This post is all about a successful toddler morning routine.
If you know me, then you know I live by routines for the morning, day, and night. Routines are the best way to get anything done, especially with kids. I have found myself grumpy, irritable, and less productive without a routine. If this is you too, this morning routine with a toddler will change everything!
Having made so many changes between time spent with getting ready early mornings during my master’s program, moving and working in Arizona with a toddler has made life busy! Through my experiences, I have found a morning routine that works well with a toddler so that you can efficiently get the things done that you need to and head out the door!
Everything is done with a system so that time is used productively, and we can head to daycare in a good amount of time. Work and Kyla’s daycare take about 40 minutes to tackle in the morning, so we are up pretty early.
Either way, this routine has been adjusted a few times since I’ve worked, so we finally mastered a morning routine with a toddler that will work well for you!
Let me start by saying you will be so much more productive when you take care of baths + most everything at night. Because your mornings are go time! You don’t want to have to scramble around for everything you need the morning of being well prepared gives you time to take care of it all within an hour.
Since Kyla was born, I have made a few adjustments in the time I take to get ready, so I can move quickly.
What You Should Know About a Morning Routine with a Toddler:
Waking up before your baby is always the best time to get anything done. Set your alarm an hour early to give yourself enough time to shower, do your make-up, curl your hair, lotion down, and change your clothes. This usually takes me about 30 minutes every morning. (Yep, I have learned to be fast, so I am more productive)! You will need to, too!
Wash your hair at night so that all you have to do is curl, straighten, or throw it up in a bun. I like to wash my hair at night only three times a week so that my morning routine with a toddler is not wasted! Dry shampoo is also a time saver. 🙂
You will want to get up early to do all of these things. Because having a little one awake + whining makes things hard when you only have an hour to get ready and leave the house, especially if you are pregnant. You don’t want to slow down and stress out because they are awake. Make sure you adjust your schedule at night so that they are asleep when you get up. Sometimes Kyla gets up while I get ready, and we put on a show so I can get through my morning time.
Once you get ready in the morning, it is easy to focus on your little one so you can quickly head out the door. Around the time you finish, your little one may or may not be awake.
How to Have a Successful Morning Routine for a Toddler:
As soon as you wake your baby up, you can always start with a diaper change so that they do not soak through. If your toddler is potty trained, start with potty time!
Then, grab their clothes while they are still waking up so it makes it easy to change them!
Once they are changed and starting to wake up, it is a good time to brush their teeth. I always brush Kyla’s teeth first, then let her practice brushing while I do her hair. (This keeps your little one occupied, if they don’t buy it, have grab + keep a favorite toy nearby they will want).
Combing hair and putting on shoes is the last thing we do.Keep hair supplies nearby so that you can do your little one’s hair fast! If you get them dressed first, their hair will stay nice most of the day. Comb their hair last so that it doesn’t get ruined when you put clothes on.
After your little one is ready, give yourself about 10-15 minutes for breakfast. You want to again find a snack that can occupy your little one so that you can grab or make breakfast! While I make breakfast, I occupy Kyla with smarty pants vitamins that have fish oils and are SO healthy for toddlers!
While she is occupied with her yummy vitamins, I get her a drink. Then, as she drinks her milk, I grab cereal, fruit, or make oatmeal. Try keeping your toddler busy with something in their hands so you can accomplish more tasks and move along in your morning.
More on What Will Help Your Morning Routine:
I have found that keeping toddlers constantly occupied in the morning makes for less whining time while heading out the door. You can even pre-pack cereal or fruit in a ziplock baggie to take on the road. Now that I am further along with this pregnancy, it makes it easy to grab and go breakfast just in case I want to sleep in a little longer.
Right before you head out the door, grab your lunch, the diaper bag, and start the car before it’s cold so that it’s warm when you jump in, or vice versa. This time always comes quickly, so keeping everything by the door will make it easy to grab and go with a toddler and a baby!
We have tried different things in the morning, and this morning routine with a toddler has made for happy mornings and a lot less crying! I hope our morning routine helps you get out the door quickly to take your little one to daycare. It is a time saver to wake up earlier than your little one and prepare the night before. Happy mornings are always the best!
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