How to Simplify Your Family’s Morning Routine

Every morning, I open my eyes and start the race to get out the door…okay, technically, the race starts after I’ve hit the snooze button a time or two…but once I’ve done that, I’m up and the craziness that is my day has started.  It’s time to get up, walk the dog, get myself ready, get the kids ready, grab some breakfast, and get out the door.  When I type that, it all seems so simple, and yet, day after day it seems to take longer and longer to get out the door – sometimes up to 2 hours!  So many times I’ve found myself leaving the house feeling like I’ve lost the race and saying “I have to get out of the house faster tomorrow”.

But lately, I’ve been implementing some changes around my house.  Changes specifically intended to get us out the door faster.  And for the most part, they’re working.  In the last few weeks, we’ve been able to leave the house 20-30 minutes earlier.  I take that as a win.  A huge win.  And it’s all about simplifying our routine.   Since I’ve found some things that work for us, I figured I’d share them here.  I figure I can’t possibly be the only mom who feels like she’s losing the race to get out the door in the morning!

Lay out everyone’s clothing before hand.  I don’t know about you, but I can easily spend an hour trying to figure out what to wear for the day…and to be totally honest, I’m not even one of those stylish types.  Clean and matching are pretty much my standards.  But scrambling around looking for clothing quickly eats up time.  To simplify your morning, determine outfit choices for everyone (you, your kids, the baby, whoever you are responsible for getting out the door) the night before.  If your kids are old enough to pick their own clothes, let them but keep them separate from their regular clothes so they don’t somehow get lost overnight (for example, my 5 year old can pick out her own clothes, but if I don’t keep them in my bathroom at night, they somehow disappear).  If your child can’t pick their own clothing, select 2-3 outfits for them to choose from.  I’ve found this helps eliminate morning battles with temperamental toddlers and picky preschoolers.

Make lunches & determine what’s for breakfast the night before.  Making lunches doesn’t take long, but can often eat up critical minutes on the clock as your just about out the door.  I’ve found that the best time to make lunches is when I’m preparing dinner the night before, often between steps of a recipe or while something is cooking in the oven.  Once you’re done with lunches, consider what you and your children are going to do for breakfast.  If you’re kids typically each breakfast on-the-go, lay out their breakfast the night before, either on the counter top or on a specific shelf in the fridge.  If you’re not on-the-go eaters, lay out bowls, spoons, cereal or whatever you normally eat (that doesn’t spoil, of course) the night before.

Pack the kids’ and baby’s bags at night.  I hate, hate, hate packing the diaper bag.  It goes on my list of “most loathed” things.  There’s so much to do – clean outfits, diaper/wipe replacements, measuring formula, filling bottles…it never ends.  But, naturally, it must be done.  Just the same as your preschooler needs to have her homework folders in her backpack.  Best to pack these bags at night, even though, chances are, you’re exhausted from a long day.

Make your kids responsible, to the extent that they can be.  Obviously, my 7 month old isn’t capable of getting himself ready, but at 3 and 5, both of my girls can put on their clothing, brush their teeth, and brush their hair.  To make it easier for them, I place toothpaste on their toothbrushes after I’m done brushing my teeth and lay their brushes out on the sink.  Since we all get ready in the master bathroom, I keep an eye on them – you know, to make sure clothes don’t go on backwards and teeth/hair really get brushed – but for the most part, they know the routine.

No email or Facebook until you’re completely ready.  And for your kids, no television, video games, or iPad until they’re completely ready.  Recently, I got into this (bad) habit of waking up and reaching for my phone.  From there I check my email, Facebook, and generally surf the internet.  Problem was, by the time I’d look up from my phone a good 10-20 minutes had passed.  I was waking up on time, but wasting time almost immediately after getting up.  My new rule is to turn off the the alarm or snooze button and get out of bed.  No email.  No Facebook.  No internet.  Not until I’m ready.  Just this week, I’ve extended this to the kids – taking away tv if they aren’t dressed and ready.  They’re not fans of this new change, but it’s working wonders to get us out the door faster.

Keep your purses, keys, backpacks, and diaper bags (if applicable) in the same spot.  There’s nothing worse than being just about out the door and then having to go back in the house to search for your purse, the kids’ backpacks, or that elusive set of car keys.  Pesky little things.  Designate an area in your house to keep these item, whether it be in a foyer, by the door, near the garage, whatever, and double check that they are actually there right before you go to sleep.

So, those are mine.  What are your tips for getting out the door in the morning?  Please share them!  This mom needs all the help she can get!