Work/Daycare

kbbgg · August 2013

Alright ladies, my magical, year long Canadian mat leave is coming to an end. I'm ready to go back to work but of course, super nervous about how things are all going to fall into place in the mornings.
I have to be at work by 8am an will likely leave the house around 720-730. With the babe, dropping him off at daycare before heading into work.

What time do you get up and what time do you get your babes up?
What does you morning routine look like. Help a sister out.

kbbgg · August 2013

Thanks dude. 5am seems like insanely early to get up. Haha.
How long does daycare drop of usually take?
Luckily my work is a 5-10min drive depending on traffic from daycare.

danabsd · August 2013

I get as much done the night before as possible. Pick out clothes, pack all non-perishables, etc. MH makes our lunches, mine, his and hers while I shower. I put everything in the car. I get 100% ready, wake her up, get her dressed, nurse and out the door in about 30 mins.

I loathe mornings and I doddle in the morning, which is why I do everything at night.

KellersPrag · August 2013

I get up at 5:30, shower, get dressed, prep lunch, do whatever. I wake Charlotte at 6:20, nurse, change her, dress her. Pump & eat breakfast, pack the daycare bag, brush my teeth, get ready to go. Leave the house at 7:40, get to daycare by 7:55, leave daycare by 8:05, get to work by 8:30. Boom.

kbbgg · August 2013

@danabsd thanks dude, night prepping might be our morning savior. Brilliant.

@kellersprag sounds like you have it down, man. I trust any advice ending in "boom". Serious.

@loislayn23 thanks! I'm hoping drop off goes smooth. With the girl I would usually leave even if she was crying because as soon as the door shut she'd be stoked to be there. Her being in DC feels like a million years ago though. I'm totally new at all of this, again.

melody921 · August 2013

I get up at 6 and get ready. I get the kids up by 6:45 (DS is usually already up), get them dressed, nurse DD while DH gives DS breakfast. We leave the house by 7:15 so I can drop the kids at daycare and be at work by 8 (If it get in earlier, that's even better, but I don't like to show up after 8).

But I'm realizing I'm going to have to shift this all a bit bc DD now needs to eat breakfast at home too (they won't give it to her at school when she transitions to the next classroom).

kelbel527 · August 2013

melody921 said:

But I'm realizing I'm going to have to shift this all a bit bc DD now needs to eat breakfast at home too (they won't give it to her at school when she transitions to the next classroom).

We had to change up our morning routine with that one too. Now both boys eat breakfast together and we give DS2 his bottle, then breakfast.

OP - We have similar routine to others. Up at 5:30, shower, dress, kids usually start waking between that time. Get kids dressed around 6am, breakfast from 6:15-6:30 (while I get ready) leave house by 6:40. At daycare by 7am, drop off takes about 15 minutes because I have to go to two rooms and I like to chat/play a bit. We have onsite daycare, so I'm upstairs at my desk with coffee in hand by 7:30.

Prep as much as possible the night before. Our weeks can even get a little crazy (depending on the time of year, I can be at work until 9pm), so I even set out outfits for the entire week in advance.

Good luck! I can only imagine how hard it would be to go back after a year at home!

KellersPrag · August 2013

kbbgg said:

Thanks dude. 5am seems like insanely early to get up. Haha. How long does daycare drop of usually take? Luckily my work is a 5-10min drive depending on traffic from daycare.

Mine takes about 15 minutes. I get along really well with the teachers and director, and a few of the other moms. We talk a lot. They always ask about my husband, things Charlotte did at home, etc. Should I add a "boom" onto the end here?

brideandbreve · August 2013

The majority of the time, I'm up by 5:30, showered/dressed by 6 AM, and then I have (on most mornings) an hour of peace and quiet before I start getting everything out to the car - diaper bag, bottle bag, water bottle, etc.; and then by 7:20, I go upstairs and wake DS, change him, dress him, and get him in the car to go to daycare. (Daycare is provided on site at my office, so it's only one stop for me in the morning.)

kbbgg · August 2013

Thanks so much, everyone!
After a year at home (a year and a half, actually) going back to work is going to shock our routine. Your tips rule!

CdnFarmGirl08 · August 2013

kbbgg said:

Thanks so much, everyone! After a year at home (a year and a half, actually) going back to work is going to shock our routine. Your tips rule!

I'm in the same boat. I am just finishing up my year mat leave and go back to teaching Sept. 4. Of course, I'm already back at school now getting my room back in shape, but so far DS has been just going to my sister's.
I'm dreading trying to figure out a routine for when I have to drop him off at the babysitter's. He usually only gets up at 7:30, and now we need to be out the door by then. I've been slowly trying to wake him a bit earlier, but he's cranky!

linzeek44 · August 2013

This is totally helpful for me to read too.

I appreciate all the advice.

ellebee2 · August 2013

I've been stalking this post. I am also heading back to work after a year off and these tips are helping me feel like I can actually do this.

Good luck with your return @kbbgg

eliza261 · August 2013

I have simialer timings to you and finished my magical canadian mat leave recently too, DS just started daycare this week.. so far, he climbs into bed with us around 615, and we grab a bottle, DH shaves and ds takes his bottle, around 645 I just grab a shower and dh dresses him.. and we are out the door at 710 or so.. drop of by 720- daycare mom is 5 mins up the road, I drop him off to her arm.. pass on any vital info and she distracts him with her son! and I head out, im out of the driveway in less than 5 mins.. im pretty low maintainence in the am.. and work is about 20 mins away ...

Bighair12 · August 2013

I am up at 5, shower, eat breakfast and enjoy my coffee in silence. 550 wake up the babe and get her ready. Out of the house at 620 at daycare by 630 spend 10-15 minutes with her there at work by 655. I have to be at work by 7.

mrsbhk22 · August 2013

If you are planning to feed LO before, I'd get up about 1.5 hrs before you want to leave. Get yourself 100% ready EXCEPT getting dressed. Then wake LO up and feed her. Once she's done eating and dressed, get dresse yourself and run out of the house before she can get kid funk all over you.

I also highly recommend doing as much as possible the night before. Clothes, bottles, lunches, planning LO breakfast etc.

KellersPrag · August 2013

thechimichanga said:

We have a decent system now that she STTN before it was a shit show.

I echo everyone else do everything you can the night before, even a shower.

DD wakes anywhere between 5:30-6:30, DH gets her if its earlier and brings her into our bed. I nurse her, he wakes himself up and gets ready. I get to cuddle with her in the morning, and then I get moving around 6:45, he is usually just getting out of the shower, we switch so I can brush my teeth/wash my face, and then I take her back and finish getting her ready. he is out the door with her at 7:30, she eats breakfast there. Drop off is anywhere between 5-10 minutes.

My office is 3 minutes from my house, so I have a good 25 minutes to finish getting myself ready with no baby on my leg.

So if YH can help out in anyway it definitely makes the day easier.

This, this, this. My husband is almost never home to help, and it's 100% on me. If he's home and can even just dress her, it takes a load off of me.

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