5 Tips for a Stress-Free Morning Routine Before School & Work

Morning routines can often be hectic when you’ve got school-age children. Depending on your work arrangements and overall household’s schedule, the logistics of the morning can be quite stressful when you factor in all that has to be accomplished in such a short period of time. You may have to get yourself dressed and ready for a day at the office (whether that’s away from or at home), get children dressed and ready for a day at daycare and/or school, drive children to said daycare and/or school, prepare breakfast and school lunches, prepare your own lunch, be sure the kids have all they need for school, and maybe even eat breakfast (if you can squeeze it in)! Whew – I’m exhausted from just listing out all that’s involved!

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help your morning routines be less hectic and hopefully stress-free. As the back to school season gets underway, try them out and see if your mornings are a little smoother this year! Check out these simple tips that can go a long way in helping you feel less rushed in the mornings – and remember you can stock up on breakfast, lunch, and wellness items at your local Walmart!

5 Tips for a Stress-Free Morning Routine Before School & Work

1. Have Convenient Breakfast Options Available

While I wish I could feed my children a wonderful breakfast of eggs, homemade pancakes or waffles, and the like, each and every day, the reality is that our busy morning routine just doesn’t allow for that to happen every morning. So, I keep convenient breakfast options stocked, such as bagels, yogurt, oatmeal, fruits, and frozen breakfast foods I can reheat. We try to make-ahead and freeze homemade pancakes or waffles (like these Homemade Strawberry Banana Waffles), but when weekends don’t allow for that or situations arise, sometimes we purchase frozen waffles from the store.

2. Pack Lunch Snacks Ahead of Time

Packing part of my daughter’s school lunch ahead of time is a great time-saver for the morning. If you can pack the whole lunch ahead of time, then even better! But, any part of yours or your children’s lunches that you can pack – snacks, part of the main entrée, filling up water bottles, etc. – will be less you have to do in the morning.

3. Distribute Vitamins with Breakfast (and Maybe Medicines Too)

It’s good to get in the habit of taking vitamins each day and help children learn to make this a part of their daily routine. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to provide them with their daily vitamins along with their breakfast. It’s become so routine, they even remind me themselves! In addition to vitamins, if your children are like mine and are prone to seasonal and environmental allergies, then giving them allergy medicine on a daily basis might be part of your daily routine. (Of course, be sure to check with your children’s pediatrician or family doctor before administering medicine and always follow dosage instructions per the package instructions.)

4. Lay Out Clothing the Night Before

Anything you can prepare ahead of time will save you time in the morning and preparing clothes for both yourself and your children the night before will be just one less thing to do! If your children are old enough, have them choose their outfit for the next day, including socks and shoes. For yourself, choose your outfit and if need be, get any ironing done and out of the way.

5. Let Kids Bathe/Shower At Night

We have found that giving the kids their bath the night before not only saves us time in the morning, it also helps them relax, making for an easier bedtime routine. In the morning, our kids simply have to freshen up before getting dressed, but don’t have to take a full shower or bath.

What helps you have a stress-free morning routine before school and work? Share your tips below – we’d love to know more ways we can save time in the morning!

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™