stress levels on the school run?

Over sleeping, I have lost count of how many I will get up in 5 minutes time examples which always go wrong!

Do you have any tips for making the school run a smoother and less stressful experience?

Do as much as possible the night before, clothes out etc

If a stressful school run is unavoidable, how does it affect the rest of your day?

Well I have to drive my daughter to school, 3+ miles of country lanes and when I get there, some of the parking is appalling, how some of therse people passsed their driving tests astounds me. This means it has a knock on effect with my patience in how I feel to the other poor road users throughout the day.

Traffic - aaaarrrrrrrrghhhhhf!

Our school run stress starts as soon as my daughter wakes up. she suffers with sensory difficulties and routine issues( waiting for a diagnosis on the routines) this includes underwear, socks, shoes label. its a nightmare she can spend from 10 minutes to an hour trying to find clothes that will be comfortable for that day. This is then followed by her issues with food and breakfast, what is looking ok to eat that day and what will make her sick. following this is teeth brushing this can take over 20 minutes because of the feeling of the brush in her mouth. All this has to be done in the same order everyday no matter what the time.eventually we will make it out of the door after the crying, screaming and negotiating only then to have to follow the same route to school whether it be jam packed with traffic or not. Then when arriving at the school you are faced with people who have no understanding of space or correct parking,(this causes stress levels to heighten) leaving cars facing all sorts of directions and angles. Finally after all the dodging and carefully maneuvering (which add even more time to our already late morning) we make it to school. In that short time I already feel like ive done a days work.

Mums who don't park safely drive me up the wall, they should consider the other children & parents safety

We are only 3 days in, so it's not been any trouble so far.

The most stressful thing is the 3yo goes to nursery in the opposite direction, but luckily they are flexible with the start time!

Primary school was stressful in that although the school was only round the corner we were always one of the last ones there. My son is autistic and a bit of a night owl so goes to bed too late and hard to get up. Also he needs constant reminders to eat breakfast/get dressed etc etc whilst I whiz around doing everything else.

The first week at secondary school hasn't been too bad as we are now all forced to leave the house at 7.45am to arrive by 8.15am. This has meant we have to be more organised and get things ready the night before. I still get stressed out though when I am ready to go and my husband and son are still getting ready!

To try to avoid stress we bought a house 1 minutes walk from the school back gate. I get everything ready the night before so I could get up at 8:30 if I wanted and have the children washed, dressed, fed and at their desks for 9am.

which factors cause the highest stress levels on the school run?
The biggest cause of stress for me is people driving their children to school and parking irresponsibly.

Do you have any tips for making the school run a smoother and less stressful experience?
I think the key is in being organised. Have everything ready the night before.

If a stressful school run is unavoidable, how does it affect the rest of your day?
It ruins my day!

the worse thing to cause stress is all the mum's who can't be bothered to walk their kids to school pulling up one after the other which blocks the pathway/sidewalk on the school side of the road meaning you have to walk a lot further than is necessary, pure selfishness

Other people cause the stress! Silly parking, pulling out without indicating, it's bedlam!

Perpetration is key, do as much the night before, and if like us you get the sillyness above, get there earlier

We are really lucky that the school is quite close so we can walk. It is actually more awkward to drive as the road is very narrow and cars can only travel one way.

I try to get everything organised the night before so in the morning, it's up, dressed, breakfast, teeth, shoes and out- it sounds simple, but it rarely ever is!!

So, which factors cause the highest stress levels on the school run?

Definitely getting everyone out of the house on time! Breakfast can be ridiculously slow some days which means that the walk to school can be a huge rush! In addition to that, someone's book bag inevitably goes missing or we can only find one shoe!

Do you have any tips for making the school run a smoother and less stressful experience?

Get everything ready the night before - lunches, drinks bottles, book bags, coats, uniform. If possible make sure your Husband leaves for work first! For some reason when he's at home, we always run late!

If a stressful school run is unavoidable, how does it affect the rest of your day?

I try not to let it affect it. You just have to move on with the day and congratulate yourself on getting everyone to the right place!

Which factors cause the highest stress levels on the school run?

Waking up late - my daughter loves her sleep and so getting her up in time is a nightmare!

Do you have any tips for making the school run a smoother and less stressful experience?

prepare, prepare, prepare. Make sure lunches are made, uniform ready and laid out, homework done, bookbag packed. And let your little ones know that if you ever are shouty/stressed/angry in the mornings that you are very sorry and don't mean it. I hate letting her go to school thinking I am angry at her.

If a stressful school run is unavoidable, how does it affect the rest of your day?

I feel guilty and rushed the rest of the day :(

Running late and then getting stuck in traffic