Six parents share the back-to-school hacks that make for smoother mornings.

Term One is (finally) coming back. Like many parents, I'm looking forward to having some routine and respite after the (incredibly long) December and January school holidays – but let's be honest, school mornings can be A LOT. 

From getting the kids dressed on time (or dressed at all), to making sure they're fed, to preparing their lunches to match their ever-changing food preferences, to scrambling out the door to get through the school gates just before the bell goes, there's a certain art to perfecting mornings with school-aged kids. 

I'm about to have my second and final child start big school (hooray), so I asked Mamamia readers to share their tips for making the morning go a little smoother. 

Here are the six best hacks I found. 

Sophie: The right butter for a smoother morning

When we have early morning meetings, we put all the things we need for breakfast out and set the table the night before, so the kids just need to get the milk out and they make their own breakfast. 

They pack their own fruit and snacks for their lunch boxes, and I make their sandwiches. “We only ever use Lurpak Softest butter because it’s delicious and spreads effortlessly straight from the fridge. Great when you are in a rush and trying to get all the kids organised in the morning."

The very best butter for when you're in a rush. Image: Supplied.

 Luckily, this back-to-school season you can get 50 per cent off using this barcode, to make mornings just that little bit easier.

Scan for 50 per cent off.

 

Sam: It all starts the night before

My kids have a lot of late nights and no sleep routine during the school holidays, and everyone knows mornings are really the product of the night before. So, what I have found works for resetting their holiday mode body clocks is starting a normal school bed routine a week before school starts up again. That means it isn’t such a struggle to get them going in the mornings that first week back.

Louise: You make it, you take it

I have four kids, so the mornings need to run like clockwork to get everyone out the door on time. My older kids have been preparing their own lunchboxes since they were eight. They know the rules (two serves of fruit, at least one serve of vegetables and only one treat), and the rest is up to them. Some odd choices have definitely been made, but because they have chosen it, it gets eaten! No sandwiches get returned and it's at least one less thing to have on my list of things to do. 

'The morning needs to run like clockwork.' Image supplied.

 

Kim: A uniform hack

My kids like to get to school earlier so they can play handball. But, of course, they can get so distracted in the mornings and it's always a struggle to get them dressed. Now, I set out my boys’ uniforms at the bottom of their beds the night before so they can get dressed as soon as they get up. It means they get to school with plenty of time to fit in some handball. 

Emma: Pre-empting the stress

I always make sure their bags have been emptied the night before and that a clean lunch box, drink bottle, hat, their reader, or anything they might need for the next day is out and ready to go for the morning. That way there is no panic looking for a missing lunch box lid or hat the next day. 

School bags at the ready for a busy day ahead. Image supplied.

 

Emily: A little incentive

We have implemented a rule in our house to really help get things moving in the morning; no screens until everyone is dressed, had breakfast, and brushed their teeth. It’s amazing what a little incentive does to get them moving. 

My own impending lunchbox load is about to be doubled, and with two kids who will never eat the same sandwich fillings, the one thing they both agree on and love is a big lashing of Lurpak Softest butter. Don't forget your barcode for 50 per cent off!

What are your back-to-school hacks that make for smoother mornings? Let us know in the comments.