Two children under 5 - how long to get out of the house on a morning?

[dontrunwithscissors]

I'm getting a little ahead of myself (as DD2 hasn't even been born yet!), but I'm wondering how long it will take me to get both DD's up and ready on a morning when I go back to work. They'll be 1 and 3.5 by that point. I've no idea how much you can expect a 3.5 year old to do on her own (at the moment, she insists on doing everything herself, only to struggle, get into a tantrum....). At the moment it takes me 1.5-2 hours to get us both ready and out of the door to nursery/work - can I expect that to increase greatly once there's another one to struggle with? Or can I expect my eldest to have started to do a bit of getting dressed on her own?

I am wondering the same thing - dd (2.1) and I take on average 1.5h.
it was much quicker when she was smaller and more biddable, more portable, less liable to be wander off and be distracted and/or tantrum
so I am hoping it won't go up too much.
I forsee a lot of practice runs while I am on matleave...

Hi Dontrunwithscisors (still love the name)
I have a 20month and 4.5 year old.
I have to be in work 810amish, I usually get in 820ish (but no big issues as not strongly tied to precise hours)
I get up at 0630-0640.
My husband helps get the kids ready
It takes about 1 hour to get them out. I leave the house around 745 to get them 10 min walk to childminder (3mins adult on own time, 10mins with perambulating children)
They eat own breakfast (I don't sit and feed them - though occasionally have to stick spoonfuls in)
Neither dress or undress themselves. I have to do both. The 4.5 year old could do it, he just is not doing it.
Once awake, they come down, eat cereal, watch a little tv while i am doing stuff and then I dress them both and off we go.
The harder part is getting me ready- clothes to wear, (stand in front of wardrobe worrying), packed lunch for me, makeup on, extra bits I need for work.....
So before kids it took me 10-15mins to get out, now more like 1.5 hours.
To be fair the things that take me time are usually emptying/loading dishwasher, doing laundry, preparing slow cooker meals etc. Sometimes not things I can do the night before.
There are tactics you can use till you get in a routine- get all clothes out and ready night before, make packed lunches night before (mostly I do this and it is just taking out of fridge and snacks I am getting in the morning).Get little ones change bag ready night before. Leave all stuff by front door so it is ready to go in morning (not snacks obviously keep them in fridge)

Keep breakfast simple. Give the baby stuff they can manage themselves like toast.
Get your partner to do certain tasks, make sure he knows they are his responsibility in the morning and that you both have things to do. My husband is good to help get kids ready, he gets breakfast for them and usually dresses one before he goes. Even if he was going earlier, he would leave bowls, spoons etc ready for us. I didn't have to ask, he just saw they needed done (he does not notice debris, dirty laundry, nearly full dishwasher waiting to go on but he does notice the kids needs)

I have two - DS1 is 3.5 and DS2 is six months. To get out of the door at 8.15am I get up at 6.30am. (This is without DP)

I have a 7 year old, a 2 year old and a 9 week old.
I set the alarm for 7, bf DS2 until 7.30-7.45 and leave the house for school at 8.45.

I don't shower then as I have a bath the night before, but that does include my full make up and hair and all kids dressed and breakfasted etc.

I would say and hour and a half is about right for yourself and two children. Oh for the days when I could get up at 7.30am and be out the house by 8.15!!

We get up at about 6.30 on a work day and I wash my hair while kids have a play/drink etc. Then I make breakfast and we all sit to eat it. I bribe them with TV so I can get dressed (so work clothes stay clean) put on my face. Then it's TV off, get kids dressed/teeth/shoes etc. Bit of a story and off we go to CM to be there at 8.am

If it's a day that we don't have to be at CM will still get up at same time but everything seems to take longer so we are off to school at 8.45am.

I agree with others get all clothes and lunches ready night before.

to get me and 2 boys - 3 and 4 showered, dressed, breakfast and some tv around an hour MAX.

i get as much done as i can the night before so the mornings are less stressful, at a push we can do it in half hour x

It will be alot easier than you think . It used to take me ages to get one child ready, now I find I can get 2 ready in half the time!
Actually, having said that, I think the time of year, and having a child under 1 makes a huge difference.

Getting a toddler to use the toilet, then get dressed into several layers of clothes, plus snow suit, wilst getting 6 month old ready was quite time consuming. I'd get them dressed in stages, frequently discovering the toddler had removed items, then for the final bit leave the door open so the baby didn't overheat whilst the toddler was getting dresses up.

At a year old it was far easier.
7am Everyone wakes up and has breakfast in bed together.
I get both children and myself dressed and ready.
7.45am we leave the house.

45 minutes from waking to leaving [smug emoticon]

Thanks, all, for your feedback. DH would help, but he leaves the house very early so it's usually just me (although I'm hoping his employers will allow him to change his hours once I go back to work after #2). I'm getting soooo frustrated with trying to get DD out of the house at the mo - she not only has to do everything herself, but she also has to 'help' me get dressed. She's a light sleeper, so usually wakes up as soon as I do: there's little chance of me getting ready beforehand. (Although now my bump's getting bigger, I have taken her up on an offer to put my socks on for me...) I'm hoping that all this will mean she'll be doing everything herself in a year's time.

Wrigglegiggle I'm amazed by your 45 min morning routine.

SO much good advice here. I have DS (3.5) and DD (2.5) and key bits are:

*Definitely prepare everything the night before. Lunches, bags, lay out clothes, etc

*Eat breakfast first and dress afterwards - can always pop pajamas in the washbasket but changing daytime clothes at last mo = nightmare

*TV is super at keeping kids calm while you dress.

Good luck (for us it's 1-1.5hr)

I have two - DS 3.3 years, DD 8 months.

This is how our routine goes !!

DS wakes around 6.30am. He comes in for quick cuddle, I jump in shower whilst he snuggles in bed. DH then follows

I get dressed (I'm a 2 mins showerer), put make up on - hair can wait and don't wash it everyday.

I get all clothes out the night before. DS usually wears joggy bottoms and a t-shirt to nursery so there's no discussion/argument re what he's wearing which is a good thing as he's now a boy with serious attitude.

Once we're all ready, get DD out of bed - she might wake up a bit early but she'll lie there and wait. Give DD her milk,

Get DD dressed (by now we're at about 7.05am.)

Without breakfast, I'd be marching the double buggy up to the busstop with children strapped in by 7.20am.

With breakfast for DS and me only 7.45am (DD breakfasts at nursery at about 8.45am).

The night before I have
Handbag packed.
Lunch bits I'd like to take packed and ready to whip out of fridge.
Spare clothes for DD in a bag ready to take
Coats for me DS and DD on the chair by the door
Shoes and socks for all of us by the front door.
Keys/Glasses/Watch in known place (I'm hopeless).
Buggy either up and ready with cosytoes and bags hanging off or sometimes if we drive to a car park near work, in the car park.

The hardest parts for me is whether DS will co-operate and just get on with it in amongst the whingeing and strops and whether DD pukes/poos just after milk/just as we're about to leave and one/both of us have to change. So, all good in theory !!

PS I do have a DH but the most he can manage is maybe helping DS with his shoes !!!....he usually buggers off by 7.15am and seems to only manage to put a spanner in the works rather than being a serious help !

I only have one, but can get up and out in about 40mins.

everything is ready the night before:
DD's clothes chosen by her, bag packed and ready
my clothes chosen and ironed.
my packed lunch made
we both have a bath in the evening, and I blowdry my hair in the evening.
no breakfasts - we have that at work/nursery, although am 5mins walk from nursery so it's easy to get away with that one

I get up at 6.50. wash face, make up, brush hair, chuck clothes on. If DD is awake, she had a cup of milk in bed while I finish. This bit is key - for some reason it runs much smoother if I'm ready before she's up. At 7.10 I get DD ready. I've worked pt since she was 6mo, so she has learnt that work mornings are really not the time to have a battle of wills, as she gets very short shrift indeed. But I do try to finish work early so we can have nice leisurely evenings instead.

Cups, mugs, and discarded nightwear all stay wherever they land , and I tidy round in the evening.