Back to School Survival Tips

Did you know that the #parentfail trends on Twitter during the back to school season?  It’s really no wonder! After months of summer, it’s tough to get everyone back on a tight schedule, plus there is so much new — new teachers, new classmates, new after school activities and more!  Keeping on top of the logistics can take a toll on both parents and kids!! I’ve partnered with Red Baron Pizza to share tips to help you tackle the back to school season like a boss!  You got this!

This post is written in partnership with Red Baron Pizza and may contain affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission when you click a link within this post. Please see the Disclosure page for additional information.

To help combat the back to school season chaos, Red Baron offered free pizzas at Parent Win Stations in select cities in August. We visited the NYC Parent Win Station at the Oculus in NYC.

Sam really got into character as chaos contributor, spreading himself out on the floor.

We brought home the Classic Crust Four Cheese Pizza. It made for an easy and delicious dinner with zero stress! I recommend it for dinner after the first day of school to help keep chaos at bay! Here are more of my tips for surviving the back to school season.

Ease your kids into the back to school schedule

Adjust sleep and wake times incrementally. If bedtime and wake up time have slipped over the summer, it will be pretty jarring to your kids to suddenly need to wake up way earlier. Adjust the schedule by 10-15 minutes per day in the days and weeks leading up to back to school.

Get the kids used to getting out the door early. If your kids have gotten used to loafing around in the mornings, come up with some fun morning activities to get them used to hustling out the door.

Familiarize the kids with the idea of back to school, the actual school and classmates

Read books about school. Kids can be intimidated or nervous about a new school, new friends and even the new daily schedule. There are lots of great books to ease kids of all ages back to school. I rounded up a bunch of them here.

Visit the school. If your child will be attending a new school or campus, pay a visit. This can be as simple as walking the grounds, playing in the yard, or bringing a picnic lunch to enjoy on the lawn in the days or weeks before school starts.

Arrange a playdate. Both anticipating and seeing a familiar face on that first day always helps limit nerves. Try to arrange a play date with a classmate before school begins.

Be present and limit household stress

Try to limit your own to do list and potential stress. All the newness can be taxing on kids. Try to limit your own daily stress and to do list during that first week of school so you can be more attentive to your kids.

Easy family dinner following the first day of school. While the first day of school is something to celebrate, it’s not the best night for you to fuss over an elaborate dinner.

Your best bet is an easy dinner like a Red Baron Pizza, leaving you with more time to chat with your kids and still get them to bed early (that first day of school can be exhausting for them)! With a perfectly golden brown and crispy crust, the pizza is delicious!

Follow my hack for an easy and fail-safe first day of school photo. Trust me on this, your kids can hold the sign upside down or backward and you will still get a great result. You can find the hack here.

Prepare in advance to limit morning stress. It’s hard enough to get kids up and out in the morning. Try to prepare as much as possible in advance. This includes packing lunches and bags the night before and even laying out the week’s clothes and after school activity paraphernalia at the start of the week (some of my followers recommend a daily organizer to hang in the closet or over the back of a door).

Prominently share family schedules. Setting up a command center calendar in the kitchen helps parents, sitters and bigger kids keep track of daily schedules and responsibilities. Everyone will know at a glance which day Timmy plays baseball and who is responsible for pickup. Going over the upcoming day at dinner or breakfast gives kids a sense of security. Etsy has some gorgeous acrylic ones that blend into any decor. And on those days that are packed, plan on Red Baron pizza for dinner!

This article was sponsored by Red Baron Pizza. All opinions are my own. Check out redbaron.com for more information and click here for their store locator to find where Red Baron pizza is available near you!