Managing Morning Madness

After a long summer of sleeping late, playing outside and lying around, children and their parents can become overwhelmed adjusting to the busy back-to-school schedule. The tricks to a stress-free morning are planning ahead and sticking to routines.

• To avoid last minute scrambling in the morning, keep book bags, stocked with completed homework assignments and other school necessities, near the door along with coats and shoes.
• Give your child a bath and choose his or her clothing outfit the night before. Have the clothing pressed and ready to go.
• Decide on breakfast and lunch foods ahead of time, and have those foods easily accessible for cooking or packing in a lunch box. You may even want to make your child's lunch the night before and refrigerate.
• Avoid distractions, such as the TV or video games. They will only captivate your child's attention and cause him or her to rush later.
• Build cushions into your family's schedule so you don't feel frazzled.
• Keep your child from being rushed by providing gentle reminders. For example, "The school bus will be here in 10 minutes, so you'll need to put your shoes on."

Reprinted with the permission of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.