Parents answer: "How can I make mornings easier for my preschooler (and me)?"

Challenging, frustrating, impossible... No we're not describing one of those days where nothing seems to be going right, we're talking about the morning routine when you're a parent to a preschooler. Every day.

In a recent interview, Momsplaining host Kristen Bell described her mornings with her daughters Lincoln (5) and Delta (3): 

"Usually I try to get them dressed because they're in the bedroom, so we might as well knock a couple things off our list that happen in the bedroom.

"Then it's breakfast.

"Then they have about a half-hour of playtime while I feed the dog, brush my teeth, put some semblance of sunscreen and pants on to attend preschool.

"Getting them in the car is really the hardest part because once those kids have woken up and rediscovered their thirst for life like they do every morning, they're just running in circles, and I'm like 'Stop, stop, stop. Put your seatbelt on. Put your seatbelt on. Put your shoes back on. Put them back on. Take her shoes off and put yours back on. No, put your lunch away, we're not at school yet.'"

"They really challenge me – they try to make it as difficult as possible."

• Also see: 4 OT sensory box ideas for kids

The scenario is undoubtedly a familiar one, with one parent sharing an equally trying experience via Reddit's r/Parenting forum, posting: 

A few helpful parents went into extreme detail, dolling out a few tried methods: 

'Literally take everything away from them that makes home fun'

'Make playtime the last thing he does'

'Eliminate the meltdown period between breakfast and leaving'

'The only thing we do different in our house is...'

What's the morning routine with your preschooler like? What's worked best and what do you advise parents cut out completely? Tell us by emailing to chatback@parent24.com and we could publish your pointers. 

Read more: 

• 5 math skills your child needs to get ready for preschool 
• Parent's guide: What to teach your preschooler about internet safety
• Ten signs of a great preschool

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