Getting kids prepped for the new school year can be stressful for busy parents. Below, celebrity moms and dads share their tips on staying sane through the madness.
Most agree it comes down to the three Rs: be ready, resourceful and resilient.
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START A ROUTINE NOW
– Natalie Morales, “Today” show news anchor and third hour co-host, and mom to Joseph Stockton Rhodes, 11, and Luke Hudson Rhodes, 6.
“We are getting into routine again,” says Morales. “We are pushing them to read every night before they go to bed.”
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GET CLOTHES READY THE NIGHT BEFORE
– Sarah Michelle Gellar, actress, and mom to Charlotte Grace Prinze, 5, and Rocky James Prinze, 3.
“My rule is you pick out what you want the night before and you don’t get to change it in the morning,” Gellar says.
As organized as she is, Gellar does not want to have her kids wear a uniform. Istead, she talks about the importance of creativity in clothes while at a Crazy 8 fashion event.
“For me, it is one of the reasons I am here today,” Gellar says. “It is so important for kids to express their individuality and how they dress says a lot as to who they are.”
Realzing how many parents are buying back to school wardrobes on a tight bufget, Gellar says that’s one of the reasons she loves this line.
“It would be great to be able to be fashionable,” Gella says. “And to find your individuality on a budget is very special.”
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EVERYONE SHOULD PITCH IN
– Mel B, former Spice Girl, current judge on “America’s Got Talent,” and mom of four daughters: Madison Brown Belafonte, 3; Angel Iris Murphy Brown, 8; Giselle Belafonte, 11; and Phoenix Chi Gulzar, 16.
“Every morning, all are cleaned, fed and out the door in 45 minutes,” says Mel B, born Melanie Brown. She keeps mornings running smoothly by making lunches while also cooking breakfast. The girls do each other’s hair, and everyone clears dishes. “We all help out,” Brown says.
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STOCK UP ON SUPPLIES
– Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul and investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” and mom to Katie, 9.
“School supplies are a nightmare if you wait till the last minute and I learned that four years ago, as we waited in line at Staples for 1 1/2 hours the day before school started,” Corcoran says. “I wanted to kill myself and it was a bad way to start the school year.”
Now she shops in August, and picks up a second set of supplies for one of her daughter’s classmates.
“It’s a great gift for someone,” Corcoran says. “Last year one of the moms surprised me with a set! I loved it.”
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FAMILIARIZE SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS WITH NEW ENVIRONMENTS
– Jenny McCarthy, host of a SiriusXM show, star of A&E’s “Donnie Loves Jenny,” and mom to Evan Joseph Asher, 13, who is autistic.
Since McCarthy’s son is attending a public school for the first time this year, she took him there when the school was empty so he could get comfortable with his new surroundings. They walked from class to class while she videotaped their path.
“We went home and watched it on my phone,” McCarthy says. “And after he yelled at me, the first day he was like, ‘I got this.'”
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DO TRIAL RUNS OF THE ROUTE
– Brian d’Arcy James, star of Broadway’s “Something Rotten!” and dad to Grace, 13.
With his daughter heading into a new school, James is taking subways with her so she can practice her new commute.
He’s also wants her mentally prepared for starting high school. “I am asking her to reserve a little bit of space every day to think about this thing coming,” he says.
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CREATE A FAMILY CALENDAR
– Alison Sweeney, star of the Hallmark Channel movie “Love on the Air,” airing Sept. 26 at 9 p.m., and mom to Benjamin Sanov, 10, and Megan Sanov, 6.
“I have it all on the calendar, so everybody knows what is going on,” Sweeney says. “‘Oh, today is my riding lesson,’ or, ‘Tomorrow is guitar,’ or ‘Have I fed the dogs?’ Everyone is responsible for checking.”
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APPS ARE YOUR FRIENDS
– Nancy Travis, star of ABC’s “Last Man Standing,” and mom to Benjamin E. Fried, 17, and Jeremy Fried, 13.
“Because my kids are older and I work and I am not there to manhandle and drive and helicopter, I have to organize their lives without me,” Travis says. “My newest discovery are apps, like HopSkipDrive: I am beyond babysitter and nanny, and still I have a kid who needs to be picked up and driven home. The other one is called DoorDash: It will pick up th e fast food and deliver it to the house.”
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SCHEDULE QUIET TIME
– Alex Guarnaschelli, executive chef at Butter restaurant in Midtown, Food Network personality, and mom to a 7-year-old daughter.
Some calm before the storm is important. “I designate a 10-minute period every morning, where we just sit,” she says of her third-grader.
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MAKE PLAY DATES
– Betsy Brandt, star of the upcoming “Life in Pieces,” premiering Sept. 21 on CBS, and mom to Josephine Olsen, 10, and Freddie Olsen, 7.
“One of the things I do before the kids go back to school is I’ll set up playdates with classmates, just to ease them back in and connect with their school buddies,” Brandt says. “I swear by this.”
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DON’T STRESS
– Dylan Neal, star of Hallmark Channel’s “Cedar Cove,” and dad to Griffin, 10, and Bella, 8.
“Just relax,” Neal advises. “And realize if you miss something and screw up, they are still probably going to college. No one’s future earning potential has been destroyed. Take a deep breath and understand — this too shall pass.”
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Lessons About Snacks
School snacks have graduated from cookies and chips.
And celeb moms who love to cook have some ideas on how to spice up lunch boxes.
Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli makes small batches of trail mix with unsalted nuts, seeds and dried fruits. But check with your child’s school first, to make sure it hasn’t banned nuts due to other kids’ allergies. Guarnaschelli also suggests adding fun ingredients like toasted coconut into sandwiches and salads.
The executive chef at Butter takes her daughter to the store to pick out food she likes.
“It’s a fairly honest approach,” Guarnaschelli says. “I have a better batting average with my daughter that way than I do sneaking kelp butter into her sandwich.”
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, who strives to use fresh ingredients, uses cookie cutters to make sandwiches cute.
“You want them to eat like you eat,” Gellar says. “They don’t have to finish the biggest meal ever. I am all for sweets and treats as long as they are homemade.”
Homemade banana bread is actress Betsy Brandt’s specialty and she makes it for breakfast, snacks and dessert.
There’s fewer than half a cup of dark chocolate chips in the entire loaf, “and the bananas are sweet and that is the sugar,” Brandt says. “[My kids] will eat it for dessert and I throw whipped cream on it.”
Actress Alison Sweeney, who’s written a diet book, makes sure her children get plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“I make healthy breakfast bars for them to take to school,” she says. “They have oatmeal, nuts, dried blueberries.”
Sweeney sends her kids off with “Pirate’s Booty [flavored rice and corn puffs] or pretzel snacks, but the deal is you also have to eat your carrots or apples if you eat the treat,” she says.
