The summer holidays are nearly over and along with shopping for those all-important back-to-school essentials, you'll probably be thinking about your school morning routine and how you're going to make it work.
Normally, school mornings can feel very chaotic, running around making sure the correct school uniforms are worn and everyone has what they need for their day. You're also guaranteed that something important will go missing just as you're heading out the door...
But with a good set of steps in place, you really can make the school morning routine work for you. It's a good idea to get your school morning routine started a few weeks before you need to as well. After all, preparation is key!
Create a checklist
It's a good idea to start your school morning routine by creating a checklist of everything you need for the start of the term.
Uniforms and school shoes
Do these all fit your child? It's a good idea to get your little ones to try on their uniforms to make sure that they're happy and comfortable. Let them try it on a few times before the school morning too, so that they get used to the idea of wearing them.
Lunches
What will your child be having for their lunch? If they get school meals, it could be worth buying a few healthy snacks to pop in their bag, just in case they get a little hungry. If you're sending packed lunches, make sure you have all the right school lunchboxes and storage you need.
Commute times
Planning ahead for your morning commute is a good idea whether you're walking, driving or using public transport. It might only take 20 minutes to walk, but it's worth adding additional time for trips and distractions.
Knowing your commute times will also help you establish your wake-up times and morning routine.
Prepare everything the night before
At the end of the day, it can be really tempting to put off ironing school uniforms or prepping lunchboxes until the morning. But let's face it, the mornings go so quickly and it can just create more stress. There are little things that you can do to get rid of the morning chaos and your morning self will thank you!
Prepare uniforms
Whether they're in school uniform or their own clothes, make sure everything is ironed and laid out, and that any spare clothes for toddlers that they might need are in their nursery bags. Hang up what they need or lay it out in the order they'll need to put the clothes on.
This can save so much time in the morning and no one is running around looking for a matching pair of socks.
Set out shoes
Have all the shoes (including yours) set out at the front door, so you can quickly slip them on and go. There's nothing worse than trying to find shoes your little one kicked off the minute they walked through the door!
Make pack ups
Whether it's your own for work or your child's for school, make sure everything is in storage. You can even put their lunchbox bag in the fridge so all you have to do is grab it and put it in their school bag.
Do an admin check
Charge any devices you need overnight and leave them in a place that you will see the next morning. It's also worth making sure all keys that you need are by the front door ready to go. If you've misplaced your car keys, at least you won't spend your morning having to look for them.
Another good thing to check is school notice boards, to see if there is any event that day such as non-uniform days.
Get into a good sleep routine
According to resident sleep expert at Time4Sleep, Dr Hana Patel, starting a back-to-school sleep routine should be done at least three weeks before your child returns to school, by making small changes.
Dr Patel says: "A sleep routine does more than allow your child ample time to rest, having a consistent bedtime routine is clinically proven not only to help children fall asleep quickly but it improves their overall quality of sleep too."
"These changes will include things like setting a consistent bedtime, forming a night time and morning routine."
Of course, how long you give to start your new routine will depend on your child's personality and how they cope with forming new routines.
Bedtime routines can also start from 30 minutes before sleep.
Dr Patel shares: "It's really important to have a nighttime routine and a set bedtime. This can help your child to understand what to expect as they approach the evening."
Create a wake-up routine
While a bedtime routine is important, it's just as important for your child to wake up at the same time each day. When starting the day, it's a good idea to choose natural light or music to help your little one wake up in the morning.
Dr Patel said: "Try and consider waking up children using natural light or music, you can even combine the two and allow your child time to wake up naturally before getting into the morning routine."
“Your morning routine can include things like brushing teeth, getting dressed and eating breakfast but it's important to ensure that these things happen at the same time every day to provide structure."
However you choose to start that wake-up routine, try to keep it consistent.
Plan your school morning routine
Look at what you need to do in the morning, such as make breakfast, get lunches into bags and help your little one with their hair. What do you also need to do for yourself? As tempting as it is to throw your dressing gown on and make that all-important first hot drink of the day, would it be easier to get yourself ready before heading downstairs?
Talk about your school and a morning school routine with your child
Communication with your child is very important. Start reading books to prepare them for school or nursery, and open up conversations about how they feel. Whether it's their first day of nursery or school, or they are returning after the summer holidays, that first day can feel scary.
Getting them involved with planning your back-to-school routine can really help them adjust to the changes.
Samantha Ball is a Product & Lifestyle Writer for Mother&Baby and freelanced for the website for two years before joining the team full time. She's a mum of two and loves browsing for the best products and cute outfits.