Back To School Routines: Real Tips From Real Mummies

The 2022/23 school year is upon us! Are you struggling to find your feet and get organised? We’re here to help.

We’re only human, and if your little one is your first child to reach school age then it’s only natural for you to need a little support in finding your feet. We’ve been having a chat with the mummies over in our private support group to find out the following;

• What time is best to wake in the morning?
• Quick, simple and healthy breakfasts.
• Getting organised without forgetting essentials.
• Getting to school in time without drama.

We hope that this helps you all!

What time is best to wake in the morning?

Of course, there’s no simple answer here, as it depends on so many factors.

If you have a smaller baby who wakes early, this of course will dictate your morning routine. For your school age child, you know them best and know how early is ‘too’ early. You need to make sure you give yourself enough time between waking and leaving the house for;

• Getting washed and dressed
• Eating a good breakfast
• Gathering belongings and double checking nothing has been forgotten
• The journey to school.

If your child is prone to procrastinating, give yourself some more time. Perhaps a wall chart with times for them to aim for would be a good idea, with a small prize given for time targets met? We love this one*!

Most of our mummies rise at around 7 am in order to leave the house by around 8:15am. Beth Barnes told us that she gets up at 6:30am to give her baby her feed, and then wakes her 5 year old at 7am. She packs everything the night before to save time, which is a sensible idea!

Milly Wake gets up at 7am and gets breakfast, washes and getting dressed out of the way by 8am. She then enjoys a little chill time before 8:20, when she leaves the house to do the school run. We like the idea of having a breather, it’ll help to start the day on relaxed and centred footing.

Quick, simple and healthy breakfasts.

A great day of learning requires the best fuel in the tank – there are quite a few fabulous breakfast choices that are easy to whip up and take little time. Lots of parents opt for slow burning carbohydrates; weetabix, porridge and wholegrain toast are popular choices!

We’ve noticed that some parents (myself included) are increasingly choosing more protein-rich choices; eggs and bacon are a hit! It doesn’t take long to grill some bacon and scramble some eggs, and the protein and good fats will keep your little one satisfied and mentally sharp.

The top breakfast choices;

• Eggs and soldiers
• Weetabix
• Porridge (perhaps with fruit)
• Greek yoghurt and fruit
• Toast
• Eggs and bacon

Getting organised without forgetting essentials.

So, the kids are up, washed, dressed, fed. It’s time to leave the house, but you just KNOW someone will forget something. How can we stop this from happening? We advise using a visual aid to help remind you. Even if you’ve got an eidetic memory, mum stress and the chaos of the school run is enough to send anyone into headless chicken mode!

We’ve found this amazing kitchen chart – all you need to write in are the essentials like ‘bag, homework, lunch box, trip money, coat’ etc, and then tick off each as you leave. Find it here*.

Getting to school in time without drama.

So, you’ve left the house. You’re all washed, dress, fed, and nothing has been left behind. Perfect! But your child has got out of the wrong side of the bed today and is throwing an EPIC tantrum – now what? You could…

• Ignore them and continue the journey on the verge of snapping.
• Stop and reason with them, risking being late.
• Distract them.

If you choose option three, there are loads of ways to defuse a tantrum with distraction techniques. Simple games such as ‘I Spy’ are the perfect way to take your child to a better place emotionally, and make the journey to school fun. This nature hunt scavenger list* is another fun distraction technique. You can challenge your errant little one to spot the items on the list as you travel (just be sure to keep an eye on them near roads!), and their tantrum will be a distant memory!

Our verdict...

Getting back into a routine after the school holidays can be tricky and stressful; not just for you mummies and daddies, but also for your children too! With so many big emotions, changes and challenges to contend with, there's ways to make things a little bit easier for you all, and we really hope that this guide has helped you somewhat.