Hellobee

Mornings are always hectic in our home, trying to get two kids dressed, fed, clean, and out the door for school on time. It didn’t matter if we were a little late before Charlie was in public school, but now that he’s in kindergarten and all his tardies are recorded, we make sure that he’s always on time. We’ve implemented a lot of tips and tricks over the years, and we’re still usually rushing at the last minute to tell you the truth, but so far no tardies this year!

Here are some of the things we’ve tried over the years:

1) Use a morning routine chart. Kids thrive on routine and having a visual reward chart that shows each step of the process can be a big help. You can find a Hellobee printable for a morning and evening routine here, and Mrs. Jacks wrote a post on how effective a morning routine chart was for her daughter here.

2) Pick out the kids’ clothes ahead of time. We’ve tried – devoting a drawer with outfits for the whole week, laying out the next day’s outfit by Charlie’s bed so he dresses himself as soon as he wakes up, and even dressing the kids in clothes they’ll wear the next day (only tees and not pants). All of these methods help, but Charlie getting himself dressed has worked the best.

3) Check weather the night before, and/or as soon as you wake up. I check my Yahoo weather app as soon as I wake up because the weather has fluctuated from hat and scarf weather to short sleeve weather over the past month and I need to dress the kids accordingly. I also swear by the Dark Sky app which has been ridiculously accurate predicting when it will rain down to the minute.

5) Use edible toothpaste. The kids brush with regular fluoride toothpaste but if we’re running late, there’s not time to rinse and spit so we use edible xylitol toothpaste.

6) Have an entry command center. We recently painted a chalkboard wall on the wall next to our front door. We have a calendar with all our upcoming events on there, and we write important events for the week in big letters so we see it as we’re walking out the door. I also have hooks right by our front door that hold multiple copies of our house keys so that I hang them there as soon as I walk in the door. I’m always losing them (temporarily in the house), so having a couple of extra sets has eliminated the morning key search for me.

7) Organize shoes, backpacks, jackets and winter accessories. We have a shelf for all our shoes in the entryway and a closet where we attached command hooks to the inside of the door at Charlie and Olive’s height so they can hang their jackets and backpacks up when they get home from school. We also have a 6 shelf hanging closet organizer in there where we keep umbrellas, scarves, gloves, and hats. Staying warm in the winter requires a lot of gear for the whole family! I thought this Ikea hack using grocery bag holders to organize winter accessories was brilliant! I’d do that too but that’s where the kids hang their coats and backpacks.

8) Have breakfast foods that they can eat on the go if you’re running late. We usually have drinkable yogurt, fruit pouches, bananas and granola bars that they can eat while walking to school.

9) Give vitamin gummies as they’re walking out the door. They eat them on the way to school and they’re a little incentive to get ready each morning.

10) French braid your daughter’s hair at night so she doesn’t wake up with bedhead and tangles and you don’t have to brush it in the mornings.

11) Wake up 30 minutes before the kids. This gives you time to have a cup of coffee, cook breakfast, and do any last minute things that need to get done before the kids are up. I’m a late riser so thankfully Mr. Bee wakes up early and does all that!

12) Divide and conquer. Mr. Bee typically does the dishes and makes breakfast. I pack lunch and get the kids dressed. We tag team them to brush their teeth. It’s a little less hectic when we each have our own duties.

13) Pack lunches, fill water bottles, freeze ice packs and prepare school forms the night before. I just can’t motivate myself to do this, so instead I’ve just super streamlined my lunch packing process in the mornings and always try to keep my refrigerator stocked.

14) Get an alarm clock for your little one. I recently bought Charlie a Batman alarm clock and he loves it. We talk about time a lot now, and what time we go to bed, what time we wake up, etc. We haven’t used the actual alarm yet because I took the blackout shades off of Charlie’s window so he would wake up naturally to the light, which is supposed to be better for you. But he still sleeps in so I definitely see us using it in the future!

15) Talk to your kids about time. Time is a completely abstract concept to kids so we try to make it more concrete. We tell the kids that we have to leave the house by the time the big hand is on the 5. Oh and of course I keep all the clocks a couple minutes ahead! Mr. Bee wrote a post here with more tips on how he explained time and tardy marks to Charlie that has been really helpful!

16) Use a timer. We often use timers before bedtime to let the kids know they have x amount of time before going to bed, and it works so much better than us telling them that time is up. You could use a kitchen timer in the mornings to get kids ready in time and maybe even turn it into a game.

17) Get the kids to bed early. We try to get the kids asleep by 7:30 so they can get 12 hours of sleep at night. It doesn’t always work out of course, and it’s easier in the winter when the days are shorter, but having well-rested kids usually means smoother mornings for everyone.

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What are some tips and tricks you’ve implemented to get out the door faster?