Ten Clever Mom Hacks To Help Simplify Your Back-to-School Routine
These back to school mom hacks are perfect for getting you and your family ready for an awesome school year.
The start of a new school year can be stressful for both parents and kids. But there are ways that you can alleviate some of those stresses.
Now that you’ve completed all of the back to school shopping, how about implementing a few mom hacks to help make your mornings a little less chaotic.
Trust me, getting your back to school routine in order is by no means easy, but I believe these clever hacks can certainly help to smooth the transition.
Wake up before everyone else does
I know it can be hard to crawl out of bed in the mornings, but taking a few moments to enjoy some quiet time before everyone else wakes up will do wonders for your day.
Go ahead and enjoy your coffee in peace, look over your calendar, or maybe get a quick shower. Just remember that those few minutes belong to you mama.
Simplify your breakfast routine
Choose breakfast items that are quick and easy. Keep a bowl of fruit handy. Cereal is also a good choice. Try whipping up a batch of pancakes or even a breakfast casserole on the weekend and freeze it to have later in the week.
Prepare your kids wardrobe for the week
I try to iron my son’s clothes for the week on Saturday nights (or Sunday’s). I typically will iron a week’s worth of clothes and hang them on the back of his closet door. That way he can help choose what he wants to wear each day.
Allow your kid’s to help pick out their clothes for the week. Iron each piece and either hang them or fold them neatly and place in a drawer so that they are easily accessible.
Wash a load of clothes daily
Am I the only one who hates doing laundry? To avoid massive loads of laundry at the end of the week, toss in a load every day. That way you can wash, fold and put away a basket each day.
If you’re not a fan of doing laundry daily, you may want to consider doing it twice a week. That way you avoid it piling up.
Menu plan
Planning our meals for the week is one of the biggest time savers for me. I mean, who wants to spend time every day trying to decide what’s for dinner? I typically take a little time on Thursday’s to write out my menu for the next week as well as my shopping list. You could also menu plan for the entire month if that works better for you.
I love quick and easy meals. I typically opt for casseroles or crockpot meals because they are simple to prepare, and I can just toss the ingredients into a crockpot or baking dish and relax while it cooks.
Create a backpack zone
As they head back to school, give your kids a defined space to hang up their backpacks, coats and other items when they walk through the door. This way no one is complaining that they can’t find their backpack when it’s time to head out the door in the morning.
Add a family command station
We have a centralized area in our home where we keep a family calendar, home notebook, bills, and important papers.
This area helps to keep everyone organized. We are able to keep up with keys, Dr.’s appointments, important school dates, homework and even charge our phones.
Need ideas for a command station? Read this post by The Turquoise Home.
Keep after-school snacks readily available
If your kiddo is anything like mine, they are hungry as soon as they walk through the door from school.
I keep a variety of snack choices ready in a basket in the pantry. There is also a snack tub in the fridge with fruit cups and apple slices (his favorites). You can add yogurt cups or any other type of fruit that your kids may like.
Prepare lunches the night before
If you send your child’s lunch to school like I do, you’ll save so much time by assembling everything the night before. Prepare sandwiches, fruit or veggies and snacks along with a drink choice and you’re all set.
The next morning, your child can just grab their lunchbox and they are ready to go.
Tidy up daily
Take a few minutes each day to put items back where they belong. Clean the kitchen as you cook. Wipe the bathroom sink and toilet with disinfectant wipes daily, and do a major clean twice a week.
At one point in time, I spent my entire weekend cleaning. Not anymore! I learned that by tidying up daily, I lighten my load for the weekend. That leaves me with more time to spend with my family.
Mom, what’s your favorite back to school hack?
20 Comments
Sushmita R Malakar
I remember how my mom used to prepare the lunch a night before, everyday. I find the concept of command section cool. Thanks for sharing this useful post!
Joanna
These are great hacks, especially if you are a busy mom. It doesn’t take a lot of time to put the washing on every day, same with tidying up. Preparing the school clothes on Sunday saves so much time in the mornings.
Emily Fata
Preparing your kids’ wardrobe for the week is such a great idea! I’ve seen some great organizational tools on Pinterest to help keep that week of clothing in order, which would be a great fit.
Farah Faz
Your like a supermom with so many solutions. This is great.
Crickette, The Things I Have to Say
I am not a mom yet, but I can imagine how hard it is to juggle all that you have to do everyday. I guess being organized will really help, so you wouldn’t get too overwhelmed.
I salute all moms!
Samar
Preparing after-school snacks is very important. completely agreed.
Kenneth C. Agudo
I remember my mom does this when I was still studying I can feel how unconditional love mom gives. Great tips.
Crystal Gempko
These are all some really great tips! Even helpful for someone without kids but that is going back to school this fall themselves!
Kristal
Thank you so much for all of these tips. These will definitely help make things a little easier.
Jasmine M
Preparing outfits at the beginning of the week and having afternoon snacks ready has helped me so much. It helps me to be less stressed and gives me time to focus on other things.
kidneyfornikki
These are great tips. But the washing a load every day makes me sad,,,LOL. I like the command station idea — must check that one out!
Lasonia
LOL! I actually hated this idea in the beginning. But I got tired of having multiple loads at the end of the week. So this helps me out a lot.
Krysten (@WeirdGirlBlog)
All great tips! No kids in my house, but I’ll definitely share this with my friends who have kids. Wishing you well this school year!
Olya AMANOVA
My son is going to 5k this year and next year is the most challenging. I already started to gather some really good advice on how to go through the get-ready-to-school process easier. Your article is a great help.
Kuntala Banerjee
Love your post. You have superb ideas. Very useful for mothers like us. For me the meal plan is extremely helpful as my boy is cranky with food.
Elizabeth O
Oh my…the pain of preparing the kids for school..For me, it is really my busiest time of the day. Glad I stumbled upon these tips!
TweenselMom (@TweenselMom)
I love the waking up part, it’s true that we have to wake up before everyone else. It’s the most peaceful time of the day and I’m most energetic in the early mornings.
itsasweetsweetworld
Really simple yet powerful tips for moms to improve their routine!
Dana Peller (@Pellerini)
What a great idea to have a section where to have the backpacks. It does come in handy. Thanks for the back to school routine hacks. I’ll keep these in mind.
Bindu Thomas
Great tips! I love how they are simple ones, yet most of us tend to overlook these. Its amazing how small things can go a long way in making your life stress-free.