Working moms, how do you get ready on time in the morning?

I'm still trying to get into the habit of getting ready on time every morning. I have to say, I find it really hard.
I'm sure you ladies have some very useful advices. Thanks in advance.

 

Well, I usually try and take a bath or shower at night once the boys are put in bed, that way I only have to wash my hair in the mornings. And it only takes me a few minutes to wash my hair in the mornings so I usually just leave them strapped in their infant-to-toddler rockers in front of the tv during that time. If me and DH both need to shower in the morning then we tend to each be responsible for one baby, and while we're in the shower we put our baby in a bouncer and attach the thingy so they have something dangling in front of them to play with. I put on my makeup at my desk in our guest bedroom, and I keep an activity gym on the floor beside the desk so I can plop a baby down there and buy me 10 minutes or so to slap on some makeup.

The key to all of this though is that I *usually* only have to be responsible for one baby when getting ready since DH is usually around then and we always evenly split the duties. If I have to get ready while watching both boys (which is rare) I strap them in their infant-to-toddler rockers and turn on a Signing Time DVD and hope they are pacified enough for 15 minutes or so. Of course, as you know sometimes things don't work out as planned with twinfants!!

 

I don't.

Seriously, this was a huge challenge for most of the first year for me. (Especially because my first nanny was late more than she was on time, but that's another story. :gah: ) During the first few months, I pretty much fell on my sword to my boss and asked him to be forgiving (which he was). As the boys got older it got a lot easier.

We put them to bed at 7:30-8pm, and they wake at about 7:30am each morning. DH and I get up at around 6:30, shower, change, let the dog out, make coffee, and start breakfast. Usually the boys start chatting around the time we're done getting ourselves ready, so we wake them up, change them and bring them down to breakfast. We all eat breakfast together, DH leaves, then nanny comes, then I leave.

When my boys were your boys' age, the routine was similar, but we'd have to get them up a bit earlier so I could nurse; they'd hang around in boppies while we ate breakfast, the nanny would come, then I'd leave.

For me, the key is going to bed early (with clothes laid out ahead of time) and getting up before the boys wake. If they wake first, it's all over, and I'll never get ready in time.

My biggest challenge in getting to work on time now is that they're so stinking cute and give such great goodbye hugs, that I don't want to leave!

 

We mixed formula and poured bottles the night before. We had a box (an empty garbage-bag box from Costco with the top cut off) that held 8 bottles, just the right number for the day.

DH and I take turns getting up first. At that age, whoever got up first would give the babies their bottles (one at a time -- I never mastered feeding them both at once). Amy always woke up first, so she got fed first, then we'd wake Sarah if she wasn't already awake and feed her. We were usually up by 6 since Amy wouldn't sleep any later than that.

Then, once they were both fed, I (if I was the first parent that day) would get them both changed and dressed. If I could get them to be content in bouncy seats at that point, I'd eat my own breakfast (cold cereal).

The other parent (let's say it's DH) got to sleep till 7, then would jump in the shower. Then he would entertain the babies (or finish getting them dressed) while I ate, if I hadn't managed to do that yet, or else help me pack them up and get out the door. He usually ate breakfast after I left. If they were having a really rough morning, he would even wait till I left to shower.

On a bad morning, I didn't get any breakfast until I got to work, but usually I got to at least inhale something. I had my lunch and anything else I needed for the day already packed, so I just had to grab it -- ditto for the babies' bag.

We were actually often early at that age, simply because Amy woke up so early that it was easier to just get ready and go, rather than hanging out at home! But the logistics were still always challenging. It gets easier with practice, but mostly it gets easier when they get a little bit older and can actually stay happy for 5 minutes without someone holding or feeding them.

 

Two things: 1. DH helping and 2. Getting up earlier than they do.

I get up around 5 or 5:30, shower, dry/do my hair, and put on makeup. I wake DH up after I get out of the shower and he shaves and takes a shower. Then he goes to wake up the babies while I'm finishing up getting ready. He or he and I dress them. Then he feeds them breakfast while I get dressed and gather everything I need for the day. We both get them in shoes, coats, gloves, etc., and he puts them in the car while I grab everything I need. After I leave with the kids, he finishes getting ready himself.

Anything you can have ready beforehand is good. We pick out their clothes for the week and put them in a hanging organizer. Breakfast for them is easy - cheerios, breakfast bars, banana slices, etc. They get "breakfast" at daycare around 9 too, so it's really to hold them over. I eat breakfast at work. I keep packets of oatmeal in my desk drawer and just add water. I usually grab some fruit too. I figure out what I'm wearing the night before. And if I'm really short on time, I put my hair up in a quick bun to save lots of time!

It gets harder getting them out the door. It's an Olympic event now getting 2 2 year olds in shoes, coats, hats, and gloves while they are running around going, "My baby. I get my baby. I wear boots. Mommy lunch. No coat. No!" I am looking forward to summer - shorts, shirt, sandals - done.

Edit: Somehow I totally repressed that we were talking about infants! At that age, we made bottles the night before (actually we made them 2 days at a time.) Otherwise, the routine was pretty much the same, except that we both went to wake them up and give them bottles once we were ready. Then we took them downstairs, and I ran up to get dressed and gather things up while DH got them in shoes/coats/sunscreen/etc. and put them in their infant seats.

 

Right now, they dont normally get up until 630-700. I get up at 6:00, get somthing to drink, hop in the shower quickly and get out and try to get the 1 or 2 bottles from over night washed. Byt his time I can hear them stirring upstairs and I go get them and change them and dress them. I normally just prop them in bouncy or their rockers and feed both together. Once done I turn them around and let them watch tv ( bad bad me!!!!) while I do my hair and make up and dress which takes me all of 10 min. then I go warm the car and load them up.

Now sometimes like every day last week, DD was up at 6. When that is the case, who ever is up goes in the bouncy into the bathroom or in the pack and play right out of the bathroom or in the swing which if the bathroom door is left cracked, I can see. If both in bed, our video monitor goes with me in the bathroom. I try to prepare best I can the night before, have my clothes laid out (which rarely happens!! ) but at least have their clothes laid out and ready.

 

Ok, here is my schedule. I put the boys to bed at 6.30-7. I take the dog for a walk, come back, read with my 6 year old. After she goes to bed on her own at 8 I prepare formula/lunches/clothes - you name it - for the following day.
I have a feeding at 10. I go to bed at 10.30-11 depending whether I feed alone or my DH could stay up and help.
O sleeps the night through, E does not. He gets up at 3-4 for a bottle and he thinks he's done. It takes me sometimes an hour to get him back to sleep. This problem just occured a week ago, before that he woke up, but could go right back to sleep. So sometimes it is 4-5 when I pass out again until my alarm goes off at 5.40. I get up, drink my coffee, sometimes I don't even know where I am. I get my daughter up at 6, her school bus is at 7.
E is getting up around this time, so I have a baby and a 6 year old at hand. So my husband and daughter are out the door by 7. At that time I have two babies who are ready to eat. I feed them cereal and bottle. By the time I finish it's 8. I still have to pick up after the morning rush, make the beds, take a shower. It is usually 8.45 by the time I'm out the door if lucky. I barely make it to work.
Maybe I should do the cereal at night?

Anyhow, thank you for all!

 

What a great question!! This is only my second week back at work, so it's great to see what everyone else is doing!

Starting the night before, I make sure that all of the bottles are made for the next day and I know what I'm wearing so there's no mucking around with that in the morning.

I get up at 6am and feed the girls, whether they're awake or not. DH usually gets up to take his shower when I'm in with them. I feed them both at the same time, in their bouncies, which means the feeding only takes about 15 minutes or so. It's actually better if I have to wake them up to feed them because they fall back asleep again which gives me time to take a shower. Our 5YO has to get up by 7am to get ready for school. While I'm in the shower, DH will get him up.

Depending on who is in charge of getting him on the bus (which means, staying home later in the morning and going into work later) will get him dressed and fed breakfast. The other one of us will leave for work so that we are home on time to relieve the nanny at 5pm, who comes to our house at 8am.

The key to the schedule is that the girls go back to sleep after their 6am bottles. If they don't and someone has to be paying attention to them while trying to coordinate everyone getting up, showered, dressed and fed, it's a complete nightmare. (It would help if I took a shower at night, but since the girls typically don't go down for the night until 11pm, I'm usually too tuckered out to stay up and do it....)

It's a work in progress, but it seems to be working right now.

 

By the time I went back to work, the twins were pretty much sleeping through the night (at 4 months). I would get up at 5 and rea get myself ready. Their bags, etc for daycare were usually done the night before. Once I was ready, I would wake them between 6 and 6:15. Get them dressed and into their seats with a bottle. (They ate their breakfast at daycare). I left the house by 6:30 ish and then my husband would get them into the car and do drop off at around 7:30.

 

Sounds like you do have a really rough schedule. Which makes me wonder why in the world you are making beds?? Who cares what they look like?! :lol: I also never worry about picking up the house in the mornings. I just trip over the toys and deal with on the weekends Though I do have it much easier than you because we don't have any other kids but the twins, and my mom comes to our house to watch them, so no loading them up to take to day care (yet, that will change this summer).

 

Picking up/cleaning up definitely didn't (and doesn't) happen in the mornings around my house. I had to get used to coming home to a mess and cleaning it up before I fed them dinner. We also pre-made bottles in a pitcher and had their morning bottles ready and they were fed cereal (and now breakfast) at daycare. At that age the kids were taken to daycare early so I would feed, change and dress them and get them ready (we just take everything they will need at daycare for her to keep on Mondays so we don't have to take a bag - she kept bottles and formula and now sippies and milk, diapers and wipes, and a change of clothes there always) and then dh would take them to daycare. That would leave me time to get ready and get to work (luckily don't have to be there until 8:30). That would happen from 6:30 - 7:15 or so and then I would have 30 minutes to get ready after they were gone. I don't know if something like that would work for you, but it made it easier for me to just have them get to daycare a little earlier.

 

I agree with the pp's about picking up the house. If I have time I'll pick up a few toys or throw some dishes in the dishwasher but those things are the absolute last on my priority list. My dh leaves for work before the kids get up so it's all me. I know that someday I'll have time to do those things in the morning but right now my priority is my getting 3 little kids that need to be fed, changed and out the door by 730 so I can get to work by 830 (plus I have to get myself ready, too.) I've come to accept that not everything is going to get done and as long as I prioritize and do what HAS to get done then it will all work out in the end... Good luck!

 

The key is to do as much as possible the night before. I make bottles/formula, take my shower, lay out clothes etc all the the night before. In the morning I get up at 5:00 get my self ready which usually takes about 25 minutes or so, then go warm up bottles and wake up the boys about 5:45. They eat propped on a pillow laying on our bed. While they are eating I change their diapers. take off their PJ's and dress them. By the time all that is done it's usually around 6:15. I have to leave for work at 6:30 so by this time they both fall back to sleep and then my husband takes them to daycare around 7:30. This schedule works most of the time and I've only been late once in about 7 months.

 

It's definitely harder (I imagine) when you have an older child too. But from your description, it sounds like you're doing all the work. What is DH doing while you're feeding all these kids (in the evening, in the middle of the night, and in the morning) and getting all their stuff ready for the next day?

I understand that he has to leave early to get your DD to the school bus. (Although, depending on where the bus stop is, could he come back home and help you? Or does he have to be at work at 7:30 or something?) But at the very least, you should be taking turns with the middle of the night feedings.

And ditto on not making the beds. I usually straighten the kids' beds out right before they get into them -- mostly to make sure no loveys, books, toys, etc. have been lost in the mess -- but when they were babies, I sure didn't. DH and I don't even make our own bed unless we need to fold laundry on it. :laughing:

We did/do most of the general tidying after the kids are in bed. But again, it's a joint effort between DH and me -- it's not my job alone.

 

Getting to work on time before having babies was a challenge for me- I am a queen at procrastinating, and getting side tracked!

I only work two full time days a week in the office, and because I work about 50 mins away from home and daycare contrains, I don't have to be a work until 8:30 and leave at 4pm. I pack their bags and mine the day before, I also plan what I am going to wear the night before too (This used to single handely be the worst thing that would make me late in the mornings!)

I get up between 4:30-5am to doddle, workout, and get myself showered and ready. Then they wake up between 6:45 and 7am. I give them a bottle, and then load them up and leave the house by 7:10 (alright, usually 7:30- when I am supposed to be at daycare...). I drop them off between 7:30 and 7:40am and then off to make it into work at my desk by 8:25am...

My girls sleep through the night and are 10 months old. I just started back to working this schedule last month. Before I was working part time in the afternoons at a local company....Mostly because I couldn't get out of the house before noon with the girls!

 

Wow, no advice except to tell you you're not alone!

Oh maybe one tip: always build in enough time to change a poopy diaper at the last minute. Maybe it's just this morning coming back to me, but one of my girls always poops as we're late walking out the door. Always!