Smooth mornings with kids

Mornings are not my favorite time of the day. It's not easy to get everybody up, dressed, and ready for school and work and it usually involves a lot of stress. In order to help make this time of the day run smoothly, I've compiled a list of tips.


Prepare ahead

Do as much as possible the evening before. This includes bathing, laying out clothes, preparing lunch, and placing everything that we need for the day by the door so we won't forget to take them.

By Jocilyn Pope

Go to sleep on time

Most people need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep per night. Some even more. So set yourself a decent bedtime, and actually stick to it. Waking up will be so much easier in the morning!

By Zvone Lavric

Wake up before the rest

If you have a bunch of kids, you might need to oversee their every move in the morning, from the moment they wake up until you're out of the house. Which means that you have to be ready before the kids wake up. So you get up before everybody else to shower and get dressed, and even have a cup of coffee if you need to. Only then wake up the brady bunch.

By Patryk Specjal

Music


I heard an expert on TV say once that you should put on classical music in the morning. Apparently this has a calming effect on kids and your mornings are more likely to be smooth sailing.





Take your time


I don't mean that you should sit around and read the paper. Rather, schedule extra time to get ready in the morning, especially with kids. Add another 10 minutes to the time you think it takes for everyone to get ready.  This way, you should be able to make sure to get out of the house on time.


What is your morning strategy?