5 Tips to Make Your School Morning Routine are always good so I have been compensated by PediaSure for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.
#PediaSure #Sidekicks #ForPickyEaters
You would think that in my 6th year of having children in school, I would have the morning routine all figured out. But no, I still struggle every single morning getting my kids dressed, fed and ready to head out the door. This year a new twist was added. I have three kids in two schools and the start and end times are an hour apart. My oldest now gets up 45 minutes before her sisters. So I have two morning routines to contend with. My biggest struggle? Getting them to eat breakfast!! With two already on the very low end of the weight chart, I have to come up with foods they will actually eat that have the vitamins and nutrients they need! With PediaSure Sidekicks, which was recommended by my pediatrician years ago, I feel like I can send them off with what they need for a great school day! Add to that these 5 Tips to Make Your School Morning Routine Easier and we may just make it though another year.
Get Up before the Kids for a Smoother School Morning Routine
This may seem like a no-brainer, but I used to try to get up at the same time the kids needed to get up. I discovered that this led to the craziest chaos ever! I am not a morning person at all so trying to turn into a functioning human being while the kids also had to do the same led to so much stress that it was miserable. So I started slowly creating a school morning routine for me. I would get up 10 minutes earlier, then 20. This year, I get up a full hour before my oldest. 5:30am may seem extreme to some but I get more done in that hour than any other in the day. By the time I get my oldest up, I am coffeed up and ready for the day. I have more patience and am less rushed to get her out the door.
Prepare the Night Before
I’ll be honest. This one may seem easy but when we have extra activities, like horseback riding, after school, preparing for the next day’s school morning routine falls by the wayside. However, if we can get clothes laid out, lunches packed, snacks picked out and our backpacks by the door, we are full speed ahead the next morning. The biggest night before if you do nothing else is socks and shoes! I can not tell you how close we have come to missing carpool or the bus for the simple reason that we could not find a shoe! So the more you can do the night before, the better!
Give Them Exercise
OK, I admit it, this may seem strange. Adding an activity to the morning routine seems a little insane. But I have read study after study that says allowing kids to get a little exercise, just 10 – 15 minutes, in the morning, helps them do better in school and have more energy. I have also noticed that if I tell them to pick up the pace so that they can shoot some hoops actually gets them moving faster! So, for me anyway, shooting a few hoops before school seems to be having a positive result on our morning routine!
Lay out the Whole Week of Clothes
I have only tried this with the new school year this year and, so far, it seems to be working. My work on getting the laundry done by Sunday is a little more stressful, but if I do and I can get the kids to pick 5 outfits, put them all in order of day in their top drawer, my mornings are so, SO much calmer. About a week before school started, I had the girls clean out and organize their drawers, leaving one empty. That is their ‘week of clothes’ drawer. I was and fold and they choose them for whatever day and put them in that drawer. We include everything, except shoes which are worn multiple days. They get up, pick one of the 5 and get dressed. It is SO much easier than riffling through all of the drawers on a busy morning.
Have Breakfast on Hand that they Will Eat
There is no shame in my admitting that, on most mornings, my girls get waffles and Sidekicks. There have been a few morning where it goes to the bus stop with us too. I have done the whole, ‘Mommy will make you eggs, bacon, biscuits every morning!‘ fiasco and it lasted a day. So even though some people may be shaking their heads, I am all about making sure they actually eat rather than the variety. With PediaSure Sidekicks as their chosen pairing with the waffles, I know that they are getting 25 vitamins and minerals that they need to power through their day. Plus, Sidekicks can help fill in the nutritional gaps that my super thin girls have to have to continue to stay in the normal range for their height. My oldest and youngest lose weight very quickly so I like that Sidekicks helps me keep them on track! With 7 grams of protein, this morning boost is great for any active kid!
ALERT: Take advantage of this IBOTTA and Bundle deal at Walmart for Sidekicks!
My morning routine is not perfect but it is better this year than I anticipated. I am learning though, that by staying on schedule and committing to making it work, I can get three kids up and off to two different schools without completely losing my mind!
What do you do to get your mornings off to a great start? Has you child tried SideKicks?
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