As the school bell rings and students head back to class, back to school time is here! Summer has been fun but routine beckons. As a mom to 3 kids, MyBuckleMate Founder, Meghan Khaitan, knows a thing or two about back to school planning and organization. She’s got some creative tips for making the transition back to school a bit easier on the whole family. Check out Meghan’s helpful back to school tips below! 

• Organize a capsule wardrobe—when selecting back-to-school clothes, think about creating a capsule wardrobe like adults do and select clothes that all coordinate so it doesn't matter what they choose to wear, it always matches. This will cut down on morning fights over clothes not matching and you won't be sending your child to school looking mismatched.

• Start a bedtime routine—mornings can be chaotic so getting things done the night before can make mornings more pleasant. Choose outfits for the next day and lay them out before bedtime.  Insure all homework is completed, checked and placed in backpacks. Place everything by the door you exit from in the morning so there is no need to search for shoes, backpacks or homework before leaving.

• Create a morning plan—make a morning plan that's fun and understandable for all kids (even those that do not tell time). Use a bulletin board with an inexpensive clock (you can pick one up for about $4). Underneath, post handmade cut out clocks that show what time each morning task needs to be done. For example, by 7:15 Clothes On, 7:30 Breakfast Done, 7:45 Coat and Backpack On, and so on. For younger children you can use pictures to signify the job.

• Make a breakfast schedule—to cut down on morning breakfast battles, create a breakfast schedule with foods everyone agrees on. Assign a specific breakfast to each day, for example, Monday-Oatmeal, Tuesday-Pancakes, Wednesday-Muffins. If you child doesn't want the breakfast being served, they can opt out and choose cereal. This helps alleviate the need for a short order cook each morning.

• Plan out lunches—if your kids take a mix of hot lunch and cold lunch, sit down with them and the school lunch menu on the weekend and decide what days will be cold lunch so you know in advance what day you'll be making lunches. Take it a step further and decide ahead of time what those lunch boxes will contain so you're ahead of the game.

• Organize kids’ clothes—take a day on the weekend and go through your kids' clothes and pull anything that doesn't fit or isn't wearable. Reorganize with clothes that still fit and new back-to-school clothes. This will help them find their clothes easily for school each day. Another helpful idea is to give each child a medium sized bin and have them pick out their clothes the night before and put into the bin. Then, they are prepped for the next morning.

• Waterproof labels—grab a pack of durable, waterproof labels at a big box store near you. They come in iron on and stick-on and are typically in fun, cute designs. Stick a name label on each of your child's items such as backpacks, water bottles, and lunch bags. No more lost water bottles!

• Visit the school—make a trip to the school playground to get your kids feeling more comfortable being back at school. It will take some of the edge and nervousness away prior to the first day.

• Carpool--busy moms need help transporting kids. Set up carpools to get kids to and from school and after-school events.

• Study area—create a quiet area in the house that allows for kids to concentrate and get homework done after school.  It could be a space in the kitchen or family room.  Make it a dedicated space where kids can work uninterrupted by their siblings.

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Meghan Khaitan is founder of MyBuckleMate and mom to 3 kids. MyBuckleMate is an award-winning product that’s the first of its kind and now officially patented. It promotes safety and independence for kids in booster seats and beyond. MyBuckleMate was designed for kids in booster seats and car seats and is just right for little hands. It’s perfect for carpooling and fitting three kids in the backseat. MyBuckleMate not only offers ease of buckling but also provides an important safety measure allowing kids to buckle and unbuckle themselves. The easier it is, the more apt they are to use it. Getting your kids into the habit of buckling and unbuckling early means they develop this skill early on which will last a lifetime. MyBuckleMate has been named a 2014 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) SILVER winner for innovation. (Photo Credit - MyBuckleMate.com).

Article Photo Credits- FreeImages.com/Holger Selover-Stephan