As soon as you have kids you realize that though everything changes in the blink of an eye, mornings become increasingly difficult as you raise your babes. Say goodbye to your alarm and hello to children stomping on your face demanding breakfast, and forget spending time deciding what outfit you're going to wear — you'll leave the house in your robe with your kids only half dressed.
To make crazy mornings run a little bit smoother [1] — and to try to get you to think of the word "routine" without laughing at us — we've rounded-up 13 hacks to make a mama's morning run a bit smoother. We can't control juice spills or sleepy tweens, but we can try to help you avoid a few headaches along the way.
Invest in a coffee maker with a timer.
Load it up the night before for liquid gold [2] on time, every morning.
Have your child pick outfits on Sundays to save time in the morning.
Check the weather report for the week and make outfits in Ziplock bags labeled with the day (include everything from underwear to hair accessories). This way, your child won’t feel like they’re being forced to wear something you picked, but they’ll be ready to go every morning with their baggie of clothes.
Let your kids create a playlist.
Not only is it fun to pick morning tunes, but pick a song for each activity and challenge them to be finished before the song ends. Planned out right, this gives kids 3-4 minutes for each part of their morning routine, and will keep them on track in a fun way.
Make breakfast cups.
Whether it’s oatmeal or an omelet [3] made in a muffin tin, there are a lot of recipes for on-the-go, bite-size breakfasts that will keep your kiddos going through the morning until lunchtime. The best part about muffin-tin [4] breakfasts is that they’re easily freezable, so you can make them in batches — this works for pancakes [5], too!
Pack lunches the night before.
In the morning, throw everything from the refrigerator into their lunch boxes [6], zip it up, and throw it into their book bag. Done.
Hold them responsible for their snacks.
If you’re going to make lunches [7] every morning, at least hold your kiddos responsible for part of it. Make a bin in the pantry with school-approved snacks and let them choose what to throw in with their sandwich.
Pro tip: only let them pick a snack after their teeth are brushed and they’re dressed.
Get dressed after breakfast.
Though it seems like it makes the most sense to corral the kids from the kitchen to the car, how many times have your kiddos gotten themselves dressed only to spill half of their breakfast on their shirt? Too many times, we're sure. This one schedule change will ensure that the first time they get dressed is the last time.
Keep them on track.
Use a small white board for each child and write their morning responsibilities [8] on them — get dressed, pack bag, etc. — so that they can cross each thing off as they go. It becomes a little competition between siblings and also helps them establish routine.
Create a space for each child’s school belongings, so they can grab everything before going out the door.
Shoes, coats, book bags [9], all in one place. Boom.
Opt for velcro shoes.
Honestly, saves hours of time.
If you’re a phone person, get an organization app.
Schedule out each morning — for each person in your family — with a calendar/list app (like this one [10]) so that you can make sure you’ve done everything that needed to get done before running out the door.
After dinner, set the table for breakfast.
If your table isn’t used for anything else overnight, have kids help set the table for breakfast while you’re doing the dinner clean up. This way, everything is ready to go when you wake up.
Make it a race.
First person downstairs with their hair and teeth brushed and clothes on gets a prize — make it whatever you need in order to drive your kids out of bed and downstairs ready to go — and you get to drink your morning coffee while they rush to get it all done. Win.