5 Ways to Turn the Back to School Chaos into Bliss
With three littles who are just reaching school age or just starting childcare, we are new parents to the “back to school” routine. For some parents, it's a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. For others, it's a time of chaos and stress. We found ourselves scrambling when our oldest started pre-k, and here we are scrambling with our middle as they do the same starting preschool. Whether returning to school after a long summer break or starting school for the first time, the process can be challenging. But I’m here to tell you, it’s going to be okay. Maybe you can learn from our experiences so you’re just a tad bit more prepared than we were.
Prep your kids a week before
We realized that our oldest was still napping, and that was not going to fly while in kindergarten, so we had to hurry and phase her out of that. Others might need help with bedtimes or social skills. For example, if your child is worried about making friends, you can help them practice making conversation or introduce them to some of the other kids in their class.
Meal prep their lunches
This may sound overboard, but there will be a time, typically around day 20, when your exhaustion sets in and you wish you had listened to this tip. Batching some pasta, and washing and cutting up fresh fruit can be a lifesaver when you snooze your alarm once or twice in the morning. One thing that saved us on hectic days was buying Gerber entrées. They are nutritious but grab-and-go easy—perfect for busy parents like us.
Invest in a label maker
Our oldest is the most obedient, rule-following, responsible, and intelligent kid we know (we’re not biased at all). Despite this, she managed to lose three water bottles, a lunch box, a sweatshirt, and loads of personalized pens she got for her birthday. We decided to label everything from the folders she packed up to the bento box inside her backpack, because somehow these items inevitably find their way to the lost and found.
Stock up your medicine cabinet
We’ve never dealt with more sickness than the first year my oldest went to school. We had our pediatrician on speed dial and learned a LOT. So pink eye is a thing, and if you have small kids, it will spread to everyone. Same with colds, coughs, even lice (make sure to have on hand what your pediatrician recommends for lice).
Add a checklist to your morning routine
You can get distracted so easily in the morning that you forget the water bottle, forget extra clothes, forget the lunch on top of the car. Eventually, we made a basic checklist to double check before we headed out the door.
Whether your kids are starting daycare, entering preschool or high school, going to school is a big deal. If the mental load doesn’t get you, the emotional one will! Remember: the more prepared you are for school, the more prepared your child will be. We found the more involved we were, the easier the transition. Good luck, mom and dad! You got this!
