School schedules?

[lizrd7579]

Can you push bedtime back to 8:00? Then your DH would at least get 30 minutes with them. If you're set on them getting their own stuff ready for the morning, have them do that before he gets home and then let them play. Or, do the whole routine minus potty and reading, then let them play for 30 minutes with DH. After that, do potty and read books.

[statlerwaldorf]

When do they take a bath? Can you get them into pjs earlier? I would also get the backpack ready earlier in case they have homework. Dd had work sheets from time to time in preschool.

[undecidedowl]

Maybe that could be incentive for then to move quickly? If their pj's are on ahead of the schedule they could play with daddy until it's time to read books.

[barefootcontessa]

when does you DH leave in the morning? my kids get their time with DH in the morning. in the evenings my kids are tired and cranky so we push things to the morning.

[jeaniebueller]

Another suggestion--since they are young, can you get their backpacks ready after they go to bed? I am talking about the period between 6:40-6:50? And, can your H read them their books at night? That is what my husband does for DS, so at least they get that 15 minutes of time together.

[statlerwaldorf]

This is my schedule for dd who is a pokey 5 year old. Dh gets home around 6. Dh really doesn't get to spend much time with her on days he works and she goes to school. He is the one that reads to her. She likes when he reads to her, so that gives her more motivation to get ready quicker. If we finish dinner earlier, we start the bedtime routine earlier and she is able to play a game with dh.

4:20 off bus
4:30 get backpack ready and do homework
Play, spend time with her, whatever
6:00 Dinner
6:45 Bath
7:10 Get dressed, braid hair
7:30 Use restroom, take vitamin, brush teeth, clean ear piercing
7:45 Read
8:00 Bed

7:00 wake up
7:05 brush teeth
7:10 get dressed
7:30 brush hair
7:40 eat breakfast
8:10 get on bus

[jeaniebueller]

@domerjen, let me know how it goes getting your DS to shower. I have been trying to get my DS to take showers instead and he has no interest and no amount of bribery has worked so far. It should just be soooo much quicker if he would shower!

[hocus2]

Aug 26, 2014 10:29:55 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

@domerjen, let me know how it goes getting your DS to shower. I have been trying to get my DS to take showers instead and he has no interest and no amount of bribery has worked so far. It should just be soooo much quicker if he would shower!

My 4 year daughter takes showers. I have her wear goggles which seemed to address her largest concern which is getting water in her eyes. I still help wash he hair but I don't think I'd need to do that if her hair was short.

[6fsn]

Our schedule is simple. Backpacks, coats hats and anything for the next day gets dealt with immediately after school. We do bedtime at 8, but pjs go on at 745 then books immediately after. They are alone in their rooms by 805.

Mornings they are up at 6 and play until 7:30. 7:30 is breakfast then dressed and at the bus stop at 8:30. I don't have a break down on times. When they get done in the morning they get to play until 8:30.

[cinco]

That sounds similar to ours. It takes me about an hour to get everyone down for the night, and we need to be up 45 minutes before we meet the bus.

[formerlyak]

Aug 26, 2014 10:55:32 GMT -5 6fsn said:

Our schedule is simple. Backpacks, coats hats and anything for the next day gets dealt with immediately after school. We do bedtime at 8, but pjs go on at 745 then books immediately after. They are alone in their rooms by 805.

Mornings they are up at 6 and play until 7:30. 7:30 is breakfast then dressed and at the bus stop at 8:30. I don't have a break down on times. When they get done in the morning they get to play until 8:30.

My ds is 8, but we do similar to this. DS and I get home at 5:30 once I pick him up from after care, so we deal with the backpack stuff as I am cooking dinner. Then we eat dinner around 6. Play a bit. He used to do bath at 7, but now that he's older it's 7:45. Bath, teeth and pjs take about 15 minutes. I used to make it a game and time him with a stop watch. That helped him pick up the pace so we didn't have 20 minute showers. Then 20-30 minutes of reading and lights out.

Mornings, he is up at 6:30, watches tv in my room while I shower and get ready for work. 7:00 is when he gets dressed. I usually just hand some clothes to him and tell him to up them on while I do my make up. 7:20 is brush teeth. Then we go down stairs. While I am packing lunch boxes we review any spelling words or math facts he may need to be working on that week. Then at about 7:40 we are both sitting at the table eating breakfast and out the door by 7:55.

[DarcyLongfellow]

Our schedule is similar. Bedtime is 7, but we usually start moving towards the bedrooms around 6:45, then it's at least 7:30 or 7:45 by the time it's lights out for DD1 (the baby is much faster!).

I'd try to do everything you can before 6:45. So when your DH walks in the door, the kids are in pajamas with teeth brushed, all ready for bed. Then they can play with daddy for half an hour or so, then go potty really quickly and read books around 7:15 or so, then go to bed. If you think they need more than 15 minutes of reading, I'd do that earlier in the day.

I'm trying to get DD1 to deal with all of her backpack and school stuff as soon as she gets home from school. We're only on day 3 ;-), but so far my plan is to have her empty her backpack as soon as she walks in the door -- hand her folder to me, empty her lunchbox, put the Tupperware by the sink for me to wash, and put the ice packs back in the fridge. I'm trying to sign anything that needs to be returned to school right then, then put everything back in her backpack. If she needed to gather a coat or anything, I'd have her do it then also.

Our morning routine is also similar. I wake up around 6:30 or 6:45 (depending on whether I need to shower before I take DD1 to school), then I wake DD1 up around 7. She has until 7:30 to potty and eat breakfast (yes, it takes her that long to eat -- she's very slow to wake up). Then it takes us about 15 to 20 minutes to get DD1 dressed (she does this herself now! with clothes we set out the night before), then brush her teeth, do her hair, and put sunscreen on. We leave the house at 8.

What is your DH doing in the mornings? Can he join the kids for breakfast maybe? Just something so they get some time with him?

[wavepool]

Aug 26, 2014 10:32:39 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

Aug 26, 2014 10:29:55 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

@domerjen, let me know how it goes getting your DS to shower. I have been trying to get my DS to take showers instead and he has no interest and no amount of bribery has worked so far. It should just be soooo much quicker if he would shower!

My 4 year daughter takes showers. I have her wear goggles which seemed to address her largest concern which is getting water in her eyes. I still help wash he hair but I don't think I'd need to do that if her hair was short.

I totally understand the reason and think it's a great idea, but the visual of showering with goggles makes me lol! Mine is 1 year old, so I have no clue about this stuff, it's just funny to think of! And, I'm sure to remember it for when he's older:)

[h]

Any chance your 5.5 yo is ready for a slightly later bedtime (especially if he is taking a long time to fall asleep and they are keeping each other up)? Could you put your DD to bed at 7:30 while your DS gets 30-45 minutes of alone time with his dad, then put him to sleep after his sister is already out for the night?