We all know that life with kids is hectic. Mornings can be especially so when you have kids to get to school, your spouse is headed to work, and you may be headed to work as well. You’re pulled in a million different directions trying to get diapers changed, people dressed and fed, teeth brushed, and your own self put together. I know the routine all too well. But, I have learned some things along the way that have made mornings SO MUCH easier for me, and I want to pass those on to you!
I started working at the same time Jackson started school (he’s 2 – so Montessori school). We went from hanging out in our PJs until we had a reason to get dressed and eating whenever we felt like it to rushing around to get all the things done within an hour after waking up. It was a lot. I knew I had to make some changes to make our lives easier, so I implemented the following things one by one, and I’m happy to say that most mornings around our house go pretty dang smoothly and we’re out the door with time to spare.
Here are my top 5 tips for making your mornings more efficient with kids:
- Wake up earlier than your kid(s). I know, I know. This is WAY easier said than done. Especially if you have a kid that’s an early bird. I swear Jackson’s body goes from 0 to 100 at 6:00 ON THE DOT. But, this tip alone can drastically change your mornings. Think about it – if you’re up before your kids, you can enjoy your coffee, get dressed and ready for the day, and get their breakfast and backpacks ready before they can even yell “MOMMY!” Take your time with it, and wake up earlier in increments. Your body will get used to it and you’ll eventually wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.
- Prep as much as possible the night before. This is another huge one. I prep literally as much as I possibly can at night. I lay out Jackson’s clothes/diaper/shoes, pack both of our bags with whatever we may need, have my own clothes picked out, shower, straighten my hair, make and schedule my coffee.. you get the point. If it CAN be done at night, it WILL be done at night. This saves so much time in the mornings. The little things add up quickly - more than you might think.
- Have easy to make breakfasts on hand. I never spend more than a minute or two getting Jackson’s breakfast ready. Everyday he eats a banana with either pancakes (that I buy frozen and heat in the microwave), eggs that I premade and heat up, or cereal. Super simple breakfast meals that are healthy, quick, and he loves. For myself, I’ll usually grab a breakfast bar of some sort or I’ll make a protein smoothie. Again, super quick and easy and I don’t have to spend time cooking and cleaning a bunch of dishes.
- Save the chores for later. Speaking of not doing dishes, whatever dishes you do use in the morning, save them for later. I promise, they’ll still be there when you get home. Unless you have time to spare in the morning, doing chores is not a priority for the beginning of the day. Clean up at night so you can start with a fresh space, then take care of the small breakfast mess later.
- Coffee. Stat. I know not everyone is a caffeine drinker. If you’re not, more power to you. If you are, have your coffee ready to go so when you’re ready for your first cup you don’t have to do any of the prep work. If you use a single-cup coffee maker, you’re already good to go. If you use a multi-cup machine, get the water and coffee grounds in the night before and have it set on a schedule to start brewing at whatever time works for you. Waking up and having my coffee ready for me is one of the small things in life that brings me so much joy and gets me going for the day.
BONUS. Involve your spouse. This one’s a bonus because I know it won’t apply to everyone. But if it does apply to you, DO IT. You do not have to do all the morning things just because you’re the mom. Austin gets Jackson out of bed and gets him dressed for school EVERY DAY. It’s just part of our routine. I do my part and he does his. We both have other things to take care of, so sharing the responsibility of getting Jackson ready is only fair.
I hope you find some of these tips helpful and you can implement them into your own schedule. It’s a misconception that mornings HAVE to be hectic. They don’t. You don’t HAVE to be a hot mess mom running around doing everything at 7 AM. Plan ahead, prep at night, and STAY CONSISTENT and you may find yourself with enough time to enjoy your coffee hot in the mornings.
