It’s never been a busier time for parents of young children, especially with the demands of modern family living piling up around school, work, and family time. It can sometimes feel as though you barely have time to breathe between all the school runs, feeding and cooking tasks, extracurricular activities, school holiday cover, and never-ending trips to the doctors or friend’s birthday parties. It’s no wonder parents get so frazzled and run out of precious time, with five minutes of peace always seeming just out of reach. In this article, we look at a few ways you can save a bit of time in your busy day and reclaim a few minutes to yourself.
1. Avoid the morning rush by planning ahead
No parent is a stranger to the morning chaos. No matter how old they are, what you do for a living, or how many parents and children are in the mix; there will always be a nursery or school run before you can get to work on the housework or perhaps set off to your office. There are packed lunches to make, uniforms to reclaim from the washing pile, school bags to pack (not forgetting the homework), breakfast to make, pets to walk and feed, the list is endless.
Save yourself unnecessary stress by getting as much done the night before a possible; pack the lunches, get the school bags (don’t forget the PE kits) ready by the door and even set up the breakfast table for the following morning. Sure, there may be a few extra chores to do before bed, but you will reap the rewards with a stress-free morning.
2. Get that slow cooker out and plan your meals for the week
Meal planning is a game-changer in the world of timesaving. If you dust off your slow cooker and get your ingredients ready the night before then in the morning, you only need to turn on the cooker at the start of the day to create a wonderful smell and a wholesome home-cooked meal for everyone to come home to, no extra work required. Go one step further by having a cook-fest on a Sunday afternoon, making large, freezable batches of family-friendly meals so you can ensure timely, healthy meals all week long.
If you have little ones, then save extra time on the cleaning upfront by having some practical gear to help keep things clean at mealtimes. Sure, small kids are known to launch food around the kitchen and dining room with unnerving regularity and often wear more than they eat, but you can save time by dressing them in smocks, bibs and dribble bibs, such as these popular varieties from Bibado, to help keep washing and cleaning chores to a minimum when facing food mess fallout.
3. Take turns on the school run
Make the most of your community relationships. All those parents you meet on the school run, at the school gates and that you’re often sat next to in the traffic en-route, they are in the same boat as you. Why not share the weight by suggesting a shared school run routine, there’s even a popular app to help with this. If you schedule school drop-offs and pick-ups between you for the week, you will all be able to take turns saving precious hours every week.
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