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

[pfcpompeysarah]

Make sure bags are all prepared, everything is labelled, child is reassured that they can talk to their teacher if they have any problems, and that sandwiches/lunchbags are all ready to go.

[MumsFlouncingOnASummerHoliday]

Check bookbags before lights out.

Have plenty of time to get up, dressed, washed, fed before school.

Label everything (biro is fine and better than nothing, but needs redoing after a wash or two ).

Keep plenty of change and envelopes.

Buy a calendar and jot things on it as they appear on newsletters.

Post it notes/ check list on the front door can help if things are a bit hectic.

Buy new gym shoes when ever you get new school shoes!

You're only human, don't swet the small stuff- everyone misses the odd thing.

[Pinkangel23]

Wow some really organised people here! Good Organisation for me is: having a clean school uniform ironed and laid out the night before, clean shoes, bag and packed lunch. Plus my clothes and baby DD's. Also having some spares like older school jumpers, and joggers just incase. Also label everything.

Most of the time I'm pretty disorganised so I bribe DS with a banana or cereal bar go get him dressed .

We walk to school so a scooter can help get them their quicker and it's fun for the kids. I still find the journey home a bit stressful so an school snack helps.

[amanda08]

My tip is to get your DCs moving independantly as young as possible. Its so easy to dress them etc when you are in a rush even past the age they need your help. If you bite your tongue and let them get on with it they will soon be jumping into the shower, dressing and pouring cornflakes by them selves. Plenty of love and praise whilst they are doing it and they will glow with pride too :)

[Starlingsintheslipstream]

Everything ready the night before and no TV until kids are dressed (that's the theory at least...).

[compy99]

everything labelled twice and everything set out overnight to save time.

[Llareggub]

I find bribery is the only thing that really works. Mine get points for behaviour (they are a nightmare for arguing over everything) and if individually they both get at least 5 out of 10 every day they both get a pack of match attax. Exceptional behaviour gets rewarded with a special treat.

I don't bother laying stuff out the night before. I make sure there is enough of everything washed and dried and I get them to make sure they know where their things are. Same for bookbags, PE kit. Their responsibility. They are 9 and 7 and usually pretty good at this. My job is to sort their lunches, get them up and out and off to breakfast club.

I only took responsibility for their stuff in KS1. In juniors it's up to them, although I do remind them.

[throwingpebbles]

We have a long round trip to nursery and school, so (if organised!)'often get to school quite early. We tend to do DS reading /keywords then, which saves us having to do them at bedtime when he is tired and his little sister is jumping on our heads

[mouldycheesefan]

Check calendar every Sunday for any school requirements for the next week e.g money for anything, take in a cereal box etc
Bags ready night before including swim or pe kit- get kids to do this themselves
Do things in same order every morning so kids get into a routine
List on fridge, get dressed, breakfast, teeth, hair
We do all our homework and reading in the mornings as kids go to after school club and are not then in the mood to do it in evenings, so we allow half an hour every morning for that
Get yourself ready night before too, clothes, car keys etc
Make children responsible for themselves, have their own alarm clock etc
School uniform does make it much easier!

[teddygirlonce]

Get up half an hour ahead of the children. That time will enable you to collect thoughts, have a cup of tea/coffee and get lunch boxes sorted before the chaos of children interrupts efficiency!

[littleme96]

On the first day we get ready a little bit early to allow first day of the school year photos. :-)

Lunches are made the night before - kids are allowed some input into what they would like, within reason! Book bags are sorted out as soon as they get home so no important letters get missed - dates put in diary straight away and letters put on fridge. Book bags are kept in a set place, as are school shoes to ensure they don't go missing.

Everything gets labelled and clothes are laid out the night before. The rule is that you must get dressed before breakfast on a school day!

[Bostin]

Fly by the seat of your pants and wonder how you ever made it to school with ten minutes to spare. It's the mornings we're up early that seem to end up with us only just making it.

[Dingbat]

One of my ds is a fussy eater wrt fruit and veg but will eat sultanas. I make a bag of SR flour into scones with so much fruit in it that one scone is roughly a portion. I butter them and individually wrap for the freezer so each day I can take the right number out for lunch boxes. By lunchtime they have thawed and no-one seems to find it repetitive including dh.

[redbook]

Prepare everything the night before.

Get up early. Maybe even before DCs to get yourself organised before dealing with everyone else

[Maiyakat]

Have some play dates with other children starting in the same class. Talk about school regularly but don't make it into a big thing. Label everything and buy endless hair clips!

[buckley1983]

My LO hasn't started school yet, but it is on the horizon - so I am reading this with interest! We were planning on tweaking our current routine for Preschool & it seems from reading this thread, we are along the right lines!

Prepare everything the night before to avoid the mad morning rush;

• bag packed including any extras for that particular day (PE kit, show & tell item, trip money, etc)
  
• shoes & clothes clean & ready
  
• Packed lunch made. - Loving the tip from LunaLoveg00d about freezing the yogurt & using as an ice pack to keep the rest of the lunch cool.. I am definitely using that one!
  
• Use a noticeboard in a prominent place in the kitchen marking each day & anything special needed for those days - play dates, after school groups, parties, etc.
  

:)

[phillie1]

Do not let the TV go on, and no using phones etc etc

[Lurleene]

Buy sliced cheese for lunch box sandwiches- much less faff than welding a sharp knife when you are half asleep.

[MakeTeaNotWar]

Lay everything out the night before then leave really early for work so DH has to deal with the breakfast-eating, getting dressed, brushing teeth etc

[LadyFuchsiaGroan]

Dd starts school in September - so will be definitely using some of these. With regards to labeling clothes, what do you use? I have no idea whether to use permanent marker or labels (where do you even buy labels??)

[mo3733]

prepare everything the night before

[BreconBeBuggered]

Hang the uniform up in plain sight in their room, otherwise a grumpy child will accuse you of 'hiding' it in the wardrobe, which does not add to parental early morning serenity.

[gincredible]

Everything is ready the night before. Clothes and shoes for me, my son and the toddler. Bags are packed and in the boot of the car and the table is set for breakfast. I don't eat my breakfast at home - I pack it the night before and eat it in peace (whilst heaving a huge sigh of relief) once I get to my desk after the nursery and school run. I don't faff about with making packed lunches, I make sure my two eat a hot meal at lunchtime so it's sandwiches when we get home and time is short before bed!

[gincredible]

Oh and have an extra set of toothbrushes etc. downstairs so you can do a last minute clean without having to go back upstairs.

[Daisymaybe60]

LadyFuchsiaGroan, you can still buy labels at M & S, which was always the go to store for school uniform back in the day. But there are plenty of online suppliers these days, of course.

My tip would be, because there's always a ridiculously high minimum order (50 or so) order them with child 1's initial at the start and child 2's at the end. So you'll have perhaps A Smith B. Just cut off the one you don't need before you iron/sew them on. If you have more than two DC, just choose their names accordingly