*collaborative post*
In the past four years we have moved three times. The first of those moves was a big relocation to Hampshire in 2015. It was difficult packing up our whole life in Wales and moving four hours away but we did it, somehow! Leo was only two then, it was difficult trying to pack and organise everything around his daily routine but we managed it. In 2017 we moved 15 minutes down the road to a different house in Hampshire and then in the spring of 2018 we relocated back to Wales. The last two moves were the most difficult as we had two children by that point and Leo was in school and this made the process a little bit more complicated. There is so much to think about when it comes to moving house but it is important that you try to keep everything as stress free as possible for your kids as well as yourselves. Today’s guest post is full of lots of useful tips on how to make moving house easier when you have kids.
How to make moving easier when you have kids
If you have kids, you may need to move at one time or another. Perhaps you need more space, a nicer house, or to live in a better catchment area for when they go to school. Whatever the reason, it’s important you do what you can to make this as easy as possible on your children. Below you’ll find some quick tips that can help you to no end:
Make The Day Special For Them Go out of your way to make the day special for them so that they are not looking at it from a negative perspective. For example, you could make them a nice breakfast and watch their favorite show in the morning before getting started. Make sure you keep your own spirits up, too!
Get Sitters If your kids are particularly young or you’re worried that they will make moving more difficult, you could get sitters for them. Providing you’re not moving too far away, of course. It can be better to take them to your new home once you have managed to unpack a few things.
Try to stick to their daily routine If possible, stick to your child’s daily routine. Try to stick to meal times and nap times. This can be tough, but it’ll make the day less chaotic. If you know you won’t be able to do this while you focus on moving, then it could be even more important to find a sitter or childminder.
Make Sure You Explain The Day To Them You might think your kids understand or that they won’t care, but explaining the day to them can actually go a long way to alleviating their fears and making them even look forward to the move. Let them know the whole process.
Are you looking for a moving company? You could get them involved in finding one. At the very least, you should explain what will happen when they come to collect the boxes.
Chat To Them About Their Worries If you feel like something is on your child’s mind, chat to them about their worries. Be sure to take them seriously, and don’t make them feel stupid or laugh. It’s important that you make an effort to understand them and explain why whatever they are worried about won’t happen.
Consider Pickup Storage – For things you’ll be keeping stored in a storage facility in the meantime, consider pick up storage to make the process easier. That way, you won’t have to make any detours, and would therefore be minimising the chance of your kids getting antsy and impatient on the road.”
Let Them Say Goodbye Let them say goodbye to the house and to everybody they love if you are moving far away. You might even want to take the time to visit a few old haunts.
Take Them To See Your New Place If you can, take them to see your new place in advance so they know what to expect. You could always show them pictures in lieu of the real thing.
Get them Involved In Packing And Helping Make sure you keep your kids in the loop. Get them involved in packing and helping and anything else they can possibly help with. This will help them to feel more in control.
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