Tell me your morning routine

bearfootz · May 2013

I've been a bit spoiled when it comes to the morning routine as a working mom, and I'll admit that. It will all come to a screeching halt in the next month so I need to prepare for it. That's where I need your help.

We've always had a sitter come to the house so I've never had to haul the kids to DC before going to work. Other than classes on Saturday or church on Sunday, for which DH is typically around, we're usually not in a huge rush. The kids will be doing a summer preschool program that I'll be dropping them off for before I go to work. DH will have already left for work so getting ready will all be up to me.

What does your morning routine look like and what advice do you have? And this is weird, but do I get them up extra early to eat breakfast at the table or just give them a granola bar to eat on the way to school (they're not be breakfast eaters)?

*sparky* · May 2013

I always try to get myself up with enough time to get myself ready and organized before I wake up DS. Then I wake him up about 45 mins before we have to leave for school, which gives him enough time to get ungroggy, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth and go. Try to get things packed up as much as possible the night before so you are not running around doing that too.

He is definitely a big breakfast eater though, so he needs about 20 minutes for that.

bridetobe920 · May 2013

Right now, we just have DD, but we are due with LO #2 next month (so this could change).

We get up, and I get into the shower (DH showers at night). If we are lucky, DD will sleep for a while longer, but often times, the shower wakes her up.

If she stays asleep, we hurry up and get ourselves dressed, hair fixed, make up, etc.

Then, we wake her up, have her go to the potty, get her dressed and let her watch a quick show while we finish getting ourselves ready, get the car loaded, etc. She eats at this time (in our bed, with a towel underneath of her to catch crumbs Stick out tongue )

Like I said though, the shower often wakes her up. If that's the case, we put on a longer show to give us more time to get ready. She eats during this time too (same as above, in our bed). After we are ready, we get her dressed, potty, brush her teeth, etc.

DH does daycare drop offs, and we generally leave the house around the same time. Since he gets to work later than me after dropping her off, I do the pick ups in the afternoon.

We don't love the idea of her eating her breakfast in bed with the tv on, but we have to do what we have to do and it works for us.

ETA - She also gets a morning snack at 9am at daycare (i.e. fruit, cereal, etc.), so something small at home first is enough to hold her over until then.

litzo27 · May 2013

PrivacyWanted:
I get totally dressed then wear a bathrobe over my clothes to save them from spit up and messy hands.

This is all kinds of brilliant!!! I always think how inefficient it is that I have to put on my sweats after the shower only to make sure I don't get my outfit dirty while doing breakfast, teeth-brushing, etc. Especially on those days I actually am rushing.

My mornings are relaxed right now since I don't leave with the older one for daycare until 8:45. I get up around 5:30 to work out and by 6:30 or so I have usually showered and go to nurse DS2. Usually by the time we're done and I change him DS1 is up and I'll play with them for about 40 minutes. Then I go to get breakfast ready, we eat all together, brush teeth and change and I'm out the door by 8:45.

I'll need to change things come September when I'll have to leave the house by 8 sharp to drop the little one in daycare and the big one in kindergarten. I'm planning to use the advice above of prepping lunches, clothes and bags the night before. And the bathrobe trick!

TriciaandSean · May 2013

Get myself ready and then get my son up about 30 minutes before we need to leave. I bring a cereal bar and his milk upstairs so he can eat while he gets dressed. We usually need to read one or two books. Then we come downstairs and I grab his lunch out of the fridge (made the night before) and my lunch and put it in the car and then tell him the car is leaving and he is normally fairly cooperative and comes outside and gets in the car.

He usually eats a yogurt and a cheese when we get to school so a cereal bar is enough to hold him over on the 10 minute drive to school.

azuremama · May 2013

I get up and get ready, then get the kids up and dressed about 45 minutes before we leave the house. They can watch tv while they eat. We started doing this when DD was tiny and I needed to occupy DS while we got ready. If I was doing it over, I don't know that I would start this habit. I'd rather get out of the house sooner! If you're good with them eating a granola bar or something else portable, I'd probably try that and see how it goes.

sugarbear0524 · May 2013

I get up about 6:45. I shower and hope that DS (almost 2) doesn't wake up until I'm done. When he wakes up (usually around 7:00), I change his diaper and put him in the pack and play where he stands and watches Cars or Mickey Mouse. I get him a sippy of milk and a bowl with cereal and raisins or a fruit/veggie pouch. He hangs out and watches his show while I finish getting ready. Once I'm ready, I change his diaper (if needed) and clothes. We leave about 7:50 and he's at daycare by 8:10 at the latest.

It would be nice to have DH home during this, but he's gone about 7:20. He helps as much as he can until he has to leave. Occasionally we have a bad day but it's ok most of the time.

kcircell · May 2013

lots of great advice, the one thing that I do that is a big help is how I methodically move from room to room. So I do all my getting ready 1st and once I am ready to go to the kitchen I take everything I need with me, then I do everything in the kitchen and then everything in DD's room. It really helps me instead of running back to our room to slip on shoes and grab my purse and then back to her room to grab her bag.

laurakaz13 · May 2013

5:45 - Wake up. Shower, blow dry hair.

6:00 - Get dressed.

6-6:40 - Drink coffee, read news, put on make-up.

6:45 - Put bags in car.

6:50 - Wake DD up, change and dress her. Give her sippy of milk.

7:00 - Leave the house. DD will bring her sippy in the car.

** We are lucky in that DD gets breakfast at 8:00 at school.

fancynewbeesly · May 2013

It depends on the day.

Monday & Tuesday we have the most leeway. I leave for work by 7:40, but my husband doesn't leave for work until 10. He drops her off on Monday and on Tuesday my mom watches her.

On a day like today, she slept until about 8, and we had plenty of time to get her ready with breakfast before my mom came at 9:45.

Wednesday is the busiest--we both have to be at work by 8. Usually I end up dropping her off at my MIL around 7:30. Many times, because it is my MIL she is still in her pjs (a change of clothes in the bag) and no breakfast. We leave at about 7:15 in the morning.

Thursday and Friday is better I work at 8:45, so I leave around 8:15 so she is dressed and completely fed by 8. On most days she gets up around 7:00-7:15.

I definitely can't wait for the summer when I am off. I am going to love lazy mornings.

Jenny952 · May 2013

I am usually on my own in the mornings, as DH leaves for work by 6am, about the time DD and I are waking up for the day. There was a time when she slept later than me, so I could get ready before she woke up, but lately she's been waking between 5:45-6:15, so it's definitely tough. I do a lot of prep the night before. I shower, make lunches and pack our bags. When I was still pumping, I also had to deal with making bottles and washing parts. I also try to lay out my clothes so I can iron if needed. The way it's been lately is that DD wakes up, I change her diaper, nurse for about 15-20 minutes, and get her dressed. Then we go into my bathroom/closet for me to get ready. I keep toys in there for her to play with so she will stay somewhat distracted. I wash my face, put my contacts in, flat iron my hair, etc. and do as much as I can before she starts fussing. When she's bored, we go into the kitchen to have breakfast. She usually has a few bites of cheerios (that mostly end up on the floor) and a sippy of milk while I have a bowl of cereal but then has a full breakfast at daycare, which I pack for her. Then it's back to my room for me to finish up. We end with me changing her diaper one last time, packing the bags and heading out the door. In total it's about an hour and a half from wake-up to out the door. On the mornings when she actually sleeps later, I can get ready much more quickly because I end up spending a mninute or 2 picking her up, playing with her or attending to her in some way. It's definitely tough, but allow yourself plenty of time.

KL777 · May 2013

It will start off as trial and error. You can tweak it as you go. Take your shower the night before. Have your clothes and your children's clothes already picked out and hung on hangers. Make sure you leave in enough time to take the kids to preschool and to get to work on time.

DS eats breakfast at home. DH leaves for work before I do so he does the first part of breakfast with DS (and then goes to work), then I do the second part and the rest of the morning.