Are your mornings often rushed, chaotic, and disorganized? You’re not alone and it’s time to take control and make morning into a good start for a wonderful day. When your morning activities run smoothly and you’re out the door on time, it can make your whole day go better. Here are some steps to create a more peaceful morning routine.

Start Your Morning-at Night - A real key to smoothing out your morning is to prepare as much as you can the night before. This means choosing the day’s clothing, packing lunches, gathering homework, and setting out breakfast items.

Post a Calendar - Buy the biggest wall calendar you have space for and hang it in a central location. Write down events and appointments for everyone. Use different color makers to code items for easy reading, e.g., ball practice in red, carpool in green, doctors and dentist appointments in purple. Keep the calendar up-to-date and you’ll be more organized.

Create a Drop Box - Have a labeled box for every member of the family by the door. Use this to store shoes, keys, backpacks, coats, and anything else that goes out the door with you in the morning. Plastic tubs or decorated crates make great drop boxes.

Use a Morning List - Sit down and analyze a typical morning. Make a list of everything that needs to be done. Create a poster-sized list of the standard morning activities according to their daily order. If you have a child who gets easily distracted and ignores the morning chart, don’t give up!

Just make a mini-sized chart, laminate it, put it on a chain, and let your child wear it as his “morning necklace”! Another idea for younger children is to find small pictures of their chores so he can identify the activity without having to ask for help. Your part is to make a few gentle reminders, not to do the job for them.

Check Out Sleep Time - If your child has trouble getting up in the morning and sticking to his schedule, look at what time he or she is going to bed. Without adequate sleep, a child won’t be able to follow a morning routine successfully. If your child is running behind schedule and feels the rush and anxiety of the morning, he will be more likely to have frustration at school.

Fix Problems With a Family Meeting - If problems persist, take the time to sit down with your children and talk about it. Let everyone have a turn talking, and work to find solutions that will benefit everyone. Come up with a plan to reward the children or the whole family for getting the morning rolling successfully.

For example, set aside a special after-school snack, an extra 15 minutes of game time, or TV time for those who have completed their morning routine on time. Or plan a once weekly family activity of going for ice cream to reward the whole team for helping out!

Praise Successes - Remember, your words of praise will encourage your children to continue to meet their goals.

An on-time family is usually much more relaxed and happy during the day. Spending the time to get yourself organized and set for manageable mornings will pay off in no time!

Kat Hafen writes for many baby publications including HugaMonkey, which has baby slings, changing pads, baby carriers, and much more. Visit HugaMonkey to find the perfect item to help with your baby!

[tags]managing mornings, tips for morning management, family management[/tags]