Moving home with small children doesn’t have to be as stressful as it sounds. In fact, it should be a super exciting time for the whole family!
While there will always be some worrying with any house move, there are plenty of things families can do so that when the going gets tough, the tough gets smoother.
If you’re moving home with small children soon, join us as we take a look at what you need to do so that it goes (mostly) plain sailing:
Talk To Your Kids
Moving is a big deal for children, especially if they’ve already settled into a school and made some friends. Spend some time talking to them about the move before it happens. Ask them if they have any questions and do your best to put their mind at ease.
If you can, tell them your past moving stories – how you moved to new towns, had new experiences, met new people and had a fab time.
You should also …
Let Your Kids Have a Say
If your child wants to paint their bedroom a certain color, listen to them. Involve them in the process and give them a degree of control. If you don’t, they’ll be more anxious than excited. And that won’t be a good thing!
Remain Calm
I know – it’s hard to stay calm during ‘moving season’! But if you want your children to be at their best for you, you need to lead by example by remaining calm.
As you’re surely already aware, your children pick up on your emotions. If you show stress and anxiety, it will make them stressed and anxious, too.
Plan a Logical Moving Date
For example, try not to move during term time. This will make it harder for them to settle at their new school, as they’ll already have schoolwork to catch up on. Summer is the perfect time to sell because the move won’t disrupt your children’s school year.
Hold a Garage Sale
If you’ve got a lot of stuff that doesn’t need to come with you (and this can include children’s toys that are no longer needed), it’s a good idea to hold a garage sale. A garage sale is a fun way of selling your wares and you can use moving sale banners to help you advertise it.
Check out more tips on how to hold a successful garage sale.
Pack a ‘First Night’ Bag For Your Children
Your children’s first night in your new home can be tough. This is why it’s a smart idea to pack a ‘first-night’ bag that contains all the essentials they might want and need, and which you can easily access. This will also prevent you from unpacking unnecessary things on the first night, which itself can cause stress.
Here are some ideas:
- Diapers and wipes
- Pajamas
- Pacifiers
- Blankets
- Car seat
- Stroller
- iPad with games
- Snacks
- Toys
- Their favorite teddy bear
Protect Your Floors
Moving furniture from one house to another can cause damage to your hardwood floors if they’re not properly protected. Make sure to cover your floors to save them from scratches and scrapes, don’t drag your furniture, and invest in quality hardwood floors.
Make The Move Fun
Can you think of a game to play with your boxes? Hide and Seek, perhaps?
Or maybe you could make some sort of den out of them?!
Whatever you can think of, do whatever you can to make moving fun.
And, hey, kids love boxes, so they’ll probably come up with their own games that you totally don’t understand!
Let Your Kids Unpack
It’s never a good idea to let your children pack the boxes. They just don’t know how to do it properly, plus you may have enlisted the packing services of a company like Atlanta Home Movers, LLC anyway. But unpacking is a different story! It’s very likely that your children will be super excited when they arrive at your new house. They’ll want to go exploring, and they’ll definitely want to start unpacking some of their boxes and arranging their stuff. So let them! Give them a tour of the house and let them enjoy their new space. If they know where they want to put some of their stuff, let them do it.
Set Up an Adventure Playground In The Backyard
Your kids might want to spend some time outdoors, especially if the weather is really nice. To that end, try and sort your new backyard out as soon as possible, and consider turning it into a bit of an adventure playground for them.
Meet The Neighbors Kids
Get to know your new neighbors as soon as possible. If they have kids themselves, introduce them to yours.
As we all know, children will often hang out with the first kids they see. As long as someone else is the same age as them, they’ve got a new friend for life!
Conclusion
While we’re not saying moving home with small children won’t ever be stressful, it sure can be a lot easier than people make it. Just do the right things, have fun and involve your children and you’ll be A-okay.
Now, where are those boxes …
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