Move Your Pad: Tips for Moving with Kids
Moving can be very stressful – moving with kids can move well beyond stressful into nervous breakdown territory. You’re not only packing and cleaning and organizing, you’re also figuring out school and childcare and activities and all of that for your little ones. Plus, you’re helping them work through their own feelings about re-locating. With little ones, those feelings can range from ecstatic to devastated … and they can fluctuate from day to day or even hour to hour. Ouch.
While moving may not be easy, exactly, there are ways to make it easier. We have some tips from www.moveyourpad.com – a website started by the folks at Frogbox – and from our readers. Here’s how to maintain your sanity when moving with kids.
Tips for Moving with Kids
Get your Materials in Order
Much like any other move, moving with kids will go more smoothly if you have everything you need at hand. The last thing you need is to be running all over town with little ones hunting for boxes, packing tape and so on. One way to reduce the stress (and keep it green) is to rent reusable, sturdy, stackable tote boxes. Companies will deliver them right to you and pick them up later, too, which is just that much less for you to do.
Pack a First Night Box
Once you have those boxes, it’s time to fill them. As you do, keep in mind that nothing is worse than arriving at your new home and discovering that you can’t find the things you need. To make your move as smooth as possible, pack a first night box. Include things like toiletries – including medications and toilet paper – important paperwork and your phone charger. For the kids make sure you’ve got pajamas, spare clothes, favourite toys, a water bottle or sippy cup, snacks and some quiet activities.
Enlist Help
Moving with kids is a time to call in as many favours as you can with friends and family. If you’re not moving that far, you might want to schedule the biggest part of the move to happen while your kids are in school or daycare. If not, make sure there’s one person who’s designated to take care of the kids and not much else. You don’t want to be arguing with your partner as you try to move your very heavy sofa while you have a two-year-old who needs attention. Alternately, hire movers who can take care of the heavy lifting for you. Here are tips for choosing a great mover.
Let the Kids Offer Input
Moving with kids will be a little easier on everyone if your children feel like they have a say. This is especially true for preschoolers, school age kids and up. Ask for their input on decisions that concern them, such as what bedroom furniture they’ll keep and what they’ll replace, or how their new bedroom will be laid out. Our own Jackie Bateman shared, “We took ours down to Benjamin Moore and let them choose a paint colour for their new bedrooms. (Brave, I know!)”
Clarity is Key
Sometimes things that seem obvious to us aren’t so obvious to kids. This story from Helen W. Atkinson on Facebook is a good example: “Make sure your child realizes the whole family is moving together. A friend kept telling her four year old about ‘her’ new house, ‘her’ new room, “her” wonderful yard, etc. The child kept unpacking boxes and saying she didn’t want to go. Finally they realized the poor little girl thought they were sending her off to live on her own! Once she realized her parents were coming, the transition was much smoother.”
Work Through Those Feelings
Long after moving day, your little ones may still be struggling to adjust to their new home and new neighbourhood. You can help by offering a listening ear, introducing them to kids who live nearby, and easing their transition into a new school. Don’t discount their feelings if they’re sad or anxious. Lisa Wozny Perrie shared her experience, saying, “We just moved and my son age six missed our old house so he drew a big picture if it and posted it up on the dresser beside his bed. Feeling better now!” Art and play are both great ways to help kids work through their feelings.
What about you – do you have any tips for moving with kids?
This article was sponsored by FROGBOX. FROGBOX rents out reusable tote boxes for moving. We deliver – you pack and move – and we pick up the empty boxes when you’re done. We know that moving is stressful on you and the planet, so our mission is to minimize that stress. This leaves more time and energy for all the other things you and your family want to do. FROGBOX – From One Pad to Another.
*Featured photo credit – Bill McChesney on Flickr
