The first day of school is creeping closer and closer and while you may be thrilled about having a routine once again, your child probably has other thoughts. After all, what child doesn’t love their freedom to play all day long and have later bedtimes? While we can’t do anything about some of your child’s protests over the first day of school, we can help you create a bathroom that will make that morning go much smoother.
Here are 4 things that you can do with your bathroom to help ease your child into their first day of school:
Get them in the bathroom early
You already know that you are going to be getting your child to bed earlier in the evenings since they need to get up for school. However, did you know that you should get them into the bathroom earlier than you normally do to ensure that they get in and out in as little time as possible? Children that enter the bathroom twenty minutes before they need to walk out the door will move faster than those who try to get everything done in the last five minutes.
Lay everything out that they will need in the bathroom
Before you go to bed at night, or when you wake up in the morning, you should lay out everything that your child will need in the bathroom. This will include their toothbrush, toothpaste, brush or comb, hair bands, and anything else they use on a regular basis. This will help them know where everything is, so they don’t need to search everywhere at the last minute.
Turn on that timer
If you have multiple children, or a slow poke child, we recommend setting a timer to keep everything and everyone moving. A timer will ensure that everyone gets their fair share of bathroom time and that no one is brushing their teeth ten seconds before the bus arrives.
Create a checklist
If you are trying to foster some independence, we recommend creating a checklist that your child can follow as they get ready for school each day. This checklist can have the basics written down or you can get into specific step by step details. Both you and your child will love this, because you won’t be standing at the door telling them what to do the entire time that they are in there!
The first day of school is going to be rough, and so is the second, third, and fourth. However, a little planning can make those days go much easier, especially when it comes to time in the bathroom.
