Back-to-School Tips to Fuel Your Child's Independence

This Back-to-School post is sponsored by Danimals but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Summer is coming to an end and that means it’s almost time to head Back-to-School! Sorry kids. And sorry mom, it’s back to the grind, especially with that morning rush. But I’m here to share a few back-to-school tips to help fuel your child’s independence when it comes to the morning routine. After all, the more your child can do alone, the less stress it’ll be on you and maybe you’ll be able to brush your hair for drop-off. Also, if you’ve got multiple kids, well you can imagine all the feel-good MOMents that awaits you.

This year, both my kids will be attending the same school. Yay for one drop-off and one pick-up! So back-to-school is already a big deal in this household. I’ve already started my back-to-school shopping and now it’s time to fuel their independence for a ~~smooth~~ not so bumpy school year.

~ Back-to-School Tips to Fuel Your Child’s Independence ~

Start the new sleep schedule early.

My kids have been loving their Summer sleep schedule, i.e. sleep and wake-up whenever you want. But since school is starting soon – now’s the time to reintroduce their new bedtime schedule. One year, I made the mistake of starting Caiden’s school bedtime routine the night before school started. Big mistake. I learned my lesson the hard way and now I have both boys sleeping in early – weeks before school starts to give them plenty of time to adjust.

Pick-out school attire the night before.

Kids have fun picking out their clothes…especially for school. It’s a time to show their personalities through fashion. So every night, before your child goes to bed – have him/her choose and set aside an outfit to wear. It’ll definitely ease the morning routine and help gain their independence.

Younger kids will definitely still need your help, unless you’re okay with dropping off a Superhero everyday.

Display a morning checklist.

Out of sight, out of mind. That’s why I created a checklist for my kids to see exactly what they need to do before they leave the house.

Create a nutritious lunch plan together.

Take your kid(s) grocery shopping. This helps if you’ve got picky eaters like me. We don’t always agree on same the same food ideas, but we do agree with Danimals Squeezables. It’s a mess-free and on-the-go ina convenient pouch that you can freeze overnight and add to your kids lunchboxes! It’s also more nutritious than some of the other treats they might want to choose. Plus it’ll keep the rest of their lunch nice and cool. Don’t worry, it’ll thaw out by lunch.

Keep breakfast simple.

As much as I want my kids to “eat more” before school – they simply don’t eat that much in the morning. So I keep breakfast easy and accessible for them to grab, like toast, fruit and Danimals Smoothies, which is also great for on-the-go!

Danimals are a good source of calcium and Vitamin D. You can find them in national retailers, using the Store Locator on the Danimals.com website.