Mom shares how a 'morning basket' has been the key to peaceful mornings with her 3-year-old

Most moms find mornings to be the busiest time if they have toddlers. Getting started with chores, prepping for work and managing a hundred other things, along with keeping a kid entertained, is not easy by any means. However, a mom's idea to keep her toddler entertained in the morning might just take one thing off a parent's plate. The mom, Abigael Lanai—who goes by @abigaellanai on TikTok—shared the concept of a "morning basket" that she makes for her daughter to keep her occupied.

"If you've been debating doing 'morning baskets' for your kids, let this be your sign. This has been the sound of my house for the last half hour with an almost 3-year-old," the mom wrote in the text overlay as she peacefully enjoyed coffee in a quiet house while her daughter played on the floor. The mom believes that introducing the morning basket was the "best decision ever." The video received over 4.6 million views and more than 338k likes. @nicolebasi.13 asked the mom, "I need to find out more about these morning baskets..." in the comments.

Lanai made a follow-up video, explaining the concept and showing her viewers what she puts in the basket. "What is a morning basket? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like," Lanai stated. "It's a basket that I found filled with a bunch of different activities for my toddler to do first thing in the morning to try and deter her from screen time." However, she clarified that she is not an anti-screentime mom and sometimes resorts to that too. People can choose to do whatever works for their household. "This is a completely judgment-free zone," she said. People also wondered why her daughter did not have free reign of her toys. Lanai explained that she does and knows where all of her toys are. "I feel like first thing in the morning, she has a bit of a decision fatigue," the mom remarked.

"She doesn't know where to start and where to go and having this basket with just a couple of items has really helped focus her and lead her to having some independent play without me having to facilitate it," Lanai expressed. "And for me, that's the whole point of the morning basket. I just need 10 minutes to myself to drink my coffee while it's still hot and let my brain fully wake up." People also asked about what to put in the basket and if they needed to buy something new. The mom answered that she didn't buy anything new. "I found this basket in my house and we already owned everything that's in it." She showed all the toys in the basket and explained that she changes things every weekend.

People took to the comments to appreciate the idea. @kwhits joked, "Me about to do this for my boyfriend so I can get some peace in the morning. That man be too excited to just be awake." @gabbie6801 shared, "My 3-year-old girl has some toys she keeps in the living room for the morning, so it's kinda like a morning basket idea just set in there. I'm gonna get a basket and definitely try this." @megan.annalise wrote, "I love this! We have a basket of toys in our living room and a playroom too, so I'm definitely trying this!"

You can follow Abigael Lanai (@abigaellanai) on TikTok for more parenting content.