Even if you have never moved house in your life, we don’t need to tell you much about the perils of the experience. This is something that the press love to write about, as it’s a topic that tends to resonate with the majority of us.
Unfortunately, this is one of life’s events that is never going to be stress-free. Certain factors can make it even worse than “average”. One of these is attempting to move with a young, growing family. Life is stressful at the best of times, but throw a house move into the mix, and things can suddenly spiral out of control.
This is the reason behind today’s article. Let’s now take a look at some areas which you need to stay on top of as you bid to move your family to a new home.
Contents
Try and arrange for babysitters
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First and foremost, if your circumstances allow, try, and find childcare as a matter of urgency. This is something that will make a monumental difference to your moving day, and allow you to undertake all of these tedious tasks without having kids running around everywhere. Even if it’s not possible to do this for the entire day, any period will make all the difference.
Of course, if the definition of a growing family includes pets, then these arrangements need to be more concrete. Unless you happen to have the most well-behaved dogs and cats, we would strongly advocate that you find a temporary home for them while you complete their move. Not only will it make life easier for you, but it will also reduce their stress levels.
Don’t move everything in one go
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This next point is even more critical if you have been unable to satisfy the previous one. If you’ve got the whole family around, moving everything in one go is a mighty task. This is where a company like Safestore might come into the picture, just so you can gradually move your belongings from storage as your move progresses. Otherwise, you don’t just have general house moving stress, but also deadlines to contend with, which can make the process bordering on the unmanageable.
Prioritize their belongings before anything else
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Most removal guides make a point of saying that you should prioritize the likes of kettles and other items that you will need as soon as you move home.
While the above advice is warranted, you should also pay special attention to your kids’ belongings. Mainly if you have been unable to arrange childcare, as we mentioned in the first point, you can at least ensure that all of their toys and other necessities are quickly available for them to use.
…But take advantage of a clear-out
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For some children, this might be a little too drastic. However, kids, in general, struggle to let go of items. The thought of donating something that they no longer use is out of the question – they are born hoarders!
One of the reasons for this is that they can’t imagine their bedroom or space, without said items. This is where moving home presents an opportunity. Sure, it will take a serious discussion, but you can start to talk to them about potentially giving away items that they no longer use, so their new room can fit new toys in.
For some of you, this will be a tough conversation, but it will help the moving process and also allow you to get rid of things that you would have struggled to do if you were not moving home.
Keep them in the loop
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One of the most common mistakes made by parents is that they don’t keep their little ones in the loop. Sure, this might be a stressful time, but this stress can also make its way down into your kids’ minds. Let’s not forget that they are even leaving their home behind, and for some, this can be difficult to accept.
As such, make communication a priority. This should happen right from the moment you start looking at new homes, so they can have some idea of just how their life is going to change.
Ask them for their deco advice
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If you haven’t yet realized, a common theme through this article is making sure that children are kept in the loop and are ultimately going to feel as comfortable as possible in their new surroundings.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to seek their deco advice. Some of you may wince at the thought of this, but if you at least ask them what color they want their bedroom to be, it can just make them feel a little more involved. Going beyond this, and clearly, we are looking ahead at least a few weeks, try and target their bedroom first. Get them used to their permanent room; you don’t want them living in a suitcase for the next few months while you get the rest of the house in order.
Introduce yourself to the neighbors as soon as possible
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In truth, this is something that you should be doing anyway. While we are hearing more and more cases of people no longer knowing their neighborhood – if you are moving with a growing family, this is something that you need to consider.
It’s all about getting children into the new community that you are about to integrate them into. Particularly if you are moving to an entirely new area, which will result in them moving schools, visiting the neighbors before this happens is a great way to help them to start making friends. In an ideal world, they’ll start playing with other children in the nearby vicinity on day one. Of course, this rarely happens, but if they can at least get to know people, it will help them settle in a lot more smoothly.
