Tips for Morning Routines [From the Mouths of Moms]

Do Your Kids Have Any Morning Routines?

What are mornings like at your house?  belVita knows how important good mornings are to moms and their kids.  I mean, we all know that mornings set the tone for the entire day.  When belVita asked me to share my tips for “morning wins,” I knew that I needed these tips as much as any other mama.  So I took to my blogging mama friends to see what morning routines they use to start their days off right.  Let’s here (and learn!) from them…

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by belVita through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about belVita, all opinions are my own.

14 Morning Routines & Tricks That Make for “Morning Wins”

1. Prepare the Night Before
“Prepare for the morning the night before. We find that our mornings are less chaotic when we prepare the night before. Take the dress out, bags and shoes ready, lunch decided and breakfast preparations done in advance. That gives me some time to talk and play with the kids in the morning too or else, I am just telling them to hurry and we are all stressed.” Ayesha of Words and Needles

2. Pick Out Clothes the Night Before, Too!
“My top tip is to have kids pick clothes out the night before – and approve them – for no morning outfit drama.” MaryAnne of Mama Smiles

3. Get Up Before the Kids
“My best tip would be to get up an hour before your children need to. Use the hour to get ready have a cup of tea or coffee. That first drink of the day really does make all the difference. You being ready, awake and focused after your hot drink will stop you all frantically getting ready at the same time. If you’re calm your kids will be calm too.” Amy of Learning and Exploring Through Play

4. Try Alarm Clocks Instead of Mom Waking Kids Up
“My best tip is that I bought my kids alarm clocks and have not taught them about snooze yet!” Becky of Kid World Citizen

5. Get Dressed First Thing
“Have [the kids] get dressed before breakfast rather than after. It motivates them to get dressed more quickly and then they are ready to go after they eat. ” Erin of Bambini Travel

6. Plan Breakfast Ahead of Time
“My best tip is to make a breakfast schedule. Here is ours: Monday–Breakfast Sandwiches, Tuesday–Cold Cereal, Wednesday–Pancakes, Thursday–Cold Cereal, Friday–Oatmeal. Once a month, I prepare enough Breakfast Sandwiches and Pancakes to last the entire month!” Melissa of Fireflies and Mudpies

[Tweet “#MorningWin Tip: Make a breakfast schedule! “]

7. Play Music
“I choose my kids’ favorite songs (they change every week) and put them on the playlist on my phone. Put it in the wireless Bluetooth speaker and the house is full of music. The goal of playing music in the morning is not only to make kids all happy, but also to make them more productive in their morning chores: making bed, brushing teeth, washing up, dressing up and coming down for breakfast.” Birute of Playtivities

8. Have a No-Toys and No-Tech Rule
“I’ve had to instate a no-toys and no-technology rule.  If my kids get ‘into’ a certain toy or gadget before school, they have a harder time transitioning when it’s time to leave.” Krissy of B-Inspired Mama

9. Make a Visual Schedule for Younger Kids
“We made a simple to do list for my three year old that includes words and pictures. I put it in a sheet protector and hung it on the refrigerator. As soon as he completes one of the tasks, he checks it off with a dry-erase marker. This helps him stay on task and is highly motivating!” Danielle of Mom Inspired Life

10. Use a Checklist for Older Kids
“One night I made [a] checklist for her and set it on the table [to find in the morning]. We have now used this morning checklist for 2 weeks. I have no idea what I did without it.” Amanda of The Educators’ Spin On It

[Tweet “#MorningWin Tip: Make a morning checklist for the kids.”]

11. Assign Kids Breakfast Chores 
“We also have really simple chores that we take turns with like getting out juice boxes, lunch boxes, pouring glasses of water, passing out vitamins, getting out bowls/spoons.” Becky of Kid World Citizen

12. Read During Breakfast
“My kids (one of whom has ADHD and another who has sensory processing difficulties) are easily distracted during mealtimes.  But I’ve discovered that they stay at the table and focus on their eating much better when I read from a chapter book to them.” Krissy of B-Inspired Mama

13. Use “Quick Grab Baskets” 
“We use ‘quick grab’ baskets for hats and mitts to avoid a mad scramble on the way out the door.” Gina of East Coast Mommy

[Tweet “#MorningWin Tip: Keep everything in quick grab baskets.”]

14. Take Advantage of Car-Time!
“What’s been working for us for preschool, is to accept that some things can be done in the car or when you get there – like brushing hair or putting on shoes.” Danya of Danya Banya

A Quick Breakfast for a #MorningWin

Not every tip or trick mentioned above is going to work for every family or child.  We are of course all different, with different families, personalities, and needs.  But ALL KIDS need a balanced breakfast to start their day.  And most moms would agree that a QUICK breakfast is always a plus for their morning routines, too!

belVita sent us some of their new belVita Bites to make our morning routines easier, and the kids are loving them.  Plus, I love that each individual packet of belVita Bites contains 20g of whole grain, 4g of fiber, no high fructose corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oil and no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners!  Add a piece of fruit and a glass of low fat milk to a convenient package of either Chocolate or Mixed Berry belVita Bites, and the kids have a balanced breakfast that will get them through their busy school morning.

If you want to give belVita Bites a try, they are available in Mixed Berry and Chocolate varieties and can be found at retailers nationwide in the cookie/cracker aisle.

So what are your tips and tricks for better morning routines?  What do your kids have for breakfast?  Share in the comments below!

More Parenting Tips from B-Inspired Mama:

    

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by belVita through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about belVita, all opinions are my own.