Time Saving Tips for Moms in the Morning
Rachel
As I suspect is the case for many of you working Moms out there, getting yourself and your child up and out the door in the morning can really be a situation. And not a good situation like Sunday evening on the couch with some wine and popcorn and Kung Fu Panda on the blu-ray. No. I mean a situation like trying so hard to just have it together enough to stumble out the door while looking semi-presentable with a semi-clean faced child and some semblance of all the goods needed for the day. After doing this whole working/daycare drop-off routine for about 18 months, I've learned a few things about how to get 'er done. And so for today's Baby Talk Tuesday, I'm dishing on some tips that may seem small or obvious, but that truly help get us out the door in the morning.
Prep bottle/sippy cup/breakfast the night before. Penelope is 90% off of bottles, but she does still get a sippy cup of milk in the morning. Usually, the first thing she wants is her 'baba' (I've also convinced her that 'baba' also means 'sippy cup'). It's so much easier when I have it poured and waiting in the fridge for her.
Do all laundry on the weekend so that drawers are filled to the brim with clothing for the week. This is huge, especially for the kids' stuff. I do all of P's laundry on Sundays so that we start the week with lots of clothing options, limiting my own scramble to throw an outfit together for her at the last minute. Also, you should own at least a week's worth of clothing for each kid so that laundry can stretch for the week.
Have snacks at the ready. Penelope gets breakfast when she arrives at daycare, but some mornings she wakes up really hungry. I like to have bananas, some dried fruit, cheese sticks and Babybel cheeses at the ready should she decide she wants a snack while I finish getting ready, or in the stroller on the way.
Keep coat, hat, mittens and school bag in same place. We walk to school each morning (unless it's really snowing or raining) and we keep all of her daily stuff right in the stroller so it's ready to rock once we are.
Moms, get your make up routine down. I can do mine in less than five minutes. It may not be the most extensive make up job, but I can get moisturizer, foundation, blush, a light dusting of eye shadow and mascara on in 5 minutes or less. Lipstick goes on after P's drop off so that I can smother her in kisses.
Pack lunch the night before. I know this is so obvious, but I often leave it for the morning because I'm too tired/lazy at night to do it, and that inevitably means I'll be late.
Get kids dressed as soon as they wake. P goes from crib to changing table for a new diaper and clothes for the day so it usually eliminates the need for multiple trips to get changed (unless she needs a new diaper before we leave for the day, which does happen on occasion). Otherwise, she is dressed and ready for the day before she even leaves her room.
Don't wash your hair everyday. I only wash my hair twice a week and so I take a very brief shower each morning without a hair wash. This saves so.much.time. No washing time, no conditioning, no blow drying. I can get away with a brush and a quick flat ironing and be good to go. Also dry shampoo is a wonderful thing.
Don't plan for any tasks aside from presentably getting out of the house. The mornings when I plan to finish dishes from the night before or tidy up for the cleaning lady or fold a bit of laundry are the mornings when I end up frazzled and late. Mornings are for getting out of the house, nothing more.
Have the right tools. A good lunch bag, clean tupperware, a stocked fridge, clean underwear. All of these things will ensure no further delays en route to your ultimate mission: getting out the door.
So those are the things we are doing these days to try and get out of the house each morning on time. I'm always looking for new ideas and thoughts that can help tighten it up!
What are your time saving tips for getting out of the house?
How do your mornings usually go with
Reader Comments (2)
I like that you described it as "a situation." I also like that all of these tips can also apply to people without kids! Except maybe the whole getting the kids dressed thing... And the sippy cup :) Great tips!
I actually set out a weeks worth of outfits for my son. Every Sunday I put together 5 outfits and set them in a basket for the week so each morning we can just grab an outfit out of the basket and go.
We actually eat breakfast at home so I have him eat in his pajamas so if the does (and he does) spill we don't have to change outfits again.
I also set my clothes out the night before - or at least decide what I'm wearing.
The biggest tip - get up on time or even early! I don't always use this tip but it's so much easier when I do :)