Tell me about your get-out-the-door routine

[Spiralshell]

My son is 4.5 months old, and I am going back to work in a few days. I'm not sure yet how we're going to manage the morning routine without going nuts. He's used to a long leisurely nursing session when we wake up, which I'm not sure is going to be possible knowing that I need to be out the door by 7AM.
Luckily, either Grandma or Oma will be coming here to watch him, depending on the day, so I only need to get myself out the door, not him too.
I'm wondering how I'm going to manage to shower, dress, eat breakfast, nurse him, and not forget half of what I need to do and bring.
I'm already thinking that I will HAVE to prep a lot the night before: pump bag, bottles, lunch for me, my outfit all set out, computer bag by the door, etc.
I'm doing half days from Tuesday-Friday the first week back to kind of ease into working again, but I think the hard part will be just getting going in the morning.

How do you do it? What are your tips and tricks to get out the door on time with your sanity intact?

Many thanks in advance for any advice!!!

[erinsmama]

Hi Spiralshell,

My DD is two, but I had a similiar situation to yours where when I first went back to work, my daughter didn't have to leave the house because my DH took her to daycare in the morning.

I got everything ready the night before, as you're planning to & even put as much as I could in the car the night before too. Clothes were laid out, everything ready to just grab & go. I also got up pretty darn early to get myself breakfast, ready to go & then about an hour before I left, I would pick up dd, even though she would be asleep most of the time & nursed her until she was done, or I had to leave & I would put her back in her crib if she was sleeping, or get her dressed & handed off to dad before I left.

I remember getting up very early.

Now, mornings are even more hectic, since I take dd to the daycare where I work. I feel like I'm always running late...

Good luck to you! You can do it!

[purplevega]

I make lunch the night before. We use laptop lunch boxes for the kiddos and I bring a packed lunch for myself. We have a draw of school cloths for my oldest and he can dress himself however he likes. Myyoungest I lay out his cloths on the changing table if I want DH to help me dress him. We have simple breakfasts, like frozen organic waffels, cereal, eggs, whole milk yogurt and honey. Anything easy and filling that I know is good for us. I make drink cups for breakfast and one for lunch filled and ready to do. That way we make breakfast and grap the "breakfast" cup with milk or juice, or whatever.

I wear scrubs as my uniform, it is easy. i usually put them in the dryer while I am in the shower to get rid of any wrinkles. The boys bath at night and DH showers in the evening as well.

Good luck.

Kim

[mambera]

nak

Prep as much as you can the night before.

Allow yourself twice as much time as you think you'll need.

For me, things are easiest if I can sneak out while dd is still asleep. She dream-feeds all night; if I can sneak away right after a feed things are pretty smooth.

Unfortunately I can easily make myself late trying to nurse her back down, so it's a fine balance.

[*MamaJen*]

Is it possible for you to eat breakfast at your office? I keep things at my office like cereal, milk and packets of microwave oatmeal. I eat at my desk when I get in and I find it saves me a ton of time in the morning.
Other than that -- give yourself twice the time you would have allotted pre-baby, and do what you can the night before.
I actually find our routine pretty easy nowadays -- wake up, shower (either DS sleeps through the shower or gets in with me), dress both of us, dry hair, grab bags and go. Maybe a few minuted to throw in a load of laundry or do some dishes, if I'm really ahead. I find 45 minutes is plenty for all that, though it's a little easier with a toddler than a newborn. DS usually nurses quite a bit in the early morning while we're still dozing, so we no longer do a long nursing session when we wake up.