Seven simple tips for a stress-free morning for the family

Photo: Lille Lam

We have an old expression in Scandinavia “Morgenstund har guld i mund” which means that it’s important to get up early in the morning in order to enjoy it. This is still very true, especially for a family that are off in different directions for nursery, school or work.
In the latest edition of the Danish parent magazine “Vi forældre” I came across a guide that is quite similar to how we do it in the morning in our home and I thought I would share it with you:
Our 7 simple steps for a stress-free morning, the best way we can start our day together as a family

1. Get up early.
There is no way around this. Go to bed earlier as well if you are tired in the morning. Get up 20-30 minutes before what you usually do.

2. Wake up slowly.
As a child I remember always waking up to the sound of my mum listening to the radio in the kitchen and the smell of coffee. This is lovely memories I have even though I’m sure we had our share of stress too.
Some people will just get out of bed and the day will start in an instant. In my case that’s not how it works. I need to lay in for a while. Same thing with Amélie. I would usually go into her room, say good morning with a smile, open the curtains and talk a bit without asking her to get up straight away. I’ll make sure her clothes are available, leave the room to do something else and then return after a few minutes.
I know some parents put on a audio book or even read a book in the morning.
Waking up with the TV is not recommended by most experts. And my experience is that it actually makes the children grumpy.

3. Have the clothes ready.
If it’s all there the evening before there will be no panicking over a missing sock or a dirty uniform skirt in the morning.

4. Have the school bags ready.
Pack their bags before they go to bed and place it next to the shoes in the hallway to avoid searching around for reading books 5 minutes after you really should have left the house.

5. Eat breakfast.
A slice of bread or traditional oat porridge (it’s prepared in 10 minutes while you wake up your kids and it’s probably the best food you can have for breakfast.) Make the children sit to eat their breakfast. We usually lit candles as well. Breakfast in this house lasts usually 20-25 minutes and is probably the most important meal of the day as we are all gathered together around the table.
Snack or packed lunch is quickly prepared whilst sitting around the breakfast table.

6. Let the children help out.
The children can do a lot more than dress themselves. In this house the girls set the table and sometimes tidies away too. The girls enjoys the responsibility and also being a part of what’s happening in the house.

7. Say goodbye with a smile.
If one has a bad start even after following the previous 6 steps, whatever you do, say goodbye with a smile. There is nothing worse than saying goodbye after having had an argument and then wait until the afternoon or evening before it can be sorted out.

This is the simple steps we try to follow to make our mornings as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.
Do you have any other tips for a stress-free morning so please share them with us by commenting below. We would love to hear from you, what you do in the mornings.