A very realistic recap of leaving the house with three kids in the morning.

I'm a morning person. So is my husband.

This might sound like the ideal scenario for raising three small children. 

But it’s not.   

As morning people we do our best work first thing. This is the time we need to tackle our hardest task for the day. That could be getting stuck into a difficult project at work or going to a particularly brutal gym class. Either way, it requires a level of mental commitment I just don’t have from lunchtime onwards. 

"Surely your children are more important than work or working out?????"

Yes. Always. But it’s more complex than that.

I love my kids madly, and being a good parent is a priority. But, I fundamentally disagree that getting them ready to leave the house, 7 days a week, is the best possible use of my morning brain. 

The morning routine is… well… a routine. Even with three children and the curve balls they can throw in, it’s still a fairly predictable process. With a bit of preparation it doesn’t require much higher order thinking. 

So my husband and I came up with a solution: solo parenting in the mornings. We each get three mornings a week "off". Either one of us gets up early, sneaks out of the house before anyone is about, and heads to the gym or work. We alternate days. It’s been amazing for our mental and physical health, work productivity, and general life happiness.

And yes, that means the other one of us is left to "solo parent" three kids under six. Which sounds like a lot, especially if you’re reading this in the early days of parenting your first child, but I promise it gets easier and now that we have a set routine it’s very doable. 

So what does that morning look like for the solo parent? Here’s a very honest recap of leaving the house with three kids in the morning.

The morning starts at 5.

Which doesn’t sound too revolutionary. 

Except I mean 5pm. The night before.

Being organised is key. 

The night before we choose the kids outfits for the next day and lay them out.

I also pack their backpacks with everything they’ll need for the next day, including a full agenda of outdoor sports and activities: hats, a change of clothes, water bottles, and of course, sunscreen.

Image: Supplied. 

If you’re looking for a sunscreen, the Hamilton Sunscreen range has been caring for skin in Australian conditions since 1932. All their sunscreens are SPF 50+ (very high protection), so you’re never second-guessing the level of protection. The range includes Hamilton Sensitive, Hamilton Everyday Face, Hamilton Active Family and the Hamilton Toddler range.

Image: Supplied. 

The Hamilton Toddler Roll On is 4-hour water resistant, fast drying and perfectly packaged to live in a kid's backpack without creating a slippery mess.

The only thing not in the backpacks are lunchboxes. Although I make these the night before and leave them in the fridge. High-tier hack: make 3 days of lunchboxes in advance. Go for things that won’t go soggy, so rather than cut fruit and veggies try whole baby cucumbers, tiny tomatoes, grapes, and whole apples/pears. 

The actual day starts when someone whispers loudly (and wetly) into my ear "Mummmm I did a poo".

I’m the solo parent today so after establishing that the appropriate amount of wiping and washing occurred post-poo, we head off to free the baby from her cot/cage. 

Baby greets us with a level of enthusiasm that suggests she assumed she’d been left to fend for herself for the rest of her days.

I wrestle said baby on the change table while the big girls go off and put on their clothes. Do I feel smug for laying out those outfits the night before? Every single day. 

Image: Supplied. 

Breakfast begins with an argument about who gets the pink bowl.

Whyyyyyy does IKEA insist on selling multi-colour packs of kids crockery? Just. Make. Them. All. One. Colour. (Spare a minute for my husband who has to negotiate this pastel minefield while being partially colourblind.)

Eventually the kids settle into eating their cereal and I sneak off to get myself washed and dressed at super speed. I like to think my summer style is '90s-minimalist but realistically I’m just wearing the same five white and beige items on repeat because I don’t have time to be creative. 

Time to brush teeth.

This triggers a debate about the tooth fairy and what she does with all the teeth. 

Build houses? 

Use them as money? 

"Eat them," my middle child suggests. I file that one away to overanalyse later. 

After a moderately aggressive rinse and spit that almost requires total outfit changes, it's sunscreen time. Then it’s time for the final stage of any summer beauty routine: Blistex's Ultra Lip Balm SPF 50+, which must exclusively be referred to as "lipstick" if you’re raising mini divas like me. It moisturises dry and chapped lips, plus it has very high protection sunscreen SPF 50+, helping to protect the whole fam against the Aussie sun.

Everyone does a tactical wee. The finish line is so close.

Shoes, hats and backpacks go on without drama (thank you to the night before preparation). Strap the baby into her pram and we’re out the door. 

Image: Supplied. 

Immediately realise I left my phone in the kitchen so we bundle back in, thankful I didn’t also forget my keys.

Grab a handful of rice cakes while we’re inside, because naturally everyone is already "starving" despite finishing breakfast twenty minutes ago.

Then, finally, after 90 minutes, four arguments and approximately 15,000 steps between us, we are actually off.

The empty house breathes a sigh of relief.

Designed for the whole family, this summer check out Hamilton Sun's sunscreen range and Blistex's Ultra Lip Balm SPF 50+. 

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Reapply every two hours and avoid prolonged sun exposure. Sunscreens are only one part of sun protection.

Feature Image: Supplied.