Home Remedy: Getting Little Kids Dressed

Ever found yourself in the circus of dressing your children before you leave?

This used to be my version:

Run upstairs to get a shirt and pants and chase down the 1 year old. Find the underpants of the 3 year old and engage in mental battle to get him to wear this pair with the dinosaurs on them. Realize the 1 year old's shoes are also upstairs and go back to get them. Chase her down again and get her in your lap and look around for socks. They're in her sock drawer. Cry a little. Go get the socks and continue the circus repeating similar steps for the 3 year old. Leave the house what seems like (or actually is) 2 hours later.

Here's the remedy:

Gather everything you need in one spot before you attempt contact with the children.

Genius huh?

Now they play while I run around grabbing clothes, socks, shoes, diapers, underwear, hats, jackets, and anything else they will be wearing and throw them in a pile. Then I catch a little one and have them in my lap only once! No more chasing over and over. No more getting angrier with each article I have to go find.

One day I hope to have children who dress themselves. But right now my sensory kid (more on that later) and tiny dancer need my assistance. And I've been leaving an average of 10 minutes earlier with this new method. That's worth something!