Every parent was at least once in a hectic and chaotic situation of having to leave the house and begging their children to move. This process can take hours and hours if you’re not organized and understand that you need to allow your children to dictate the tempo. Many parents struggle with getting the situation under control and the result is usually catastrophic for everyone involved.
You need to be organized and start creating a routine during the first trips with your baby, and this will eventually turn into a piece of cake, no matter where you’re going and how cranky and tired your children are. So, if you too want to avoid having this problem and going through the same struggle over and over again, there are few organizational tips to get you through everything quickly and turn this process into a smooth ride.
Pack the Night Before
No matter what time you have to leave the house, it’s always better to pack in advance and prepare everything the night before. This is especially important if you have babies or toddlers and therefore need to pack a diaper bag as well. If you leave the packing process for the morning, you’ll forget something, and that’s not a smart move when it comes to babies.
So, make sure you create a list and pack everything you’ll need, as well as some extra stuff to have just in case. Mornings with children are usually hectic and you won’t have enough time, energy, or sanity to think of everything you need to pack. If you need to pack food or something that needs to be packed at the last minute, leave a note on the fridge and you won’t forget it.
Keep Things Near the Front Door
Once you’re done packing, just leave all your bags near the front door to be able to take them to your car quickly. This will save you lots of time running around the house and searching for bags and everything you need to bring with you.
When it comes to strollers and things you know you won’t have to use the night before, pack them in advance and save time loading everything into your car. Make sure you know where everything is, just to avoid looking for your child’s favorite toy or sweater the whole morning. In addition to that, you can put everyone’s shoes right next to the door and save even more time and energy that way.
Think About Safety
Just because you’re in a hurry doesn’t mean you should forget about the safety of your child. Many parents like to travel while their kids are sleeping and that might be the trick for having a smooth ride where everyone can relax. You need to have a great car seat if you wish your kids to be comfortable and quiet during the ride.
Check if the car seats are properly installed and functional early in the morning, while the children are sleeping, and you’ll have just enough time to readjust them if necessary. Many parents like to check their car quickly too, which takes some time, so leave some space in the schedule for something unpredictable. In case you’re not sure how to do all of these things, learn them ASAP or ask your partner to do that. If that’s not working either, consult your friends, neighbors, or connect to other parents across the globe using the educational Mumli motherhood app and get all the answers you may need.
Children-Related Schedule
Children are usually grumpy and not in the mood if they need to get up early, and asking them to do things they don’t want to do is usually counterproductive. So, instead of doing that, just use the opposite approach and adapt to their schedule. Wake them up on time, but don’t push them to do anything else if they’re not up for it, because they’ll just get extra grumpy.
Again, the trick here is to prepare in advance. Make their breakfast, pick their outfits, pack their clothes, find their favorite toys, and provide them with car entertainment. Doing all of this in advance might sound tiring, but you’ll save a lot of time and energy before you hit the road, thus minimizing the risk of accidents and making sure you have an amazing trip!
Set an Alarm
If you know when you need to arrive at your destination, set the alarm just to make sure you don’t oversleep. A great trick many parents use is to leave half an hour earlier, thus giving their kids time for bathroom and breakfast breaks. Many parents use different practical devices that they can wear on their wrist and always be on top of their schedule.
Though this means you’ll have less time from the moment your children wake up till it’s time to leave, you’ll still leave on time if you hurry just a little bit. You’ll inevitably lose track of time once your children wake up, which is why you need to create a detailed schedule of what needs to be done at a certain time.
Traveling with your kids is always tricky, but it’s manageable if you’re organized. Follow these tips once or twice, see how useful they are, and you’ll be happy to repeat them in the future as well!
