Since becoming a mum of three kids under five, it is absolutely IMPERATIVE that I have some kind of structure in place to ensure that things can go somewhat smoothly in the morning. Keep in mind that even with all of the steps in place it can still go belly up in the blink of an eye, but let me walk you through a few hacks I have up my sleeve to get out the door on time, and help the morning run as smooth as possible.
Prep the night before
If its a daycare day the next day, pack the kid’s bags. If you are going to the park or the zoo, pack the bag the night before. For me, leaving the house requires a holiday suitcase. I have a one-year-old that eats like a front rower so you can never be too short of nappies plus multiple changes of clothing due to his bowel movements being the size of a Honda CRV. My two-year-old potty training son requires at least 17 different outfit changes and my four-year-old likes to bring along completely irrelevant useless stuff like her hairbrush, Cinderella Barbie and the 235 shells she collected from the beach in 2019. I pack it all in the bag the night before. Then, I make their lunches and fill drink bottles so we are ready to rock and roll in the mornings.
Get the kids involved — make mornings a game
The only people more competitive than my husband, are my toddlers. They will fight each other (almost) to the death to win any challenge and everything is a competition over who does things better and, more importantly, quicker.
I ABSOLUTELY USE THIS TO MY ADVANTAGE. I make pretty much everything a competition.
— Who can finish their breakfast the fastest without spilling anything?
— Fastest one to the bathroom to brush their teeth gets a sticker.
— Who can go and get me a nappy and some wipes for Kobe the fastest?
— Oh my gosh Bobby, I think Charli is going to beat you to the car…
And so on…
Double-up on tasks
Combining tasks is a great way to save time. While your kids are brushing their teeth, you can be brushing your daughter’s hair. When your two-year-old is sending poo to pooland, why not put his shoes and socks on while you are waiting to wipe his bum?!
It’s all about multi-tasking where you can.
Save things for the car
I do this a lot. When I’ve had a catastrophic morning where everything has gone down the gurgler, I will often just save things for the car. I’ll strap all three kids in the car and throw them all a banana and a Yoplait Petit-Miam yoghurt and that’s breakfast sorted. I’ve even rocked up to swimming lessons before with two out of three of my kids with no pants on. When you are in a rush and just need to get out of the door, you can always put their socks and shoes (and in my case, pants) on when you arrive at your destination.
The last hack, (which I don’t like using very often because my kids already wake up at an obscene hour), but can be extremely helpful is…
Wake up earlier
This is mainly for you. If you rise before the kids, you can have a shower longer than 30 seconds, actually follow a skincare regime, get dressed, slap on some makeup and if all the stars align, maybe even enjoy a hot coffee. Say whaaaaaat?! It might be 5am and you might have to enjoy it in the pitch-black darkness to ensure you don’t wake any of your kids, but every now and again, it is SO worth it!
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