This post was sponsored by PackIt. All opinions are mine.
Raise your hand if you think the morning sets the tone for the entire day.
*raises hand*
I don’t think I’ve met a parent who doesn’t struggle to get everyone up and out the door on school days. Sometimes, it feels like no matter what we do or how early we get up, it’s still a cluster. I currently have a fourth grader, a preschooler, and the bus comes at 7:00 am. We have a lot to accomplish before an early hour, so we have to be strategic.
We’ve found some ways to make the mornings run smoother, and I wanted to share them. I’m sure some or all of these are common sense to many of you, but maybe it will help someone have a more seamless morning.
1 | Prep lunches the night before.
I don’t know why it took so long to figure this out, but it was the first game changer over here. Especially, after we discovered PackIt. They have freezable, gel-lined lunch bags that act as all-in-one coolers. You can pop them in the freezer and there’s no concern about needing ice packs, etc. I also love that they are eco-friendly and reusable. We are trying to do so much better at eliminating single-use products. Just put the PackIt bag in the freezer for 12 hours to turn it into a tiny fridge!
We also prep Charlie’s lunch in The Mod Lunch bento container (also by Packit). This is the perfectly sized container and it comes with 3 dividers. My kids like a variety of things to munch on, so this is perfect. The container base and lid are leak proof, and the dividers keep all the food separate (keeping my picky kids happy).
2 | Sleep in school clothes.
Before you roll your eyes, consider that my kids are wearing really comfortable clothes to school to begin with, so this is very doable. Grayson prefers athletic wear these days, and Charlie is mostly in leggings and tee. They both have been sleeping in what they are wearing the next day and it’s amazing. No more battles to get a half-asleep heavy human’s pants on.
3 | Give the kids their own alarms (that are out of reach).
Not only does this give them a sense of responsibility, it takes another task of mine and Tyler’s list in the morning (because we are rushing around, too). Their own alarm can tell them when to get up, and if it’s placed across the room- they’ll have to physically get up to make it stop. Actually, this is a good idea for adults too…
4 | Have a designated, accessible snack basket.
I don’t know about your kids, but one thing that slows us down is picking their snack for the day. I have no idea why, but for some reason this becomes a debate and opportunity to get distracted before school. I created one basket with their choices in it and there’s no more pantry searching and asking for things they know they can’t have. This is also another good thing to figure out at night.
5 | Put backpacks and shoes by front door before bed.
Basically, do everything before bed. That’s the moral of this story, I think, by accident. But seriously, shoes are found from wherever they wound up the day before and put by the front door. No fighting over finding shoes. Backpacks are also packed with homework and next to the shoes. This truly helped us, even though it seems small!
I’d love to hear what tips you have! Are mornings hectic for you, too?
