While it is a challenge to get out the front door with small children, there are some things I have found that help make for a less stressful, timely exit.

Is it a preschool morning, doctor’s appointment, bank visit?  Here are some hints that I have found to make the morning run a little more smoothly:

• Plan ahead. Commit to this one. Without planning ahead, there is chaos; and where there is chaos, there is stress.

• Try putting breakfast out on the table the night before. Of course, hot meals are a luxury, but I am a true believer in nutritional granola or nutri-grain bars. Cold cereal in a bowl is another “night before” task.  I fill the older girls’ sippy cups and put them in the refrigerator. If they wake up while I’m feeding the babies, they can just grab their milk, and sit down at the kids’ table where breakfast is already waiting for them.

• Before heading to bed, I lay all the kids’ clothes for the next day out on the living room couch. Sometimes they are lined up; sometimes they are stacked one on top of another, in birth order (that may sound a little obsessive, but  it works). After breakfast, the girls head to their “dressing room.”  It’s much bigger than you are used to, and the lighting isn’t nearly as harsh.

• Everyday, everyone gets put in the car in the same order. That way there is no confusion as to who is going 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. On any given preschool morning, I could potentially get my girls in/out of the car 36 times depending on what errands I have to run. It’s amazing that my arms aren’t the biggest “guns” in town! Order makes for more compliant children, and that makes Mama happy.

• Last, and most important, stay calm. Losing your temper will only make matters worse. Even when 2 toddlers are unwrapping every lollipop they can get their little hands on at the check-out line, putting them in their mouths, and then back into the box, I try to still remain calm. When I “keep my cool,” I find that they listen better, stop quicker, and respond in a more cooperative manner.

Every Mom is always looking for an easier, more successful way to get on the road with small children. It’s tough, but we have to get out, right? So gear up, stay calm, and get out there! There are deals to find, playgrounds to play on, and let’s be honest, those store displays aren’t going to knock themselves over. Do you have any tips that work great for you and your family? Please share!

Kate writes about her life with 5 little girls that are 4 & under, who are known to knock over store displays at random, at Savvy Little Women.

(photo by emdot)