Getting Out the Door in the Morning -- How Do You Do It?

I am notorious for being late. I read an article that said those of us who have this issue usually are not realistic about how long it takes to do everything. So I timed myself and had to adjust my wake-up time. Also, it's important to base this on what time you need to begin taking kids/things to the care, not what time you need to pull out of the driveway. I found out that can be a difference of 15-20 minutes. (That's with two kids, both mobile.)

I just get up and do it. My husband now starts work before me, and prior to that he worked late so it is just me getting a 10 month old and a 3 year old out the door. I get up at 5am shower, put on a little make up and blow dry my hair. then i get my 3yo up at 5:45 so he can watch a cartoon for 15 min while trying to wake up. I get my daughter up at 6 and then i let the dog out and feed him and go start the car (it is winter so letting the car warm up is a must) then i come back in get the kids dressed and let my son pick out a granola bar to eat on the way to daycare and we are out the door by 6:15/6:20 at the latest. I have my lunch ready to go the night before and try to have my cloths picked out also. I drink my coffee once i get to work or on the way to work. It is very busy but it works and i am never late unless the roads are bad. I do the laundry in the evening. If we are going somewhere on the weekend i have the diaper bag and everything packed the night before so all we have to do is get up get ready and go. Good luck it is hard at times.

When my son was little I used my trunk.

In my trunk was a backpack with "everything" in it (including $50). Also in my trunk was an extra box of diapers, extra box of wipes, snow clothes, rain clothes, swimming clothes, sleeping bag. As my "everything" backpack got used (clothing changes, snacks, toys, etc.) I just refilled it and put it back in the trunk.

That way, I just got myself ready... and at any point in the day I just grabbed my LO and walked out the door.

- shower/ blow dry at night
- same make up routine every morning
- lunches and coffee done the night before (hubs helps with this one)
- lay out my son's clothes before he goes to bed
- all bags are packed and at the the garage door before we kick our feet up at night (including making sure that the diaper bag is stocked)
- "rotate" who gets "off time" at night... someone plays while the other gets some "quiet time" in
- keep diapers/wipes in a little bag in the car so that they are always there in case we're running late, along with a bottle 'adapter'- my mom found this thing that turns water bottles into sippy cups. It was a lifesaver when my guy was little
- phone/keys/coffee mug all in one place and ready to go every day
- I get up 30 minutes before the rest of the troops so that I can actually get dressed with some sense of dignity (no one throwing open the door looking for something)
- Head for the door 10 minutes earlier than you need to leave. That way if someone needs a diaper change or a quick snack you have time!

I have 2 little guys to get ready in the am and out the door by 6:50 so we can meet my 6 y/o bus on time.
I shower and blow dry my hair at night, then in the am I either flat iron it or curl it. Some nights I'm too tired to shower so I get up a little earlier the next morning to shower/wash hair so I can diffuse my hair and wear it curly.
I get up 45 min before I need to get the boys up. I am completely ready by 6:15 when I wake them. Even lunches packed. I do as much of the lunches I can the night before, but throw it all together in the am.
At night before I go to bed I lay out clothes for all 3 of us. I put the boys' in the same spot every day so they know exactly where their clothes are. I also get diaper bag and back pack together the night before and by the front door.
I do let them watch about 15 min of TV when they first get out of bed. If I don't give them a few min to "wake up" our morning is a disaster!! Once I turn off the TV they know it's time to go potty, get dressed, brush their teeth and head to the car. My oldest can tell time and knows when we should be leaving.

If it used to take you an hour to just get yourself up and ready you have to assume it's going to take 2 hours with a child or two. The only things that really help are 1- preparing as much as possible the night before 2- cutting down on hair & make-up time 3- find food that's easy & quick in the morning. When my kids were toddlers / babies I'd make a big omelette for a couple/few days with ham & cheese, maybe peppers and heat up just enough for thier breakfast and cut it up in small squares. when they got older it was peanut butter & jelly or apples & peanut butter, even bolonga cut up with tootpicks. My husband once observed that they'd eat anything in cubes, stuck with toothpicks (older than 3 obviously) and he was SO right.

My kids are teens and getting them out the door each morning on my way to work still adds 40 minutes to my time. alas, no one every told me that kids were convenient. ;o)

For the hubby and I to get to work on time, we must leave no later than 6:30am. I have the kids stuff ready at the kitchen table right after dinner. My son's yogurt and fruit ready to go in the fridge. My daughter's lunch in the fridge ready. My coffee maker set up. My clothes on the bathroom counter or next to the bed ready for me. And generally, hubby and I take leftovers to work for lunch, so that's all set to go.

5:45am - I get up, get dressed, & brush teeth.
6am - Pour water in for coffee (I have a Bunn, no need for timer, ready in 3min). Get the lunches out on the kitchen table in their designated lunch packs.
6:15am - Hubby gets up, dressed, teeth brushed. Takes everything out of the car while I get the kids up & dressed.
6:30am - My mom shows up to get my daughter breakfast & off to school. We leave.
6:40am - Drop son off at Daycare w/yogurt and fruit in hand.
6:45am - Back on the road to go to work... Hubby usually napping on the way to work. : )

I have no choice but to have a set routine. I 'wake up' the rest of the way while here at work, drinking coffee, and figuring out all the tasks that need to be done.

Takes me about 45 mins. Showering the night before is KEY for me. I also get up 10 mins before i wake the babe up. I take those 10 mins to brush my teeth, hair, throw on some deoderant and put on some clothes (picked out the night before) Then I get the babe up. I stay in her room for about 3 mins holding her in the morning and cuddling while she wakes up. then we get her dressed immediately. by the time we are downstairs, its about 15 mins later. I let her watch a DVR'd program for 10 mins while i pack and warm up the car.....Java?? what Java...that waits until she is at daycare...OR if I am with her all day, I grab one at McDonalds. Coffee seems to slow me down physically. I LOVE LOVE Coffee and I LOVE to enjoy it...so I get NOTHING done while i drink it (I consider it ME time) so there for I do it at work (on company time...kind of like this email..lol)
I think its all about re-adjusting what you are doing. You may want to start setting timers for yourself...like getting yourself ready...instead of taking 30 mins...set a timer for 15..shower should only take you a few mins...primping is somethign I ONLY do for special occasions...not everyday. I specially got a haircut so I dont have to style it everyday....looks great when I do style it but it looks normal when I dont.
EDIT...Breakfast she has at daycare but if I am with her and have stuff to do, she gets cereal in a zip lock and eats it while we are in the car
Good luck

LOL it takes me & my daughter maybe 20 mins to walk out the door..... :-P

She has to be at Pre-K for breakfast by 7:30 (cuts out me having to feed her at home). I usually don't drag myself out of bed until about 6:45! haha I get up, go to the bathroom, refix my hair in a pony tail, brush teeth. Then hunt down clothes for the 2 of us real quick. Bug my daughter repeatedly until she gets up LOL She dresses herself while I get myself dressed. Then I sit and refix her hair back into the 2 pontytails she likes. Then we are at the door putting on shoes & coat & grabbing whatever else we need (stuffed toy for naptime, I take my laptop, keys of course lol). Then we are out the door & in the truck!

My real goal is to leave at 7:00, but most days we leave maybe 7:10. But she still gets to school right at 7:30, so it's ok lol

I don't normally eat much breakfast myself. My office has drinks & snacks & things, so I usually just grab something little there.

I don't do makeup or fancy hairdos either lol I shower & wash my hair at night.

I hour.

I wake BEFORE the kids.
I get things ready before they wake.
I do all my getting ready, and stuff, before they wake.
The van meanwhile, is already stocked with stuff or back-up items. Just in case.

The night before, I know what to pack/have/do.
I get things ready the night before if I can. ie: their food/snacks/errands/things I need.

Try to do as much as possible the night before. Lay your clothes out, diaper bag, snacks, bowls for breakfast, etc. I'm terrible with this but I have a lot of older kids who help out. =) Good luck!

Just TRY to get me out of the house before 11am. Not gonna happen. I have no hurry button in the a.m.

With lots of grace & not usually before 11am : ) We are getting better at getting out of the house earlier but are expecting #2 soon so I know those early (9am) days will be history soon. I agree with all the night before prep responses, so helpful. But the key for me is low expectations & lots of grace. If we make it on time then it is a great success.

COFFEE, my child COFFEE.
you pre pack the diaper bag the night before, the dishwasher gets unloaded and reloaded in the early morning while the coffee is brewing, the laundry gets done in the afternoon while the baby is playing and you get a quick shower while they are napping. so, it takes me about two hours to get ready to walk out the door with the baby in the morning .
K. h.

I get four children, my husband, and some of the time myself, out the door in an hour or less. Prep as much as I can the night before, there is no housework done in the morning besides clearing off the table (and sometimes not even that, but things that belong in the fridge are put back), and stick to a regular routine. No tv. I'm a substitute teacher, so I can get called for work at any time, but if they call me in the morning then I won't be there by the regular time, and they know that, so it gives me some leeway with getting myself ready.
Did I say NO TV? It's key.
My oldest is 16 and my youngest is 9, and for as long as I have had children in school, the routine has been the same first thing in the morning to go out the door. The kids have to have their shoes/boots and snowpants on before eating breakfast...little tricks like that save time as they leave little room for dawdling. Often I send leftovers from dinner for the packed lunches. Stuff like that.

About an hour for all four of us to be ready and walk out the door. All backpacks, shoes and coats are by the door the night before. It's much easier when they are older and can get their own breakfast, dress themselves and brush their own teeth :) But when they were babies or toddlers it was about the same - an hour. I am a no nonsense kind of girl - hair in ponytail or clip and not much make-up so my prep time is about 10 minutes (20 minutes after a shower). It will get easier as they get older...

try getting up and have a cup of coffee while your getting ready like turn the pot on then get in the shower then while your getting dressed and doing your make up and such have your cup or two of coffee then after your ready have the babys stuff ready to go and have his meal laid out then get him up and get him breakfast or whatever and then give him a bath or just put his clothes on him and have everything ready by the front door will probably still take an hr or so

You have to be organized. I found that I had to get up an hour earlier with a toddler because you can't dress and feed both of you at the same time. In my hour I would get myself ready with makeup and clothes, breakfast, let the dog out. The next hour was my baby and getting him fed and dressed and ready for the day and bringing in the dog. We left at 7:20 and dropped him off to daycare while I went on to work for 8:00. If I left later the traffic would be worse and I would not be to work on time.

There was no kids TV shows in the morning only the news of the day. I knew the commercials and where I should be in order to leave on time.

Good luck and plan wisely your routine will work for you. But do as much as you can the night before and don't do laundry or dishes in the morning as that cuts down on time to get ready on time.

The other S.

Nope it takes me a long time too. Now my oldest goes to preschool so i have gotten out of the hour in under an hour but was totally rushed and looked like a mad women.

If i get up early and take my shower before the girls wake up, it helps. I also, do your tricks too. Try to have my bags packed and ready.

I do most of the prep work the night before. I have a 6 and 9 year old. I get the ball moving in the morning. We get up get dressed eat breakfast and out the door we go. I pack part of lunch the night before and make a sandwich and add a cold drink (water, juice) in the am. The kids grab their backpacks and I get my work bag and out the door we go. DH is the same, he add the rest in the morning and off he goes. It takes about 15-20 mins tops. I'm a planner and I hate being late. I'm always early so that helps.

Hi Jilly, first of all let me tell that we all been there somehow and for sure have tried to come up with ways to improve the situation...the one way that has worked best for me by far is setting up the alarm clock so I (and only I), wake up and start getting ready in the calmness of the day....no interruptions whatsoever...I find that even half hour earlier allows me to move faster and get everythin done. Then when the little one is awake I only focuse on getting him ready and go! No dvd's or playng time at that time (you won't need them anyways because you're there with him)
Sometimes when my kids where in pre school years (and don't get me wrong, they are only 5 and a half now!- twins BTW!!) I would give them their milk first thing in the morning and pack their oatmeals, cereal, and fruit and feed them breakfast while already outside...That worked very well too....
It really depends on how you end up managing your time...but it is doable, a bit faster that some of us would like to, but definetly doable...good luck and let us know how that worked out.

Cheers,

E..

I'm a married working mom to a 5 yr old and a 3 month old. It's different than your day, but overall the key point is, preparation!!!

Key is get everything ready as much as possible the night before. Like everyone says. Key is preparation.
The night before, I put our lunches in the car (it's wintertime here so the car acts like a fridge). The lunches were made over the weekend.
I have my daughter sleep in her clothes that she will wear the next day. All I have to do in the am is her hair, then.
I have my son's bag ready the night before for the nanny's house. All I do in the am (after I take a quick shower and get ready), is stick him in his outdoor wear, put a hat on, and whisk him off to the nanny's and then off to work. I eat breakfast at work.

Updated

I'm a married working mom to a 5 yr old and a 3 month old. It's different than your day, but overall the key point is, preparation!!!

Key is get everything ready as much as possible the night before. Like everyone says. Key is preparation.
The night before, I put our lunches in the car (it's wintertime here so the car acts like a fridge). The lunches were made over the weekend.
I have my daughter sleep in her clothes that she will wear the next day. All I have to do in the am is her hair, then.
I have my son's bag ready the night before for the nanny's house. All I do in the am (after I take a quick shower and get ready), is stick him in his outdoor wear, put a hat on, and whisk him off to the nanny's and then off to work. I eat breakfast at work.

It's funny! When it was just me and my two boys (5 and 8) it took us about an hour in the morning, breakfast, making lunch for school, signing papers, on the computer (me!) and out the door. Now I have this newborn (!) and I am up almost 2-21/2 hours before we need to get out of the house and it still seems like I am barely making it! haha. Just the other Sunday we were up and I bathed all 3 kids, myself, and we had breakfast (along with nursing) and it was 11am! goodness, I don't know where the time is going!
I think that 2 hours is a lot of time to get a toddler out the door...but that's just me. Maybe have the coffee percolating while you are showering...or shower with the LO.
No tips really, just commiserating!
L.

I get up and shower/get ready before my kids get up.

Depends on if we HAVE to be out at a certain time, or not. From the looks of your post you don't really have to be up and out of the house that early. On the days that we have to be out of the house at 6:40 am. it takes me 40 min to get me and my 2 year old up and out of the house.
I pack everything the night before, her daycare stuff, lunch, blanket, baby doll, all sitting by the door (or in fridge), I prep the coffee maker so all I have to do is flip the switch, I lay out our clothes including sweater/jacket and socks/shoes. I make sure my purse is ready to go. So once that is all done the night before, all you have to do is get up, shower, do hair/makeup, wake up child, get him/her dressed, brush teeth and out the door. ( she eats later at daycare so that could make a time difference.
On the days we don't have to go anywhere it takes over an hour because we sit as I drink my coffee and read books, and then eat breakfast together.
I really think the key is preparing the night before!