Never be Late Again With These Simple Tips to Improve your Family’s Morning Routine

The morning can be a big challenge for families! Kids have to get to school or daycare, and parents have to get to work. I think kids can sense the urgency, because I swear the faster you want them to go, the slower they actually go. Sometimes it feels like you’ve lived a whole day before you actually get to the office! How can you get out the door without too much drama? A few small tweaks can improve your family morning routine!

These tips will get all of you where you need to be with a minimum of fuss – and leave you feeling good about your morning.

 

Reset the Night Before

It’s hard to get everything ready the night before when you’re running on empty. Instead, try to do a quick reset. Shoes are put in their spot. Coats are hung in the closet. Backpacks and lunchboxes are emptied. Paperwork is dealt with in some way. This practice makes the morning much easier. And if you’re going to spend 30 minutes looking for a lost shoe, it’s better to do it at night than when you’re trying to catch the bus in the morning.

Connection

We almost always cuddle in bed for a few minutes before we start the day. The kids come in when their clocks say it’s time to get up, climb into bed with my husband and I, and we all get a few minutes of connection and peace. The kids like this so much, in fact, that it’s sometimes hard to get them out of bed to start the day!

There’s also a trick I learned from No Bad Kids that works like a charm. The idea is that you connect briefly with your child before asking them to do something. I have a perfect example of this technique from one of our recent mornings. It was almost time for us to leave, and my girls were playing together. I needed them to get their coats on so we could go. I asked them two or three times, politely, to get their coats on. No reaction from them whatsoever. They just kept playing. I asked a little more forcefully. Still nothing. Finally, I took a deep breath. I sat down next to them and asked a question about their game. They both looked up at me, a little surprised, and answered my question. After they had finished answering, I asked them to put their coats on. And they did. I was amazed. Since then, I’ve started trying to connect before requesting more regularly. This tip requires you to set aside your grown-up agenda – just for a minute – but it’s far better (and faster) than a more confrontational approach.

Simplify My Own Routine

I have a capsule work wardrobe, so it barely takes me any time to pick out my clothes for the day. I typically only wash my hair every two or three days. My hair is thick and naturally straight in the front and wavy in the back. I invested in a keratin treatment last year, which has made a huge difference in my hair maintenance time. It’s much faster to dry, and it air-dries pretty straight. It’s been a total game-changer for my morning, and well worth the investment. If I do have a rough hair day, my hair is long enough that I can throw it into a bun and go. I make a quick decision and don’t waste any time if it’s not salvageable! My makeup routine is also pretty minimal – just a little moisturizer and foundation. This simple routine gets me office-ready in a short amount of time so I can help move the kids along.

Keep The Food Simple

My kids have both gone through periods where they wake up hangry. They’re different people after they’ve eaten something. If this is your kid, get them some calories ASAP! Squeeze pouches tend to work really well for this since they’re easy to eat. A banana or a few crackers might be a good option, too. Just get something in their bellies!

We also keep our breakfast options incredibly simple. Most of the time, the kids can have toast or a sandwich with peanut butter plus honey, nutella or jelly. Maybe it isn’t the most interesting breakfast, but it requires just two decisions: bread or toast; nutella, jelly or honey. We find that limiting choice in the morning helps everything flow more smoothly.

Empower The Kids on Clothes, Coats and Shoes

My kids know they have to pick their clothes out and bring them downstairs before breakfast. They both have kid-friendly clothing storage and easy to match wardrobes, so they can pick out their own clothes. I usually give them some weather guidance, but I also try to limit the choices they have. In our climate, I put away shorts for the winter, but they can still choose short- or long-sleeved shirts.

The kids always get dressed after breakfast. This means that we don’t have to change clothes in case of spills. It’s great, and eliminates a potential step in the process. I also wait until after breakfast to get dressed. I actually started doing this when my youngest was a baby, and I’ve kept it up ever since.

The kids know that they can play or read if they have extra time once their clothes and shoes are on. This is how we motivate them to get moving, and it usually works.

Create a Mood

Sometimes, everyone has trouble getting moving in the morning so I put on some energetic music to help us wake up. We might have a little dance party just to get the blood flowing and get ourselves ready for the day. On the other hand, if the kids are fighting, relaxing music might be just the thing to help them calm down a little. We occasionally eat breakfast by candlelight, too, just to mix things up. Something about the low light seems to create a calmer, more peaceful mood.

Bribery

Yep, I’m not afraid to admit it. Sometimes a little bribery goes a long way. If things are really rough, I’ll offer my kids some screen time in the car if they are ready by a certain time or can cooperate on some task. It’s not my favorite method, but sometimes you have to get somewhere and you just don’t have time to slow down and do it right. You do what you gotta do sometimes.

Start the Day with No Tears

The time we have with our family before school can actually be pretty great, if it goes smoothly. Everyone is well-rested and in a good mood. The stress of work and school haven’t accumulated yet. It’s a wonderful time of day, and one of my favorites with my kids. That’s why I really hate to ruin the morning with yelling, threats or tears. Not only do I feel terrible about wasting that time with the family, but I also arrive at work in a less than ideal frame of mind. Try out some of these tips to improve your family morning routine, and let me know if they get you out the door a little bit faster, or just make you a little happier doing it!