Share your school morning hacks with Arla Big Milk – chance to win £300 voucher!NOW CLOSED

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

Whether you’re celebrating or commiserating, it will soon be time to go back to school. For some, it will be the first time their DCs put on their (slightly too large) school uniforms and head off into primary school. To make the new routine a little easier for first-time school mums, Arla wants to know what clever tricks and hacks you use to make everything run a little smoother during your own school week.

Here’s what Arla has to say: 'Being a parent is often unpredictable and getting your little one the nutrients they need isn’t always easy. That’s why Arla Big Milk has been developed to specifically meet the needs of growing children from ages one to five*, enriched with essential nutrients to help support children’s growth and development as part of their balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Arla Big Milk ‘helping your little ones become big ones’

If your DC is starting school this September, what do you plan to do to prepare them (and yourself!) for the change? Are you going to rehearse the school routine, or the school run? Do you have a plan to cope with your own emotions on their first day?

If you already been there and done it - once that scary first day was out of the way how did you keep the momentum going? Did you turn getting ready for school into a fun challenge, with strict time limits and music? Perhaps you’re a stickler for getting lunches, uniforms and bags prepared and set out the night before, ready for the day ahead? Do you end up resorting to good old bribery to get the kids out of the door on time?

Whatever your tip or hack is, Arla want to hear about it, so post a comment below. Everyone who posts will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will receive a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Insight T&Cs Apply

*The Department of Health recommends that children at the age of one move onto fresh whole cows’ milk and that their diets are supplemented with additional Vitamin, A, D and Iron

Packed lunch prepared, the night before, with frozen fruit muffins on hand to keep it chilled through the morning.

A place for everything and everything in its place. Each child's shoes, for example, left in a specific spot so they can pick them up and put them on, in the morning.

I will confess that our mornings are a lot calmer since they've had separate leaving times. It's much easier to organise DS2 and get him out of the house without DS1 skulking around, grumbling about everything, as he's out of the house by 7:30!

My eldest (8) gets cereals out for the other 3 whilst I am dressing the baby so they can start eating and I can give baby his bottle X. My 6 yr old clears the pits away and all get themselves dressed before leaving their bedroom (even my 3 yr old) you can go to school still eating toast but going in your pyjamas is a bit weird

I get absoloutly everything ready the night before, for me and the kids!

I think getting out of bed ahead of the children makes life easier. I can drink and eat in peace and have the packed lunches done before I start rousing them. Then shout orders gently cajole them until they're out of the door.

Children respond best to simple one or two step instructions, so "teeth, shoes" is far more effective than long winded instructions /pleas.
When I was post op and confined to bed, i pinned a check list to the inside of the front door for the kids along the lines of " have you got your bag, pe kit, lunch, water bottle?"
Now they leave on their own I have taught them to sing "bag, keys and SLAM THE DOOR" as they leave.

Get everything organized the day before and tell my child what to expect

Clothes and bags set out the night before. Early to bed but lots of stories to relax them before sleep. Get up with plenty of time and no tv or play until washed, dressed and eaten breakfast. If they are slow set a kitchen timer. Plenty of praise for each task completed.

The evening before set the breakfast table and layout your child's complete set of clothes out in their room. Also have packed lunches prepared and in the fridge ready to pop into lunch bags and have pe kits, shoes etc readyi in the hall way.

Everything laid out ready for the morning rush.

Always keep some money in the car for last minute requests.

Plan ahead.

Any dressing up item you see in a charity shop buy - at some point it will be needed.

keep a well organised calender and label everything - and never put off doing jobs till the last minute

Getting everything ready the night before and doing the school reading books before going to bed.

Sandwiches made and frozen, after deciding together on fillings.

Organisation....
Things ready the night before and then 5 minute warnings as the time gets closer!

Try and get as much ready the night before so it's not so much of a rush in the morning

Organise everything the night before and plan to leave the house 15 minutes before you need to leave the house - being early means they can stop and look at interesting things on the way, or run about with friends in the playground before hand, but then if you are late, you aren't actually late!

Plan, plan, plan! Dates on Google calendar with alerts to remind me; lunches sorted night before; homework bag emptied at teatime every night (wish they would just send it home in one go every week!). PE kit every Monday morning and brought home on a Friday: this took some training and is linked to pocket money!

Have an in tray and out tray by the front door (or boxes so they fit everything). Kids jobs to empty their book bags when they get in and put letters, etc. in the in tray. Then check at some point in the evening and put everything needed for the next day in the out tray so it can be grabbed on the way out the door.

Organise everything the night before, prepare break/lunch food too.

The night before, make sure as much stuff as possible is ready to just 'pick up and go'. You might be shattered, but you'll thank yourself the next morning!

Make uniform as easy to put on and take off as possible - pull on trousers, Velcro shoes etc. rather than lots of buttons, buckles.

Once you have their schedule, make a large weekly planner that they can see, with their activities on it. That way they can become responsible for knowing which day is PE, football, tennis etc. and what kit they need that day.

From Day 1, set your leaving time in the morning 10 minutes earlier than you actually need to leave - and stick to it! It will become ingrained in everyone's head that this is walking out of door time, and you will save yourself untold stress when someone can't find something or needs a last minute wee one morning!

Not sure yet, my daughter only starts in September, eeek! Luckily school is a 2 minute walk from home so plenty of time to get things right!

i prepare everything the night before and try to make getting ready fun !

Do as much ad you can the night before. Do tasks at the same time in the same order and children will soon learn the jobs that have to be done. Give them their own responsibilities like making sure they have packed their homework and they will quickly become independent

for me its my family calendar on my hallway wall - everything is there for each child - school clubs (before and after), cookery ingredients, what day swimming and PE is on, any school trips and term dates. Its the first thing I look at in the evening to make sure a club is attended (early drop off or late pick up) all kits are ready, football boots are clean. My family may be chaotic at times, but it is organised and all clubs are attended, it beats a smartphone any day.

Get everything ready the night before - preparing the packed lunches and lay out the uniforms and set the alarm clock 10 minutes earlier than required - they tend to cause delays!

Always have packed lunches done beforehand

first day at school have EVERYTHING by the front door. get DC involved in making a milk shake/smoothie the night before to take with them. Let them choose ingredients and draw a happy face on the bottle. let them decide a treat for the end of the day. be excited and positive yourself!!