2u2 - morning routine (working moms)

TDSak

Hello. I go back to work on Monday. Both kids will go to daycare/preschool. DD will be 2 (on Friday) and DS will be 3 months (next week). I have the ability to work from home a good portion of the time but about 25% of the time I do have to go into the office (30 minute commute). The daycare/preschool is about 10 minutes from our house. I do drop off because DH goes into work earlier than I do in order to beat traffic (longer commute with worse traffic) and to leave earlier than I do and pickup the kids. 

I am also still nursing DS and plan to do so for at least a year (pumping and sending bottles to daycare). I would like to do an early am pump. 

What is your morning routine if you work full time with 2u2? By the way, for the past couple of mornings, DD has been waking up at 5:30 - 5:45. How can I get her to sleep longer so that I can get up and get ready before they do? Or do I have to wake up at 5 am (cringe, but I will do it if I have to)?

 TIA! 

  

sunrei

I have 2u2 (only for another 2 1/2 weeks though) and I work full time and have been since my youngest was 3 months. I also continue to nurse/pump for my youngest. My husband does the drop off and I do pick up so he does the majority of the work in the morning as far as getting them ready to go but I do help get the baby dressed & I nurse her while my oldest is eating breakfast. We get up at 4:30 and the kids normally are up by 5:30 or 6 at the latest. I leave the house at 6:15.

I would say get up earlier so you can make sure you are ready unless they start sleeping longer on their own. I'm not sure how to MAKE a child sleep longer. Mine are just early risers by nature so I have no choice.

If you can nurse before you leave I would do that and just pump at work. I do two sessions at work. One in the morning 4 hours after I nursed her at home and one in the afternoon.

RNOHIO

I don't have too much experience with the routine yet because this is only my 2nd day back to work.  Our routine has worked well so far though.  I am also still nursing and send bottles to DC.  I also have to do the drop off because DH works early.  I get up at 5:15am and get myself ready. Around 5:45am I will wake up DS (who is hopefully still sleeping) and get him changed and dressed for the day.  I then get up DD and get her changed and dressed for the day.  I will get her setup for breakfast and while she is eating, I nurse DS.  I'm out the door by 6:20.  I do a lot of prep the night before such as laying out clothes, prepping dinner, and getting bags packed for the next day so that I can just get everyone up, dressed, and fed in the mornings and not worry about other things.

Mr.&MrsS

Do as much as you can the night before! I pack up anything the kids will need for day care the night before, I pick out their clothes, pick out and iron my clothes, make my lunch, and even shower the night before. (I used to shower in the morning, but waking up at 4:45am was starting to make me too exhausted). Now that they are older they sleep later and the morning routine is easier. At first I was always exhasuted and felt rushed.

Our morning routine now looks like this- I wake up around 6:30 to do my hair, make up and everything to get ready for work (minus getting dressed, that doesnt happen until I am about to walk out the door!). Kids get up around 7am. I change diapers, brush teeth and get them dressed. Then I make them a small snack (used to be a snack for my older one and a bottle for my younger one) because they get breakfast at day care. While they eat I load everything into the car for the day. Then we have a little time to play and hang out. Around 7:50 I pack them into the car and take them to day care.

Like I said, now that my younger one is 15 months old our morning routine is a lot easier. When he was a baby it was certainly more hectic, but it is doable. It just takes a little while to get the routine down and not always be so exhausted.

Good luck!!