Do you wonder how on earth to get out the door on time with a toddler? Do you find that with kids you’re running late more often than you used to? Do your mornings sometimes feel chaotic or like it’s impossible to get out of the house in a coordinated manner?

Same here, mama. That was SO me/us!

Pre-Taylor I took a little pride in being on time. Even when I went back to work for a year initially after maternity leave (I work from home now!) I was doing okay. Then Taylor became mobile and having opinions of her own she isn’t afraid to voice. At the onset of toddler-dom, and getting adjusted to the stay at home mom lifestyle, all of a sudden it felt like getting out the door was a three+ hour process every day and that no matter where we went, we were NEVER on time!

In this post I’m going to share some of the best hacks & tips I’ve learned along the way and picked up from other mamas with more than one kiddo for getting out of the house in the morning with little ones. And, make sure to snag a printable PDF of the Morning & Evening Toddler Routine Chart! A morning routine for a toddler is essential for timeliness around our house!!

11 Hacks For Getting Out The Door ON TIME With A Toddler!!

1. Set the time you need to or would like to be out the door. Next, make a list of all the things that would need to accomplish before then and how long they take (i.e. your own morning routine, getting yourself ready for the day, getting or helping your kiddo/s get ready, fixing and eating breakfast, brushing teeth, readying your bag, getting everyone into socks/shoes, and out the door and into the car, etc.). Now, backward map how much time you’ll need for each segment. You’ll then be able to determine what time you need to be up yourself when you’ll want to wake your kiddo/s if they aren’t already up, etc. in order to be on time!
2. Wake up and get ready yourself before your little one wakes up if at all possible. If you have a super early bird and can’t make this happen,  have a quick 5-minute makeup grab bag + mirror that you can spruce yourself up with while your toddler is eating breakfast or doing another morning routine task.
3. All Our Bags Are Packed And I’m Ready To GO! Have your diaper bag, toddler backpack, or purse stocked up and ready to go and either in your car or next to the door the night before. This simple hack has made a big difference;  Not having to think about what I’m forgetting when I’m trying to get us out the door is a mama mental-load game changer!
4. Meal prep lunches in bulk (things like PB&J sandwiches, bags of carrot sticks/pretzels, etc..) and have a grab &  go station in your pantry for the rest on the snacks that your toddler can help load their lunch box with. Taylor LOVES this concept – often trying to {unsuccessfully} pack three of her fav fruit roll-ups!!
5. Wake up your little one so that they have plenty of getting ready and play time before you need to leave for the day, especially if they love to play in the morning and have difficulty transitioning from one activity to the next.
6. Have your toddler get dressed or assist them with getting dressed for the day before ever leaving their room in the morning. For some reason, maybe because I’m lazy and don’t want to go up and down the stairs a bunch of times, this one really helps! It gets us out of lazy, lay around mode (if we have somewhere to be) and into “let’s get this day going!” mode!
7. Have grab and go breakfast options ready – breakfast bars are perfect for this!! These are clutch when/if you’re running later than you want to be (if you allow eating in the car as we do!)
8. Allow your child a special toy or item to take with them out of the house (our favs are Paw Patrol figurines right now!).
9. Offer rewards for task completion (audio of a YouTube story in the car, a game on an education App,  a  second snack/breakfast, a sticker or stamp, etc.) so that you don’t have to continue following up and nagging.
10.  Break it down step-by-step: instead of just saying, “let’s go to the park” or “we’re going to Target,”  Start with, “let’s put on your shoes and socks,” “let’s pack up your snacks together” and take it task by task. This GREATLY helps with transitions, as does a morning routine chart:
11. Have a Morning Toddler Routine Chart – picture chart for pre-readers, or one with words included for readers so that they can self-direct their morning routine like the one I created below for Taylor (and YOU if you’d like to save the time of making one!!).

We printed this routine chart and used our little laminating machine to laminate it, and now check off each of the tasks with a  dry erase marker as we progress. Taylor really enjoys this toddler routine chart and I’ve found it makes for much more smooth evenings and mornings – she’s a routine girl, who has a hard time with transitions at times!

*after completing payment click on “Return To Merchant” to access your printable PDF!!

Last tip, and the most important, PLEASE give yourself grace because it’s seriously not an easy task to coordinate #allthethings and be timely (and I only have ONE!!)! 

I hope you found these tips and hacks for getting out the door and being on time with your toddler helpful!!

As always, best to you sweet mama!! Thank you for reading today!!

Here is the replay of a Live video I shared over on Facebook on Taylor-made Mama on this topic: