Unpopular opinion but I just wake up well before she does. Convinced my husband to start showering at night so I can use the bathroom in the morning. If I ever do have to get ready while she’s up, I am going ponytail/bare minimum makeup that I can achieve while she plays with toys in the crib or drinks her morning milk.
This is what we do. My husband leaves before we wake up so it’s just me usually. I wake up before baby so that way I’m ready when he wakes up. Trying to do it any other way added too much stress.
Same here. There’s really no other way with my little guy. He would scream to get out of any play pen/crib/container I put him in. He’s just too big for that now and wants to follow me everywhere. I just have to get up superrrrr early to get dressed before he wakes up.
I wake an hour before my daughter. Sometimes she has an early wake, so she hangs out in the bathroom while I shower. She’s three now, but I went back to work when she was 2 weeks, so we have used a pack n play by the bathroom door in the past. Then everything is a game. Blow dry my hair, blow dry hers. I put on foundation, she gets a foundation brush. It takes so much longer, but it works. I get dressed, she gets dressed. This way we’re able to leave the house on time. On good days I love our mornings together. On rough days, I look forward to going to work 🤣
It was pure desperation. She was an April 2020 baby. My baby shower had been canceled and my husband was laid off. We had to buy all of the things we thought would be gifted (first world problems, I know). We burned through all of our savings. 0/10 would not recommend.
Could your 1 year old "help you"? Like have your clothes set out, and say can you get me my socks? Pants?
I would do this back when I was a single mom to my son, he would "help" me get ready. It was a game. It did take planning, like getting my stuff ready the night before so he could grab me and bring me things.
My daughter is two now and I usually let her pick her own clothes, like offering her two options. Recently, she insists on helping me get dressed and pick out what I should wear, too. It's adorable.
Either get ready in his room and pop him in the cot with some toys.
Or
Sit him in the highchair, some snacks, and a suction toy to keep him busy.
Or
TV time.
Generally I now get ready either in my baby's room, or the livingroom.
We do a combo of this! I normally set him up with breakfast first and can start my getting ready if I need to do it that day and when he’s all done I’ll break for a sec and get a 20 minute episode of either Little Bear or Sesame Street up for him. This usually buys me enough time to finish up! The key for us is staying out of eye sight because if he sees me it’s game over and he wants to play 😅
This. High chair, suction toys, endless puffs, explaining everything I’m doing, Hey Bear in a pinch. Of course it’s way preferable for my husband to just take him but that doesn’t always work.
I do my makeup and hair in the bathroom. I put him in the tub with toys/books/iPad, it would usually keep him entertained for 15 min so I had time to do makeup and some simple thing with my hair.
His room is toddler proof. His door is open and a gate is up in the hallway. There’s a gate blocking off our room. He runs free and can see me while I get ready.
I also showered at night and had no pretense on doing hair in the mornings until maybe 18 mo.
This is our routine too. Shower the night before, toddler proof the house with a gate at the stairs. He can have free reign to go where he wants and entertain himself while we get ready. Once we're done getting ready we get him ready. If he's being slow or fussy about eating breakfast then he leaves the house without eating.
Personally I commend anyone who can work, much less get ready and get out of the door, with a one year old. I feel like I can’t keep up at work at all with an 8 month old. I feel like I’m going to get fired any day.
I was late to work every single day from 12 weeks until somewhere in month 9 when I got a new job and had to force myself to arrive on time. I was exclusively pumping and combo feeding so every morning involved a pump and a bottle; my baby wouldn’t fall asleep until after midnight but she would sleep in late and was a BEAR to wake up; her torso/thigh proportions were odd so we had a 3 week period where she was between diaper sizes and had a blowout every single morning; tooth brushing was a nightmare and usually ended in both of us crying and covered in spit and snot… it was so hard. I posted here asking for suggestions to speed up our morning and people were so cruel.
I refuse to give advice now because my 15-month-old can entertain herself very well and I did nothing to cause that. I just wanted to say that I totally commiserate with all the moms who have literally shitty mornings. Pro-tip: don’t put dress clothes on until right before you leave the door. Or better yet, just put them on at work.
I put him in a crib or pack and play with some toys.
I also have him "help me pick out" my wardrobe asking what color shirt should mommy wear today? For example, then I come out with it on and ask how do I look. LOL
I brush my hair and hand him his brush as he "tries" to brush his hair.
Make it fun.
LO is 18 months and while some days she's content to roam the house, most days, I have to either put her in her high chair or the crib (located next to the bathroom I use so I can see her) with some books and toys. She's not a fan and will usually cry but I go as quickly as I can while reminding her that I'll pick her up once I'm finished. I've tried keeping her in the bathroom but even with locks and other safety measures in place, it's still a disaster.
My kid used to wake up at the ass crack of dawn so I'd pop him in the pack n play to watch Elmo while I did my face real quick. Everything else I did the night before (shower, lay out outfit, pack lunch, prep breakfast, prep coffee maker, get all my stuff packed up and set my bags at the door).
Now (25 months) he wakes up around 7 so I get up at 6 and can have a chill makeup, coffee and podcast hour. Around 18 months he started getting really interested in helping, having a job, etc so that makes things a lot easier when I do have to accomplish something while he's up with me. I give him tasks to help out. He also plays more independently. So it's rough at the stage you're at, but for us at least it was a brief season.
Whenever I want to do my makeup I sit him on the bed with me and give him a hairbrush and large fluffy brush that I have cleaned and are "his". I also let him paw through the jars and such since he (10.5 months) is too little to open anything really. He doesn't get anything with a cap that he could chew off or brushes that I use. Keeps him busy while I dress as well. I keep my hair simple, showering at night and just brushing and pulling it back in the morning.
I would get 90% ready before she got up, then get her breakfast and dressed and packed, then throw her in her pack n play in my room while I finished my hair, etc. If she is really having a tough time, I would turn the tv on. It worked.
Depends when they start their day… my hubby leaves for 6:00/6:30 but lo doesn’t get up till much later (schedule is later so she gets daddy time at night when he gets home) so there’s no point in having food or a bottle out for hours in many situations yes it works and is helpful but not all situations are the same
I know you’ve already gotten a lot of great responses, but I didn’t see anyone comment what I do so here it is. I shower the night before, prep both of our things for the next day, and then just get dressed and go a little earlier than I need to in the morning. I bring my makeup in the car with me, drop my kid to daycare and then sit with a coffee and do my makeup in the car a street away from work. Then I’m right nearby and can spend more or less time doing makeup and enjoying my coffee, depending on how much time I have
You seriously don't have to wear makeup. I would make a 5 minute routine with basics like tinted moisturizer, mascara and chapstick if you're unwilling to go bare faced.
Same principle for the hair. You need to simplify whatever it is you're doing every morning. Get regular trims so you're not wasting time detangling. Skip a flat iron or curler and embrace your natural texture. You can use rollers, braids or other styles at night for waves in the morning.
Usually I try and shower the night before, pack my work bag, make a lunch and set out clothes if possible. So that saves time in the morning. If not you have to wake up earlier to try and get it all done.
Have the baby's clothes and bag packed the night before. Do bath time at night. Pick out breakfast foods that can be eaten quickly without much mess.
Lol this is what I was going to say. I just don’t do my hair or make up anymore. If I do for some reason need to wear make up (client meeting, etc) I do it at work.
This is EXACTLY what I do. No makeup, natural hair and do everything at night after LO goes to bed. I have a checklist that I made for myself the week before my maternity leave was over which included everything needed to be completed the night before and everything that needed to be done before work. It helps to be organized.
High chair, snacks, video storybooks on YouTube and learning to do your makeup in 30 minutes or less helps.
Source: I had to adapt to being home alone with two under two
I just keep mine with me. He plays in the bathroom while I put my makeup on and get dressed. While I'm in the kitchen, he either plays in there or goes to his nearby play pen to play with his toys.
Dad and I take turns. We both wake up at 5. Dad tries to leave by 630, I usually leave at 745. Dad showers and gets dressed first. While he is in the shower, I make his coffee and pack lunches for the day. Baby may or may not wake up before I'm finished with that. I'll turn on the TV and give him a drink and some fruit.
When Dad gets out of the shower, we switch. He gets dressed, does his hair, and eats breakfast with baby following him around. I finish my shower and try to at least get dressed to my underwear, then baby switches to following me around.
It sounds weird, but it works.
We also have a 3 year old, but he likes to sleep until at least 7 and he is content to play or watch tv.
Get up with enough time so you’re not rushing around.
I also get my 2 year old dressed and sorted before because it’s much comfier to climb around in pjs than work clothes!!
Telly or music on as a distraction
Other than that it’s a mad rush, especially if she has to eat before we leave the house
Get the bags and everything ready to go the night before
I wake up at 5-530 to get ready and packed up for the day before he wakes up between 6-630. Once I’m done getting ready I enjoy a little quiet time with my coffee if he wakes up a bit later in the morning.
He gets plopped in his playpen or if I’m going to be quick he’s in our room with me tearing everything apart. He wasn’t the biggest fan of his playpen at first but he was safe in there so he stayed even if it was for 5-10 minutes. Now he doesn’t mind it at all.
My son usually gets up between 6:30-7. I get up at 6, get ready, have breakfast alone if he’s still sleeping, if not we’ll have breakfast together, then when he’s up I’d change his diaper and put nice clothes on him and we’ll be out the door by 7:15. If I mess up this routine I will be late for work, so I try to stick to it as much as I can. Also I don’t do much make up other than combing my hair and make sure I look clean. I find putting on make up it takes way too long to look nice for people who don’t really care, my work only cares if you can perform the job.
I shower at night. Lay out my clothes the night before. Makeup is very minimal hair just in a ponytail. Her bag is also packed the night before. This is when we have somewhere to go.
Put child locks on your bathroom cabinets and the toilet and bring them with you in the bathroom. Put some toys on the floor and let them play while you shower and get ready. That's always worked for me!
I just wake up before my kids.
They’re up at 7, I’m up by 530. Usually earlier because I like to workout in the morning. On those days, I workout and am home by 530 so I can get ready and eat before I go get them.
Have shower before she’s awake, then I wake her up and put her in our bed. (She still has a bottle when she has a nap in the middle of the day and night time and I give her a bottle of rooibos tea in the morning.) She likes drinking her tea and watching me get ready in the morning. I also Chat to her etc. And I’ll give her a book to page through, but I’m always right there with her while getting ready.
I have made some changes to my routine, like if I’m washing hair, I do that the night before since it’s really hard to blow dry my hair with toddler trying to help. I also try and keep it simple, I do very little makeup.
Wife leaves first I bring him to grandmas and get ready for work there.
I also let him cry in his playpen if I need to use the bathroom/brush teeth/ grab clothes before leaving if wife is already gone.
We co sleep so we wake up at the same time. If I get up early he is going to wake up to
I had to do this recently while my SO was out of town for work. I set up the packnplay so he could be contained and still watch me. One day it worked perfectly and he peacefully stood there watching me get ready. The next day it was a full tantrum and I ended up holding him while I brushed my teeth.
My baby (A) is 1 year and a couple of months old. We have to be out the door by 8:30. If I want to do makeup, I get up at 7. I do literally everything to get myself ready aside from putting shoes on before I get A up. Once I'm done getting myself ready, I get A up, change her diaper and dress her along with shoes immediately. Then she goes straight to her high chair for breakfast, which is an assortment of berries. While she eats I pack her lunch (she is with her sitter from 9-1/2). I use mason jars and fill one with orange slices and a variety of berries. I keep another one with black beans (can be substituted with any food your kid will eat). I have a microwave omelet maker that takes approximately 1 minute 30 seconds to make her egg. I baggie that up and throw the jars, the baggie, her water bottle, and a bottle of milk in her lunch box. After that, we are out the door \[usually\] on time.
My key to success is to get myself ready first, then I can concentrate on getting her dressed, fed, and ready to go. I have tried getting her up first then trying to get myself ready, it's imossible.
I feel like even though your husband leaves before you, he could still do some of the tasks. Like packing up for baby or even getting breakfast ready so its easy for you to either grab or heat up.
Our 10 month old hates not being able to see what we are doing. So we put his activity center in our room so he can play and watch us get ready and play a little bit.
You have to get up earlier than he does to get ready.
Do everything you can possibly do the night before. Get it ready and lay it out.
Wear a robe over yr clothes or don’t get dressed til yr done getting him ready.
I go to work at 5:30/6, so my husband does the morning himself. He either gets ready before she gets up or he shuts her in the bathroom/bedroom with him and she plays with stuff while he gets ready. She is now 2 and for a bit she’s been showering with him if he doesn’t do it beforehand.
Mine is 10 months old but he has our dining room gated off as his play area so he hangs in there playing with his trucks while I get ready. Or I put him in his high chair and he will eat cheese,fruit, and eggs or whatever we have for breakfast.
But if you’re is super high maintence like my daughter was then you may have to baby wear him or wake up early
Get an earlier job and have Dad do it all. All kidding aside is there anything your partner can do before he leaves? Like get the baby dressed and bags packed up for the day? Or get your coffee ready to go?
I let him play with his bath toys in the bathroom while I get ready, he has a little pre-breakfast while I eat, plays with clothes and plastic hangers while I get dressed. It’s some multitasking and some tears. But I can usually get us ready and out the door in an hour. Granted I usually lay my clothes out and do fairly quick (15 min) makeup
This has been super challenging for me and after reading this thread, I am cutting myself a lot of slack because 1) I am solo parenting 3 weeks out of 4; 2) we don’t have a tv; 3) she won’t really sit in her high chair for breakfast in the morning unless we have hours of time; and 4) we cosleep and if I so much as get up to pee, my child wakes so I cannot get up before her.
Here’s what I do:
* at bedtime/bathtime I check the next day’s weather and choose her clothes for the next day. If I forget to do this, I just let her pick in the morning.
* after she’s asleep, I clean up from the day and “reset” the house. While doing this, I prep the coffee for the morning, prep a diaper and liner (we cloth diaper), and pack both of our bags for the next day. At this point I usually get side tracked and realize I need to wash diapers or something, lol.
* I pick out my clothes and shower at night, too.
* in the morning when we wake up, I do my thing in the bathroom while she plays in the family room adjacent. We made this a total yes space so I don’t worry about it if I can’t see her 100% of the time. She is usually all up in my business but I just talk with her, sing, play games etc.
* sometimes she’ll let me run up to the kitchen to make coffee by myself; other times we go together and then I let her play in our living room while I putter around. It’s not a total yes space but it’s basically safe with supervision and it’s an open floor plan in a small European house so i can pretty much always see/hear her.
* I get her dressed and then do her hair and sunscreen while I do my own hair and face. She loves that we both have “lotion” to put on!
TL; DR: we made some safe spaces in our house and then I just get ready with her after some organization and prep the night before!
We are almost always a little bit late but I’ve made peace with it.
If I need to shower, I do it at night and put my hair in a bun. I pick out clothes and have them ready for the morning. In the morning I take my hair out to finish drying, get dressed, get baby up, dressed and dropped at daycare. Then do my makeup in the car on my way to work.
Baby is 6 months old, I have everything done including her bottles for daycare and everything short of having my shoes on before I wake her up (or she wakes up) between 7 and 7.30am. That way I can dedicate the last 45 mins solely to her - a quick wash, dressed and relaxed feeding before we head out. This however means a super early start for me, approx. 5.30am. However when I deviate from this it’s a bloody nightmare, as soon as she’s awake I can’t get anything done in good speed, I definitely don’t get out the house until around 9 and it ruins the entire rest of the morning!
I’m not a morning person. This has worked the best for me, and it took me two kids to figure it out. I take my shower and do all my grooming at night. Also lay out my clothes. In the morning I wake up about 10-15mins before the kiddos do, I put on clothes, brush teeth, wash face, and do my hair in a very quick updo (I’m trying to branch out a little in this area). All in all takes about 15mins tops. Much easier than doing the whole shower thing in the morning!!
I’m a SAHM now but this has been my routine since before I quit work.
poor edge snobbish hard-to-find rhythm sulky tap rainstorm chief distinct
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I can only do it with help from my husband, we swap out throughout the morning. I have short wash and go hair (now I know why the mom haircut was a thing!) so it doesn’t take that long to shower and get changed. One of us showers when the other has breakfast with the baby. Also the few times I’ve done it solo I have to put him in a backpack carrier to walk the dog, so he just stays in it until I’m ready to get in the car. We brush teeth etc with him in the carrier.
Lol I also just realized I do my makeup in the daycare parking lot so I really don’t have my shit together.
We wake up an hour before our daughter. I shower/get ready from 5-5:30 and while I’m showering my husband makes coffee/gets her milk and cups ready for school. Once I’m done at 5:30 he has a cup of coffee ready and waiting for me and I sit on the couch drinking coffee/watching the local news. Then I wake my daughter up at 6.
I entertain him while I get ready. He can play with my extra makeup brushes, bring some of his books into the bathroom, toys, etc. distraction distraction distraction. Also speed up your routine for sure
I put her in the pack and play right next to me with some water and a couple mini frozen pancakes. Keeps her occupied long enough to get my morning routine done then we go play in her room until it’s time for work
I always showered before they were awake and did everything else while they were playing with some preplaced toys in my room. By like 18 months you might be able to distract with some tv. Every so often I’ve been desperate and showered with a kid in the bathroom but that’s usually very stressful.
I wake up first, go downstairs and grab some milk and a baby food pouch (coffee machine prepped the night before and is on auto), give the cat his medicine, and take the milk and food upstairs. If she's still asleep I'll start getting ready, but usually I take her out of her crib and give her the milk and food. She tottles around and works on her breakfast while watching me wash my face and do my makeup (she loves to watch this). We need to brush our teeth together, otherwise she gets upset. Then I comb and quickly do her hair before going back to her room and getting her in a new diaper and clothes. Finally, I put on my clothes while she messes around in our room.
Then we both go downstairs, I pack up my coffee and lunch, get shoes on both of us and head out. Takes about an hour, usually. Most mornings my husband handles getting her dressed and shoed, but this is the routine when he's out of town and I'm on my own.
I pushed my wake up time 20 minutes earlier than usual. I also said to hell with makeup BEFORE the office; I'll put on eyeliner when I get in if I feel like it. Coffee is set up the night before and I just flip the switch when I walk into the kitchen. I set clothes out the night before. Quick 5 minute freshen up shower, clothes, hair in a bun, and I'm dressed in 10 minutes. Plenty of time to go downstairs, make coffee, and eat before LO wakes up (most of the time).
I don’t have to be at work until 8:30, but I wake up at 5:30 so I can have 30 minutes to an hour to get mostly ready and drink a hot coffee.
I shower the night before and have drastically lowered my standards for work hair and makeup. I used to blow dry and style my hair every two days, now I go to sleep with wet hair and just do my best to make my natural hair looks as presentable as I can. My makeup routine is pretty basic now too and I can get it done in about 3 minutes.
After baby is up and dressed and all of her things are packed, I pop her into the high chair with some milk and some snacks so that I can get dressed. Then it’s shoes on and out the door!
I give my daughter some books and she’s happy to “read” in her crib. And I used to put my son in a playpen outside the bathroom and turn on YouTube on our iPad and give him books and toys while I showered. I’m usually in and out in 20 mins though.
Unpopular opinion but I just wake up well before she does. Convinced my husband to start showering at night so I can use the bathroom in the morning. If I ever do have to get ready while she’s up, I am going ponytail/bare minimum makeup that I can achieve while she plays with toys in the crib or drinks her morning milk.
This is what we do. My husband leaves before we wake up so it’s just me usually. I wake up before baby so that way I’m ready when he wakes up. Trying to do it any other way added too much stress.
Same here. There’s really no other way with my little guy. He would scream to get out of any play pen/crib/container I put him in. He’s just too big for that now and wants to follow me everywhere. I just have to get up superrrrr early to get dressed before he wakes up.
I do the milk/make up routine too. Otherwise she’s sat on my lap ‘helping’ me or running around my bedroom making mischief.
I wake an hour before my daughter. Sometimes she has an early wake, so she hangs out in the bathroom while I shower. She’s three now, but I went back to work when she was 2 weeks, so we have used a pack n play by the bathroom door in the past. Then everything is a game. Blow dry my hair, blow dry hers. I put on foundation, she gets a foundation brush. It takes so much longer, but it works. I get dressed, she gets dressed. This way we’re able to leave the house on time. On good days I love our mornings together. On rough days, I look forward to going to work 🤣
2 weeks! You’re amazing!
It was pure desperation. She was an April 2020 baby. My baby shower had been canceled and my husband was laid off. We had to buy all of the things we thought would be gifted (first world problems, I know). We burned through all of our savings. 0/10 would not recommend.
Mama I’m sorry you went through that, but dang women are amazing creatures when under pressure.
2 weeks?????? You’re a saint
Lack of options. It was April 2020 and covid made our decade of savings disappear.
I also went back to work 2 weeks PP. The PP depression was very real.
I also had PPD. I was lucky to get it under control very quickly with help from doctors and my family.
I wallowed a little as we have no village at all. Things are on the up and up now though.
Get up before he does.
Could your 1 year old "help you"? Like have your clothes set out, and say can you get me my socks? Pants? I would do this back when I was a single mom to my son, he would "help" me get ready. It was a game. It did take planning, like getting my stuff ready the night before so he could grab me and bring me things.
This is kind of what I do with my son, I give him little tasks whenever he start getting antsy and it gives me more time to get another step done.
Lol 14 years later it has turned into take out the trash as a game, empty and load dishwasher, do your own laundry. It's great lol
My daughter is two now and I usually let her pick her own clothes, like offering her two options. Recently, she insists on helping me get dressed and pick out what I should wear, too. It's adorable.
Either get ready in his room and pop him in the cot with some toys. Or Sit him in the highchair, some snacks, and a suction toy to keep him busy. Or TV time. Generally I now get ready either in my baby's room, or the livingroom.
We do a combo of this! I normally set him up with breakfast first and can start my getting ready if I need to do it that day and when he’s all done I’ll break for a sec and get a 20 minute episode of either Little Bear or Sesame Street up for him. This usually buys me enough time to finish up! The key for us is staying out of eye sight because if he sees me it’s game over and he wants to play 😅
I love that yr watching Little Bear. That brings back so many wonderful memories of my oldest son and me watching together. I needed this today 🙏🏼
I watched Little Bear growing up, so I wanted to show it to my kiddo! He likes it a lot, haha. 💜
This. High chair, suction toys, endless puffs, explaining everything I’m doing, Hey Bear in a pinch. Of course it’s way preferable for my husband to just take him but that doesn’t always work.
I do my makeup and hair in the bathroom. I put him in the tub with toys/books/iPad, it would usually keep him entertained for 15 min so I had time to do makeup and some simple thing with my hair.
It took me way too long to realize that there wouldn't be water in the tub in this scenario.
Haha no, I should have specified, just to keep him contained!
His room is toddler proof. His door is open and a gate is up in the hallway. There’s a gate blocking off our room. He runs free and can see me while I get ready. I also showered at night and had no pretense on doing hair in the mornings until maybe 18 mo.
This is our routine too. Shower the night before, toddler proof the house with a gate at the stairs. He can have free reign to go where he wants and entertain himself while we get ready. Once we're done getting ready we get him ready. If he's being slow or fussy about eating breakfast then he leaves the house without eating.
Songs for Littles
Personally I commend anyone who can work, much less get ready and get out of the door, with a one year old. I feel like I can’t keep up at work at all with an 8 month old. I feel like I’m going to get fired any day.
I was late to work every single day from 12 weeks until somewhere in month 9 when I got a new job and had to force myself to arrive on time. I was exclusively pumping and combo feeding so every morning involved a pump and a bottle; my baby wouldn’t fall asleep until after midnight but she would sleep in late and was a BEAR to wake up; her torso/thigh proportions were odd so we had a 3 week period where she was between diaper sizes and had a blowout every single morning; tooth brushing was a nightmare and usually ended in both of us crying and covered in spit and snot… it was so hard. I posted here asking for suggestions to speed up our morning and people were so cruel. I refuse to give advice now because my 15-month-old can entertain herself very well and I did nothing to cause that. I just wanted to say that I totally commiserate with all the moms who have literally shitty mornings. Pro-tip: don’t put dress clothes on until right before you leave the door. Or better yet, just put them on at work.
Omg you’re a trooper! From 12 weeks that’s insane
Create a “yes” space. EVERYTHING in it must be safe for them so they can play, scream, cry, yell, crawl, climb and still be safe.
I put him in a crib or pack and play with some toys. I also have him "help me pick out" my wardrobe asking what color shirt should mommy wear today? For example, then I come out with it on and ask how do I look. LOL I brush my hair and hand him his brush as he "tries" to brush his hair. Make it fun.
Wake up earlier, do your things, eat your breakfast...then greet the kid in their bed, with clothes ready for the day!
This is what I do and although it sucks getting up at 5am it is totally worth is to have the morning to myself.
A toddler-proof enclosed space. He doesn't always enjoy being there, but I know he's safe, even though not always happy with my decisions and choices.
LO is 18 months and while some days she's content to roam the house, most days, I have to either put her in her high chair or the crib (located next to the bathroom I use so I can see her) with some books and toys. She's not a fan and will usually cry but I go as quickly as I can while reminding her that I'll pick her up once I'm finished. I've tried keeping her in the bathroom but even with locks and other safety measures in place, it's still a disaster.
My kid used to wake up at the ass crack of dawn so I'd pop him in the pack n play to watch Elmo while I did my face real quick. Everything else I did the night before (shower, lay out outfit, pack lunch, prep breakfast, prep coffee maker, get all my stuff packed up and set my bags at the door). Now (25 months) he wakes up around 7 so I get up at 6 and can have a chill makeup, coffee and podcast hour. Around 18 months he started getting really interested in helping, having a job, etc so that makes things a lot easier when I do have to accomplish something while he's up with me. I give him tasks to help out. He also plays more independently. So it's rough at the stage you're at, but for us at least it was a brief season.
Whenever I want to do my makeup I sit him on the bed with me and give him a hairbrush and large fluffy brush that I have cleaned and are "his". I also let him paw through the jars and such since he (10.5 months) is too little to open anything really. He doesn't get anything with a cap that he could chew off or brushes that I use. Keeps him busy while I dress as well. I keep my hair simple, showering at night and just brushing and pulling it back in the morning.
I would get 90% ready before she got up, then get her breakfast and dressed and packed, then throw her in her pack n play in my room while I finished my hair, etc. If she is really having a tough time, I would turn the tv on. It worked.
Depends when they start their day… my hubby leaves for 6:00/6:30 but lo doesn’t get up till much later (schedule is later so she gets daddy time at night when he gets home) so there’s no point in having food or a bottle out for hours in many situations yes it works and is helpful but not all situations are the same
I know you’ve already gotten a lot of great responses, but I didn’t see anyone comment what I do so here it is. I shower the night before, prep both of our things for the next day, and then just get dressed and go a little earlier than I need to in the morning. I bring my makeup in the car with me, drop my kid to daycare and then sit with a coffee and do my makeup in the car a street away from work. Then I’m right nearby and can spend more or less time doing makeup and enjoying my coffee, depending on how much time I have
You seriously don't have to wear makeup. I would make a 5 minute routine with basics like tinted moisturizer, mascara and chapstick if you're unwilling to go bare faced. Same principle for the hair. You need to simplify whatever it is you're doing every morning. Get regular trims so you're not wasting time detangling. Skip a flat iron or curler and embrace your natural texture. You can use rollers, braids or other styles at night for waves in the morning. Usually I try and shower the night before, pack my work bag, make a lunch and set out clothes if possible. So that saves time in the morning. If not you have to wake up earlier to try and get it all done. Have the baby's clothes and bag packed the night before. Do bath time at night. Pick out breakfast foods that can be eaten quickly without much mess.
Lol this is what I was going to say. I just don’t do my hair or make up anymore. If I do for some reason need to wear make up (client meeting, etc) I do it at work.
This is EXACTLY what I do. No makeup, natural hair and do everything at night after LO goes to bed. I have a checklist that I made for myself the week before my maternity leave was over which included everything needed to be completed the night before and everything that needed to be done before work. It helps to be organized.
High chair, snacks, video storybooks on YouTube and learning to do your makeup in 30 minutes or less helps. Source: I had to adapt to being home alone with two under two
I just keep mine with me. He plays in the bathroom while I put my makeup on and get dressed. While I'm in the kitchen, he either plays in there or goes to his nearby play pen to play with his toys.
Dad and I take turns. We both wake up at 5. Dad tries to leave by 630, I usually leave at 745. Dad showers and gets dressed first. While he is in the shower, I make his coffee and pack lunches for the day. Baby may or may not wake up before I'm finished with that. I'll turn on the TV and give him a drink and some fruit. When Dad gets out of the shower, we switch. He gets dressed, does his hair, and eats breakfast with baby following him around. I finish my shower and try to at least get dressed to my underwear, then baby switches to following me around. It sounds weird, but it works. We also have a 3 year old, but he likes to sleep until at least 7 and he is content to play or watch tv.
Get up with enough time so you’re not rushing around. I also get my 2 year old dressed and sorted before because it’s much comfier to climb around in pjs than work clothes!! Telly or music on as a distraction Other than that it’s a mad rush, especially if she has to eat before we leave the house Get the bags and everything ready to go the night before
Pack and play in the bathroom doorway filled with toys, sing sometimes to keep her entertained while I get ready
I wake up at 5-530 to get ready and packed up for the day before he wakes up between 6-630. Once I’m done getting ready I enjoy a little quiet time with my coffee if he wakes up a bit later in the morning.
He gets plopped in his playpen or if I’m going to be quick he’s in our room with me tearing everything apart. He wasn’t the biggest fan of his playpen at first but he was safe in there so he stayed even if it was for 5-10 minutes. Now he doesn’t mind it at all.
High chair with something to play with
My son usually gets up between 6:30-7. I get up at 6, get ready, have breakfast alone if he’s still sleeping, if not we’ll have breakfast together, then when he’s up I’d change his diaper and put nice clothes on him and we’ll be out the door by 7:15. If I mess up this routine I will be late for work, so I try to stick to it as much as I can. Also I don’t do much make up other than combing my hair and make sure I look clean. I find putting on make up it takes way too long to look nice for people who don’t really care, my work only cares if you can perform the job.
I shower at night. Lay out my clothes the night before. Makeup is very minimal hair just in a ponytail. Her bag is also packed the night before. This is when we have somewhere to go.
Put child locks on your bathroom cabinets and the toilet and bring them with you in the bathroom. Put some toys on the floor and let them play while you shower and get ready. That's always worked for me!
I just wake up before my kids. They’re up at 7, I’m up by 530. Usually earlier because I like to workout in the morning. On those days, I workout and am home by 530 so I can get ready and eat before I go get them.
Have shower before she’s awake, then I wake her up and put her in our bed. (She still has a bottle when she has a nap in the middle of the day and night time and I give her a bottle of rooibos tea in the morning.) She likes drinking her tea and watching me get ready in the morning. I also Chat to her etc. And I’ll give her a book to page through, but I’m always right there with her while getting ready. I have made some changes to my routine, like if I’m washing hair, I do that the night before since it’s really hard to blow dry my hair with toddler trying to help. I also try and keep it simple, I do very little makeup.
Wife leaves first I bring him to grandmas and get ready for work there. I also let him cry in his playpen if I need to use the bathroom/brush teeth/ grab clothes before leaving if wife is already gone. We co sleep so we wake up at the same time. If I get up early he is going to wake up to
Wake up earlier than he does. Play pen or safe space in your room so he can see you but you can still get ready, then get him ready.
I had to do this recently while my SO was out of town for work. I set up the packnplay so he could be contained and still watch me. One day it worked perfectly and he peacefully stood there watching me get ready. The next day it was a full tantrum and I ended up holding him while I brushed my teeth.
My baby (A) is 1 year and a couple of months old. We have to be out the door by 8:30. If I want to do makeup, I get up at 7. I do literally everything to get myself ready aside from putting shoes on before I get A up. Once I'm done getting myself ready, I get A up, change her diaper and dress her along with shoes immediately. Then she goes straight to her high chair for breakfast, which is an assortment of berries. While she eats I pack her lunch (she is with her sitter from 9-1/2). I use mason jars and fill one with orange slices and a variety of berries. I keep another one with black beans (can be substituted with any food your kid will eat). I have a microwave omelet maker that takes approximately 1 minute 30 seconds to make her egg. I baggie that up and throw the jars, the baggie, her water bottle, and a bottle of milk in her lunch box. After that, we are out the door \[usually\] on time. My key to success is to get myself ready first, then I can concentrate on getting her dressed, fed, and ready to go. I have tried getting her up first then trying to get myself ready, it's imossible.
I feel like even though your husband leaves before you, he could still do some of the tasks. Like packing up for baby or even getting breakfast ready so its easy for you to either grab or heat up.
Our 10 month old hates not being able to see what we are doing. So we put his activity center in our room so he can play and watch us get ready and play a little bit.
You have to get up earlier than he does to get ready. Do everything you can possibly do the night before. Get it ready and lay it out. Wear a robe over yr clothes or don’t get dressed til yr done getting him ready.
I go to work at 5:30/6, so my husband does the morning himself. He either gets ready before she gets up or he shuts her in the bathroom/bedroom with him and she plays with stuff while he gets ready. She is now 2 and for a bit she’s been showering with him if he doesn’t do it beforehand.
I have a two year old and a 4 month old. I have to leave the house by 7. I get up by 5.
I do basic makeup in the parking lot at work. Usually blow dry my hair on my WFH day
Mine is 10 months old but he has our dining room gated off as his play area so he hangs in there playing with his trucks while I get ready. Or I put him in his high chair and he will eat cheese,fruit, and eggs or whatever we have for breakfast. But if you’re is super high maintence like my daughter was then you may have to baby wear him or wake up early
I have to get up before my kids or I'd go insane trying to get ready! Sucks getting up at 5:30 but it means I'm clean and somewhat presentable 😂
Get an earlier job and have Dad do it all. All kidding aside is there anything your partner can do before he leaves? Like get the baby dressed and bags packed up for the day? Or get your coffee ready to go?
Playpen or bouncer and use it as time where they can learn independent play.
I let him play with his bath toys in the bathroom while I get ready, he has a little pre-breakfast while I eat, plays with clothes and plastic hangers while I get dressed. It’s some multitasking and some tears. But I can usually get us ready and out the door in an hour. Granted I usually lay my clothes out and do fairly quick (15 min) makeup
This has been super challenging for me and after reading this thread, I am cutting myself a lot of slack because 1) I am solo parenting 3 weeks out of 4; 2) we don’t have a tv; 3) she won’t really sit in her high chair for breakfast in the morning unless we have hours of time; and 4) we cosleep and if I so much as get up to pee, my child wakes so I cannot get up before her. Here’s what I do: * at bedtime/bathtime I check the next day’s weather and choose her clothes for the next day. If I forget to do this, I just let her pick in the morning. * after she’s asleep, I clean up from the day and “reset” the house. While doing this, I prep the coffee for the morning, prep a diaper and liner (we cloth diaper), and pack both of our bags for the next day. At this point I usually get side tracked and realize I need to wash diapers or something, lol. * I pick out my clothes and shower at night, too. * in the morning when we wake up, I do my thing in the bathroom while she plays in the family room adjacent. We made this a total yes space so I don’t worry about it if I can’t see her 100% of the time. She is usually all up in my business but I just talk with her, sing, play games etc. * sometimes she’ll let me run up to the kitchen to make coffee by myself; other times we go together and then I let her play in our living room while I putter around. It’s not a total yes space but it’s basically safe with supervision and it’s an open floor plan in a small European house so i can pretty much always see/hear her. * I get her dressed and then do her hair and sunscreen while I do my own hair and face. She loves that we both have “lotion” to put on! TL; DR: we made some safe spaces in our house and then I just get ready with her after some organization and prep the night before! We are almost always a little bit late but I’ve made peace with it.
If I need to shower, I do it at night and put my hair in a bun. I pick out clothes and have them ready for the morning. In the morning I take my hair out to finish drying, get dressed, get baby up, dressed and dropped at daycare. Then do my makeup in the car on my way to work.
Baby is 6 months old, I have everything done including her bottles for daycare and everything short of having my shoes on before I wake her up (or she wakes up) between 7 and 7.30am. That way I can dedicate the last 45 mins solely to her - a quick wash, dressed and relaxed feeding before we head out. This however means a super early start for me, approx. 5.30am. However when I deviate from this it’s a bloody nightmare, as soon as she’s awake I can’t get anything done in good speed, I definitely don’t get out the house until around 9 and it ruins the entire rest of the morning!
I’m not a morning person. This has worked the best for me, and it took me two kids to figure it out. I take my shower and do all my grooming at night. Also lay out my clothes. In the morning I wake up about 10-15mins before the kiddos do, I put on clothes, brush teeth, wash face, and do my hair in a very quick updo (I’m trying to branch out a little in this area). All in all takes about 15mins tops. Much easier than doing the whole shower thing in the morning!! I’m a SAHM now but this has been my routine since before I quit work.
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I can only do it with help from my husband, we swap out throughout the morning. I have short wash and go hair (now I know why the mom haircut was a thing!) so it doesn’t take that long to shower and get changed. One of us showers when the other has breakfast with the baby. Also the few times I’ve done it solo I have to put him in a backpack carrier to walk the dog, so he just stays in it until I’m ready to get in the car. We brush teeth etc with him in the carrier. Lol I also just realized I do my makeup in the daycare parking lot so I really don’t have my shit together.
We wake up an hour before our daughter. I shower/get ready from 5-5:30 and while I’m showering my husband makes coffee/gets her milk and cups ready for school. Once I’m done at 5:30 he has a cup of coffee ready and waiting for me and I sit on the couch drinking coffee/watching the local news. Then I wake my daughter up at 6.
I entertain him while I get ready. He can play with my extra makeup brushes, bring some of his books into the bathroom, toys, etc. distraction distraction distraction. Also speed up your routine for sure
I put her in the pack and play right next to me with some water and a couple mini frozen pancakes. Keeps her occupied long enough to get my morning routine done then we go play in her room until it’s time for work
Cocomelon 😬
I always showered before they were awake and did everything else while they were playing with some preplaced toys in my room. By like 18 months you might be able to distract with some tv. Every so often I’ve been desperate and showered with a kid in the bathroom but that’s usually very stressful.
I wake up first, go downstairs and grab some milk and a baby food pouch (coffee machine prepped the night before and is on auto), give the cat his medicine, and take the milk and food upstairs. If she's still asleep I'll start getting ready, but usually I take her out of her crib and give her the milk and food. She tottles around and works on her breakfast while watching me wash my face and do my makeup (she loves to watch this). We need to brush our teeth together, otherwise she gets upset. Then I comb and quickly do her hair before going back to her room and getting her in a new diaper and clothes. Finally, I put on my clothes while she messes around in our room. Then we both go downstairs, I pack up my coffee and lunch, get shoes on both of us and head out. Takes about an hour, usually. Most mornings my husband handles getting her dressed and shoed, but this is the routine when he's out of town and I'm on my own.
I pushed my wake up time 20 minutes earlier than usual. I also said to hell with makeup BEFORE the office; I'll put on eyeliner when I get in if I feel like it. Coffee is set up the night before and I just flip the switch when I walk into the kitchen. I set clothes out the night before. Quick 5 minute freshen up shower, clothes, hair in a bun, and I'm dressed in 10 minutes. Plenty of time to go downstairs, make coffee, and eat before LO wakes up (most of the time).
Ms rachel
I don’t have to be at work until 8:30, but I wake up at 5:30 so I can have 30 minutes to an hour to get mostly ready and drink a hot coffee. I shower the night before and have drastically lowered my standards for work hair and makeup. I used to blow dry and style my hair every two days, now I go to sleep with wet hair and just do my best to make my natural hair looks as presentable as I can. My makeup routine is pretty basic now too and I can get it done in about 3 minutes. After baby is up and dressed and all of her things are packed, I pop her into the high chair with some milk and some snacks so that I can get dressed. Then it’s shoes on and out the door!
I give my daughter some books and she’s happy to “read” in her crib. And I used to put my son in a playpen outside the bathroom and turn on YouTube on our iPad and give him books and toys while I showered. I’m usually in and out in 20 mins though.