Last Updated on November 8, 2024

Getting out the door on time when you have kids can be hugely stressful, and it often feels like a bigger task than it should be.

Prior to having kids, getting out the door was easy. There were no fights to break up, no nappy explosions to change, no buggy, snacks, toys, or a mountain of other things to bring with you, leaving the house was a breeze.

However, times change, and whilst getting out the door on time with kids can be hard, it’s not impossible if you do a little pre planning, and follow some, or all of these 8 tips.

GET READY THE NIGHT BEFORE

Getting as much ready as you can the night before is my number one tip for getting out the door on time with kids.

Here are some things that you can do the night before to make mornings easier:

• Pack school bags with library books, permission slips, and anything else needed for the next day, and leave them near the front door, or put them in your car.
• Make lunches, including your own, and store them in lunchboxes in the fridge.
• Place school uniforms, or what your children will be wearing to school next to their beds so clothing decisions don’t have to be made in the morning.
• Put your outfit for the next day next to your bed or on your drawers, so it’s ready to put on in the morning.
• Make older children responsible for getting themselves dressed, and teeth brushed.

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STORE ITEMS IN ONE AREA

If getting out the door on time is hard because you often can’t find things, then consider having one area of your home where school or nursery items are kept.

This means having the one area where shoes, bags, jackets, and even your keys and handbag are stored so there’s only one place you have to look for them in the morning.

Some areas in your home that may be good storage areas include somewhere near your front door, storage closets, hooks behind a door, or even a mudroom.

GET YOURSELF READY FIRST

The mornings where I get myself ready first are the mornings that run the smoothest in my household.

Once I’m ready I know that the time I have left can be dedicated to getting my children ready, and focussing only on them.

I have to wake up a little bit earlier than my children to do this, but that’s time well spent, especially on mornings when it’s harder than others to get my oldest son dressed, or my youngest son’s nappy changed.

MAKE BREAKFASTS SIMPLE

Make breakfasts as simple as possible to save time in the morning.

To do this you could store all non-perishable breakfast items like spreads, cereals, and bread in the same drawer or cupboard, to make food choices quicker.

Or you could make the same breakfast every morning with one change each day, for example, each morning my oldest child has a ham and cheese croissant but a different cereal from the one he had the morning before.

Related post:
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WORK BACKWARDS

You may find it easier to work backwards in the mornings, which means working out what time you need to leave the house, and then making sure you dedicate enough time before this time to get everyone ready.

For example, if you need to get out the door at 8.30am and you know you need at least an hour to get everyone fed, dressed and ready, then you need to make sure that everyone is out of bed by 7.30am the latest, so you get out the door on time.

It may help to add a little extra time to your getting ready time. If you need an hour to get everyone ready to leave, perhaps consider adding an extra 15 minutes to this time to allow for any last minute things that may come up, which means making sure everyone is awake by 715am, which will make sure you definitely get out of the house when you need to.

TELL YOUR CHILDREN WHAT THE DAY INVOLVES

Some children feel better and move faster if they know what their day involves.

If this is the case with your child, talk to them the night before and let them know what’s in store for them the next day.

That could mean telling them they have school and they’ll be doing PE or science, whether they have an after school or social commitment, or anything else you feel may help them feel better about their day.

WRITE A ROUTINE LIST

Some children thrive on routines, and knowing what their routines are, if this is the case for your child then writing a routine list may help them to stay focussed and motivated in the morning.

This involves sitting with your child and listing all the things that they need to do in the morning such as get up, have breakfast, brush teeth, and get dressed.

Writing this list with your child makes them feel part of the process, and gives them some ownership of their mornings, which should encourage them to actually do what’s on the list.

HAVE BACKUP ITEMS IN YOUR CAR

Having back up items in your car means that you don’t have to go back home if you’ve forgotten something important.

This could mean having a container at the back of your car with items in it such as extra jackets, spare clothes, pens, extra school uniform, snacks, and other things that you can use if needed.

I hope you’ve found some tips here that make getting out the door on time with kids easier, and that reduce the stress everyone experiences at the start of the day.

What’s the best thing you do in the morning to get out of the door on time?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.