IKEA would like to hear your tips for making the weekday school routine as stress-free as possible

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Getting your kids out of the door for the morning school run is not for the faint hearted. It’s a task that hardly ever goes to plan, with the potential for things to go wrong always lurking around the corner. With this in mind, IKEA would love to know hear your advice on how you make the weekday school routine as stress-free as possible, and any hacks you might have to make your life easier.

Here’s what IKEA have to say:
“A key way to keeping morning madness to a minimum is involving everyone in the home. When your home is set up so that your little ones don’t need constant help, everyone’s a winner. Put dinnerware and food in places your children can easily reach so they can set the table while you focus on making breakfast. A light step stool can help in the kitchen and bathroom.
In the bedroom, our STUVA range is designed from the ground up ensuring interiors are all easily reachable by little hands, with most parts being adjustable, meaning the furniture can grow your child. But one of the best places to keep well organised is the hallway. A bench with hidden storage will work wonders, just pop their bags inside and add a coat rack at their height nearby to give them a one stop shop before leaving each morning.”

Have you established an efficient system to get your kids out of the door on time? How do you deal with unexpected obstacles that get in your path when trying to leave? Do you prepare meticulously the night before, or do you wing it in the morning and hope for the best - maybe the latter works best for you!

All who share their tips on avoiding the stress of the weekday school run will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win £300 in IKEA vouchers.
Thanks and good luck

MNHQ
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A place for everything and everything in its place -

It does NOT come naturally to me - but anything else means total chaos!

Funnily enough, most of our 'places' are in one of our many Kallax! (Kallaxes? Kallaxi? )

Nor rtft, so this might have been covered.
It’s not so much the physical logistics of being able to reach the needed stuff, but talking through the stuff that needs to be done.

Kids can be jolly unaware of the things that are going on around then.

Spell it out.

We've done very similar to your image under our stairs. Each child has a draw a hook and shelf etc, they have to put things on it the night before and then everything is ready to go in the morning.

Get everything ready the night before, wake up before the kids, and wake up earlier then you need to. And ignore tantrums

What ikea said. Everything set up to remove as many barriers as possible to things getting done. Kids can get their own clothes and reach the sink and after years of repeating myself I think they've just about got what they're expected to do! Then a decent space aside by the door for shoes and bags and stuff so it's always in the right place for us.

We aim to get bags packed and things ready the night before. Having enough uniform so that I don't have to worry about washing, drying and putting away in the week is a big help too (apart from cardigans which I have two of but are quick to dry).

Since we IKEA-ed the house we don’t need to be organised because the house is. Less stress, less fuss, Job done.

I always buy new sets of school uniform either from the school shop on-line or at the supermarket in August, with 3 sets to save having to wash midweek. Feet measured and new school shoes at the end of July/early August - good school shoes are a must for me, but if you go at the end of August - there is often low stock - both on-line and in store.

Sew name tapes in all items of clothing and I superglue them inside the school shoes too.

New pencil cases with highlighters, gel pens, pencils and erasers, new school bag (practical to carry - so I go for a themed rucksack).

Get a family calendar for term dates. school closures, and the school timetable, so we know well in advance and can plan any half term events.

Finally as DS1 uses the school bus - make sure you have the new bus pass and pre-paid card for bus fares.

Pack everything night before. Clothes out for everyone night before. Run and empty dishwasher night before. Start morning with a cup of tea, no compromises. A little iPad time to load the dishwasher after breakfast.

Lower rack of coat hooks so little ones can put on/take off / hang up book bags and coats

Bags and lunches are sorted the night before. I had the uniforms laid out ready too - with five children I need to be super organised.
All best laid plans can go wrong if the kids are not playing ball haha!

I think every morning if different to be honest. Sometimes mine get up late or early, depends on the weather lol. I work with children too so it's Triple difficult,
1.Making sure uniform is ready. Get dressed

1. Breakfast is available on the table / tv on pause
2. Teeth brushed /washed face
3. Hair up
4. tv back on
5. Shoes on placed near the door
6. Coat on
7. Packed lunch waiting as done this whilst kids get dressed always want a fresh packed lunch
8. Grab bag

10. Kisses and hugs goodbye, be good, have a good day

we have the Ikea STÄLL in our hallway, 4 compartments us all, with our shoes nicely showed away for before school. the SKÅDIS keeps my car keys - before `i got this I had several frantic mornings looking for my car keys when we were ready, I also have post it notes for dentist/doctor/ reminders which I look at most days.
I feel if you get up early enough my alarm is at 6:30 and the children are 7:00, this gives me enough time to come round, have a coffee, watch the news, pack lunchboxes. I have make a breakfast which is quick to eat, normally readybrek or wheatabix (toast or cereal seems to take twice as long). By 8 am it's uniform on. teeth brushed and out of the door for 8:40 and at the school gates for 8:50. Getting up early enough and having everything in the right place is the best start to a busy week day.

The key is the box in the hallway. Everything is put in there, whether it's the night before or in the morning.... even reminder notes. It's also easy enough to tell someone else exactly where they should leave an item. No miscommunication.... no chance of them leaving things in the wrong place.

The whole box is lifted into the car in the morning. Nothing is forgotten!

Organisation and preparation are essential - we’re out the door at 7.15 most mornings and I’m certainly not wanting to faff about looking for stuff that early! We have a drop down wall mounted shoe storage box in the hall way for each of us, with another for school bags and pegs for coats - everything has a place so we know where to find it!

We have a step stool in the bathroom so the DC can reach the toothpaste and brush and get on with brushing teeth and washing while I get ready.

Anything needing to be handed in to school gets left on top of my bag in the hallway the night before so it’s not forgotten in the rush to get out. I have countless reminders on my phone too, and notes on my bag if I need to remember to get packed lunches out of the fridge!

School bags get dealt with as soon as we get home - I get the DC to check for homework/party invites/letters etc and dates to remember get added to the calendar straight away. The calendar has pockets to keep invites, appointment letters etc in one place.

Double check what we need to take the night before. Have a routine and stick to it! Also get up early enough so there's a bit of spare time for the inevitable forgot-to-pack-my-sports-kit type emergencies. And tv only allowed when everyone's dressed, teeth brushed and ready to go.

The same as other people..
Bags and lunches made and sorted the night before.
All uniform is ironed and hung together in a set.
Letters are unfurled from the bottom of bags and actioned ASAP. Dates written on the caldender and reminders for cash/non uniform etc.

I need to be prepared to have a smooth morning.

All clothes/ underwear / shoes and coats laid out.
Lunches made and in the fridge ready to be handed out.
Breakfast is the first thing, or else no one would eat. Cereal/ fruit and toast or pastries usually.

I echo getting everything ready the night before, uniforms and shoes, PE kit, ingredients for cookery, correct books etc, lunches in fridge. It makes everything so much easier in the morning.

Lay clothes out the night before, without fail!

Breakfast: Everything is within easy reach and our most used items are placed in jars on our Raskog trolley in the kitchen.

Bathroom: The DC's flannels hang on Ikea suction hooks and they also have a separate toothbrush holder so they can swiftly use them.

School clothes are washed and dried when required and placed in their individual storage tubs which are kept in their joint Pax wardrobe. They have individual tubs for their underwear too which they select themselves each morning.

Those with lunches take the pre-prepared food from the fridge and put it in their lunch bags which are kept on our Raskog trolley.

All coats and school bags are hanging on individual low level hooks by the front door. Seasonal items are also placed on their hooks so they are available when needed.

We recently purchased a Brusali shoe cabinet and have our own section each and this has helped to tidy the hallway, plus it looks great!

We're now saving up for the Ivar storage unit with foldable table to help free up floor space when we need it in the living room (as we have no dining room) and also to hold extra storage for their usual craft bits and to keep usual breakfast crockery to add even for ease to the morning. Plus a couple of Sakarias chairs for us parents to make our morning coffee more leisurely and to steal some precious family time round the table as we don't usually eat breakfast as early as the DC!

Is it obvious that we LOVE Ikea?!

A new uniform for every day of the week that's washed and ironed at the weekend so no midweek panic trying to get a clean set sorted.
Bags and shoes all sorted before bed and left by the door ready to go first thing.
Snack pots and drinks bottles all washed and left by the sink and sorted during breakfast

Bags and handbags packed the night before

Enough uniform for every day of the week so all clean on and always washed and prepped at the weekend

Get up before kids so I have time to prepare myself before cajoling them for ages

Even check the weather the night before and decide what I'm wearing each day in advance 😄

Storage is absolute key in our house.
Bed with deep integral drawers with socks/undies/ school uniform in.
These drawers are at ground level so reachable for even the youngest child.
This also promotes independence and responsibility for getting themselves ready.
In the hallway we have shoe cabinets (IKEA of course) so shoes are always put away where they live.
Next to shoe cabinets are coat hooks, again s child level where costs and bags are hung up after school.
Breakfast stuff is laid out in the evening.
We also have ikea clocks in each room so people know how long they have to do tasks.
As long as everyone knows where everything is and what is expected each morning then it works well.

Get organised the night before with bags and lunches etc
I use shoe storage boxes under a bench and hang the kids coats on the end so they are ready to go.
We also don't allow screens until they are completely ready to go and then they can watch something while I quickly get ready or do a few jobs
Getting up early is key too so you don't end up stressed and rushing