Organised mums share how they’ve breezed through back-to-school panic with labelling and lunchbox prep
AT LAST, our little ones are back in the classroom and catching up with friends and teachers at school.
But as the back to school rush continues, mums and dads are frantically finding ways to cope - and luckily some have come up with a few clever ways to manage.
Pre-pack lunches
Having lunches prepped and ready to go will mean a lot less stress when it comes to school mornings.
Many mums even prep lunches for an entire week and store them in the fridge. This will take the hassle out of busy mornings and free up time in the evenings too.
A great way is to pre-chop fruit for snacks, or even bake up muffins, slices or sausage rolls on a weekend which you can easily add to lunchboxes in a hurry.
Lunchbox cupboard
Katrina Springer, who runs , suggests having a dedicated lunchbox cupboard - and we praise her for the brilliant idea.
The idea is to have everything you need for your kids' lunches in the one cupboard so it's all easy to find - including lunch boxes, snack boxes, drink bottles and anything else that might come in handy.
You could even pop sandwich bags in there too, or anything else that would make packing lunches a breeze.
Label everything
As much as you try to maintain a sense of order, it's only a matter of time before your kids lose something - either at home or at school.
By labelling your child's belongings - including drink bottle, school bags, shirts and stationary - you're pretty much guaranteed never to lose anything again, and whatever does get lost should make its way back to you.
Stacey Solomon revealed she's done this with her two boys, Zachery and Leighton, and other mums have had great pleasure in doing the same.
It works well if you have more than one child as well, as they'll always know what's theirs - so no more fighting in the morning.
You can get creative with the labelling too, as one mum has done, as it doesn't necessarily have to be their name.
To avoid getting her girls' white socks mixed up in the wash, Sarah Allen revealed how she marks them with a marker, giving each of them a different colour.
School stations
Many mums have taken labelling to a whole new level and have created entire school stations to help keep things organised.
Rather than simply labelling a box or a bag, many are doing that and more by laying everything out their kids need for the week in allocated drawers, tubs, hooks and shelves.
One mum showed off a clever timber unit which her husband made for the kids, to help keep their school uniform, coats, shoes and bags together.
Above each of cupboard is their name, so they can always find their belongs - and other parents have been doing it too.
One mum has used storage tubs from Wilko and personalised them herself so that each of her boys have a set of drawers.
She's slapped a name tag on each as well as labels for uniforms, socks, PE and football - and revealed it's the best way to keep them organised.
Pre-pack school bags
If you're a mum of 22 like Sue Radford, being organised is a must, which is why she lays out her little's ones bags, uniforms, lunch boxes and water bottle on the kitchen bench the night before.
While packing a school bag doesn't seem like it would take much time, anything to save you time in the morning will make it run that much smoother.
While only five of Sue's huge brood went back to school this week, she too was feeling the hectic morning rush and decided to get a head start on the morning prep.
Have a filing system
Even in a tech-based world, paperwork can still pile up. That's why it's a good idea to have a school filing system which will help keep you on track.
It's also a good way to hold on to your kids artwork, exam results or any other school documents to want to keep safe.
You can pick them up for pretty cheap, and organise them which ever way you choose - a good idea is to have one box per child for their entire schooling.
Charts, lists and calendars
In line with keeping track of important school dates, a scheduling system or calendar could work wonders in a busy home.
While our phones and laptops often provide digital calendars, having a large one on your wall in your living room or office will mean never missing anything again.
Hayley, a busy mum-of-four, uses a chalkboard calendar in her hallway to keep on top of her kids’ schedule.
She says it helps to reduce the panic that comes with the school run, and with three school-age kids and a baby it's very much needed.
But lists and other charts work wonders too, with mum-of-three Jen Rose claiming a whiteboard is what helps her manage the kids' different school meals.
Taking to Facebook, she revealed how it helps inspire her each morning.
She wrote: "I often used to stand wondering what to put in, end up repeating things or have things coming home that they've since decided they didn't like.
"So now, the night before school they get a coloured whiteboard pen each to pick their selections for the following day.
"The number in yellow represents the maximum items they can pick from each section, and they know they're only allowed one of each sweeter drink each week, and that they need a different option 4 each day.
"The kids seem happy and excited to try this so they come home with some empty lunchboxes."
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