As moms, we all know the struggles of trying to get our kids up and out the door on school mornings. Whether you have one kid or five, it can easily become a stressful and hectic time for everyone. Having structured routines is so important for my sanity as a mom, including what we do before bed. Today I’m sharing 5 night time tips to make your school morning run smoother.
We live 30 minutes from school (when the traffic is good), so I knew going into the school year we had to have a good routine in place. After about a month of school, I’m happy to report the procedures we’ve put into place each night have been a lifesaver in helping our mornings run smoothly.
In the hopes of helping others, I’m going to share a few of the things we do each night. If you’re struggling with disorganization or chaos during mornings in your household then hopefully, these tips will help save you some stress!
5 Night Time Tips to Make Your School Morning Run Smoother
Pack Lunches
Since we now have 2 kids who bring lunch to school one big part of our nighttime routine is packing lunches for the kids. By preparing and packing their meals the night before, we save ourselves precious time in the morning. No more last-minute scrambling to throw together a lunch, or fights over what to pack. Plus, it ensures that our kids have a (somewhat) nutritious and balanced meal to power them through their day.
Lay Out Clothes
Something else that we do every night is lay out the kid’s clothes, shoes, and accessories for the next day. This simple habit saves us a lot of time in the morning because we don’t have to worry about finding matching socks or searching for misplaced shoes. Instead, we can focus on getting through our morning routine with ease.
Prep Breakfast
Something else we have been testing out is batch-prepping breakfast on the weekend that we can easily heat up in the morning and serve to the kids. While our picky eater usually opts for cereal, the other kids love things like sausage, eggs, bacon, waffles, and pancakes. Not having to think about what we will fix for breakfast takes a huge mental load off our plates in the morning.
Load and Run the Dishwasher
After much trial and error over the years, we have finally found the perfect method for dealing with dishes. Each night after dinner we clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher. Whether or not it is completely full we run it. Every single night. In the morning my husband unloads it while I help the kids get dressed. This ensures have clean dishes and an empty dishwasher to put dirty dishes in throughout the day. Plus it’s one less thing we have to tackle on busy school nights.
Pack Bags and Put Them By the Door
One final thing we do every night is pack the kids’ school bags and put them by the door. We make sure to include any items our kids need for after-school activities, such as running shoes or soccer uniforms. It saves us from running around in the morning, looking for misplaced items, and prevents any last-minute stress.
What are some things you do at night to ensure your mornings are less stressful? Let me know in the comments below.
