School mornings are stressful. Any parent can attest to that fact. Children probably would, too. There’s something uniquely unpleasant about having to rush from the moment you wake up and, by the time you bundle the family into the car, you’ve all likely had at least five arguments already. It’s a far cry from the idea of a ‘mindful morning routine’ and, honestly, it’s no good way to start the day.
Despite this, many families assume there’s nothing they can do about this pre-school stress. Like head lice and chicken pox, they treat these negative morning vibes as a parenting inevitability. But, what if we were to tell you that school mornings needn’t be such a struggle, after all?
We’re not about to promise miracle cures and mornings free from arguments. However, there are steps you can take to create a more harmonious setting, despite morning time restraints.
Let’s dive into what they are!
# 1 – Start the Night Before
There’s a lot to do on a school morning, and there’s no escaping that fact. There is, however, the possibility that you needn’t leave every task until the last minute.
Preparation is the thing that can make perhaps the biggest difference to school morning stress levels, and it turns out there are loads of different things you can do the night before.
The best thing you can do is to simply make breakfast the night before that’ll be good to go as soon as you get up. Overnight oats are the most obvious and nutritious example of this and can be paired with healthy options including peanut butter, chia seeds, or even just a sliced banana on top.
Other great prep steps include getting school uniforms ready the night before, or choosing your outfit and laying at the end of the bed so you can rise, dress, and get the kids up in half the time.
If your kids have packed lunches, do whatever you can for these the night before. Sandwiches are always best prepared fresh, but other elements, including any fruit or healthy snacks, should be fine in the fridge overnight in an airtight Tupperware. Equally, there are loads of preparable lunch options, including pasta, savoury muffins, or even something cookable like Quorn chicken nuggets.
# 2 – Go to Bed at a Decent Time
The later you go to bed, the worse your morning routine will be. This is a fact no matter how much you might like to deny it, as in a true testament to the importance of sleep. If you’re tired when your alarm goes off, you’re more at risk of hitting snooze and making your limited morning time that bit shorter. Feeling tired also increases the risks of ill-temper and arguments.
We’re not about to tell you that you need to get a solid eight hours every night, though that is a good guide if you’re unsure. Generally, though, it’s worth remembering that everyone’s sleep needs are different. If you’re exhausted after even eight hours, try going to bed an hour earlier and see what difference it makes. Often, sleep quality is also less about ‘hours of sleep’, and more to do with things like going to bed at the same time and switching off at least an hour before your head hits the pillow.
Ultimately, you want to do whatever you can to make sure that you wake feeling refreshed even at an early hour. That way, you’ll be in a better mood, and far better able to manage the morning with a sense of calm you’d never get if you had a sore, tired, head.
# 3 – Get up Before the Kids
The family which wakes up together doesn’t always want to stay together (in a manner of speaking). If you wake up with the kids, there’s bound to be more of a rush, and more tension as you all battle to get ready at the same time.
So, wake up twenty minutes earlier. This buys you a little time to make a cup of tea in peace and ensures you’re able to take care of your own daily preparations before there’s even the stirring child in the house. Even better, getting up in good time means you can use the bathroom without the need to queue, which could halve the amount of morning arguments in itself!
When you get up earlier, you can also turn on the lights, set up the breakfast table, and generally create a more peaceful morning atmosphere for your kids to walk into. Which, you might be surprised to find, can create an entirely different morning vibe.
# 4 – Eliminate Unexpected Setbacks
Unexpected setbacks are just that – unexpected. As such, we can’t tell you ways to avoid them altogether, much as we might like to. However, there are steps you can take to avoid the worst of the unexpected which, when you’re already on a tight morning schedule, could otherwise end up unravelling your morning.
The most common unexpected morning issue has to be that of the car that won’t start. You know the scenario – you pile the kids into the car with two minutes to spare, only to turn your key and…nothing. Just like that, bam, you’re late. Luckily, this one has an easy fix and involves simply taking care of your car in the first place. Booking in for regular MOTs and servicing at a trusted garage like the Windmill Garage Hilltop service station makes your car way less likely to give up the ghost like this. Equally, on cold days, taking steps like deicing and warming your engine before you all bundle in is typically a good idea.
Unfortunately, cars aren’t the only potential school morning setback. Other issues might include a broken oven right when you’re about to put breakfast in. To avoid this, we’d point you back to the overnight prep breakfasts we already mentioned, which means your kids will feel satisfied even if they can’t have freshly baked pastries. And, of course, avoid setbacks like dirty uniforms by ALWAYS checking the state of things the night before, and making sure you have plenty of spares on hand just in case.
# 5 – Have a Plan
This last point is perhaps the most basic, but it’s also a pretty fundamental element to the smoothness of your mornings in general. A decent morning plan is to the school run what organisation is to Marie Kondo – you should never see one without the other.
Admittedly, you need to be able to roll with the punches where plans and children are concerned, and there’s a strong chance that your morning intentions won’t always play out. But, that doesn’t mean you should skip the morning plan altogether.
Have a loose plan for everything from when you intend to give your kids breakfast, to the order in which you all use the bathroom, and even the order you use to get your kids dressed (if they need help). This ensures that you’re always on the right track, and can significantly increase the chances that you’ll all bundle out the door at roughly the right time each morning.
Takeaway
School mornings might be manic, but there is such a thing as a zen morning routine for Mum if you put these tips into action. You might still have to deal with a lot, but at least you stand the best chance of being on time and finding moments of calm with a routine like this one.
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