WHEN you’ve got 22 kids, it’s vital that you stay organised when it comes to getting them ready to go back to school in September.
Thankfully Sue Radford, who is mum to Britain’s biggest family, has some very clever tricks up her sleeve.
Sue Radford has revealed her organised back to school routine
The Radfords are currently enjoying a holiday to FloridaCredit: Instagram
Sue and Noel are parents to Chris, 34, Sophie, 29, Chloe, 28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 24, Luke, 22, Millie, 21, Katie, 20, James, 19, Ellie, 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 14, Tillie, 13, Oscar, 11, Casper, 10, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, five, Bonnie, four, and Heidie, three.
Sadly the couple’s 17th child Alfie was still born on July 6, 2014.
Here’s how the Lancashire-based mum ensures her bumper brood is ready for classes to start…
Orders £400 uniforms online
Sue, Noel and the Radford kids are currently enjoying a fun-filled family trip in Florida, and fans shared their concerns about school starting soon.
One fan messaged Sue saying “bit worried you’ve left school uniform til last min.com.”
However, Sue revealed she prepares well in advance for her kids starting lessons again.
She replied on Instagram saying: “Thankfully I ordered uniform and school shoes before we left.”
Sue orders her uniforms and shoes online in advance
Sue responded to a fan who asked about her preparationsCredit: Instagram
She admitted that it’s not all sorted, though, and said she needs to pick up stationary, school bags, trainers, and water bottles from her local post office when she gets back.
The uniforms certainly don’t come cheap when you have such a large family.
On Channel 5’s 22 Kids And Counting, Sue revealed they spend a whopping £417 kitting her kids out for new school uniforms for September.
Lays everything out the night before
To save time on the first morning of the kids back at school, Sue lays everything out the night before to ensure everything runs smoothly in the Radford household.
From their water bottles to socks neatly arranged on top of their uniforms, Sue makes things easy for the kids to grab.
Sue puts socks, bottles, bags and uniforms out the night before
Everything is neatly arranged to save time on the school morning
Preparing school lunches is a mission too.
She previously told The Sun: “If I’m doing a packed lunch for everybody, it’s two loaves of bread, three packets of sausage rolls, 24 packets of crisps, a bottle of cordial, it’s massive.”
THE BUMPER RADFORD FAMILY
Sue and Noel are parents to Chris, 34, Sophie, 29, Chloe, 28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 24, Luke, 22, Millie, 21, Katie, 20, James, 19, Ellie, 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 14, Tillie, 13, Oscar, 11, Casper, 10, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, five, Bonnie, four, and Heidie, three.
Sadly the couple’s 17th child Alfie was still born on July 6, 2014.
Sue and Noel also have nine grandkids, Daisy, Ayprill, Leo, Maisie-Paige, Jacob, Ophelia, Oaklyn, Chester and Mila.
Three school runs
With 22 kids, it makes sense that there are a number of different ages among the Radfords, and this makes doing the school run tricky.
Sue shared how she previously had her kids enrolled at three separate schools, so the mornings can be hectic with different runs to be made.
Sue does three school runs each morning as they don’t all go to the same placeCredit: Instagram
Sue showed off her family huge food shop – which they have to top up every few days
Two cereal boxes for breakfast a day
Sue and Noel revealed that breakfast is a bumper affair in their households each morning but they make things easy by laying out cereal for everyone to grab.
And it certainly doesn’t come cheap.
Each day the family works their way through four litres of milk and two boxes of cereal.
Sue previously showed off their staggering £400 weekly shop, which included 20 pints of milk, 12 cartons of juice and three chickens.
The Radfords go through two boxes of cereal a day
Supper before bed
Sue said that one of her vital tips for getting her kids to fall asleep is to give them supper before bed.
She explained: “To us, this is important as the children always seem to be hungry and they won’t want to go to bed feeling that way.
“Just a small snack (i.e cereal) will help them have a full night’s sleep in our experience.”
It can’t be easy to get throngs of excited kids to bed when they are all under one roof, but Sue has found a way to take it in her stride.
Speaking to Sleepy People, she said: “My top tip for getting your children to bed is ‘Routine Routine Routine.’”
The busy mum said that not only do her kids like it, but it makes your life “easier” when they get a bit older.
Sue swears by giving supper to her kids
