10 Top Tips When Moving House With Children
Are you moving house with children in the near future?
It is widely believed that moving house is one of life’s most stressful experiences.
If you throw in crying kids and moody teens, you could be on the fast track to disaster!
Don’t believe me?
In a poll of 2,000 adults all of whom had moved house recently, two in three (61%) claimed the process to be top of their stress list.
Moving house with children has even been compared to getting divorced in terms of stress.
The fact that this poll assumes the opinions of adults makes it clear why a house move can be particularly challenging for children.
This list is intended to help you prepare for moving house with children as much as possible.
No matter their age, those of you moving house with children will benefit from this article!
Table of Contents
Things to Consider
Many children will have only ever lived in one house.
Their lives are indistinguishably linked with the local school, where they have made friends.
In the absence of adequate planning and consideration, moving home, even to a different neighbourhood, can prove stressful.
The age of the child will also play a significant role.
The demands of moving with a baby or toddler are very different from those of moving with a teenager.
Make sure you keep them entertained and comfortable throughout, and provide them with plenty of reassurance.
To aid you in this process, we’ve put together a list of tips to ensure everything goes according to plan when you move house with children.
Preparing Kids for the Big Move
It’s essential to involve children in the moving process to help them understand and cope with the changes that come with relocating. Here are some tips to consider:
- Open Communication: Begin by discussing the move with your kids. Explain the reasons behind the decision, and be open to any questions and concerns they may have.
- Visit the New Area: If possible, take your kids to visit the new home or neighbourhood. Familiarity can ease anxiety and they may start to feel excited about the move!
- Read Books About Moving: Depending on the age of your children this can really help. There are numerous children’s books addressing the topic of moving. Reading these together can provide comfort and a frame of reference for what to expect.
- Give Them Tasks: Let children be a part of the moving process can help reduce their stress and make the whole process seem more fun. Ask them to pack some of their belongings or decorate their new room, this will give them a sense of control.
Make it a Family Activity
In moving situations, children often feel left out or that they don’t have any say in the process, which makes them feel ostracised.
You can give your child the responsibility of packing their own things, depending on their age.
It may not be highly organized or neatly packed, but it will give them a sense of pride and involvement in the move.
You can always ask your kid to help with other tasks if you are concerned about his or her attention to detail.
This could be anything from making labels or putting together boxes.
Simply giving them their own cardboard box to play with can make the whole moving process more enjoyable.
Getting them involved with the process makes them feel valued and can ease fears.
Remember, it’s their house too!
Letting them make decisions, no matter how small can help remove some of the stress they feel!
Go at Their Pace
On moving day, it may appear that it is ideal to get everything packed and ready to travel as soon as possible.
However, keep in mind that youngsters are highly sensitive and will resist change. They are likely to feel unhappy about leaving the home they grew up in, so give them enough time to say goodbye.
You may want to walk them around the empty house, saying farewell to each room, or say goodbye to the house from the outside, perhaps with a family photo.
Before the relocation, you may wish to help them by creating a memory book, gathering photos of the house and the wonderful times you had there.
Use a Babysitter
Getting involved with the move is good, but some kids find it distressing to watch their belongings being loaded onto a truck.
As you know, children are extremely perceptive and can pick up on any stress you inadvertently emit.
It could be far better for a friend or relative to look after them on the day of the big move!
Prior to showing them the new house, you might also want to contemplate taking them on a day out.
We all know that a fun trip will help not only to distract your child but also ensure they are in a good frame of mind!
Avoid Moving During Term Time
It is very important to supervise and reduce the amount of stress for everyone when moving house with children.
Setting your moving date outside of term time stops any disruption to their education!
Furthermore, it will allow you some extra time to prepare and manage your move.
Should your child be moving to a new school, organising your move during term time ensures they have extra time to settle in and meet new friends.
Bring Distractions
Provide your children with comfort items and entertainment they will enjoy.
Having a bored child can undermine any house move!
Toys, nightlights, games, and other items children enjoy should be readily accessible to them.
Teenagers can prove a bit more difficult to handle.
However, take some time to listen to how they feel about the move.
Doing so will not only help you better understand but will ensure they get attention where and when they need it.
Always take time out to help them adjust to the move!
We also suggest packing food and plastic plates and cutlery.
Moving is hungry work so these will be much needed!
Hungry and cranky children are one of the worst ways to start things off in your new house.
Label Boxes Clearly
When dealing with your child’s belongings, be sure to be more specific with your labelling of boxes.
While labels like ‘clothes’ may suffice for your own possessions, it’s a good idea to be a little more precise when it comes to your children’s belongings.
They’ll undoubtedly ask for the most obscure items at the most inconvenient of times, so being able to quickly find anything they ask for will keep them happy.
Unpack their things First
Another top tip is when you get to your new property, unload their things first!
You’ll definitely have a lot to unpack once you’ve arrived at your new home and everything is inside.
After the necessities, such as the kitchen and bedroom, you should prioritise having your children’s belongings unpacked.
Attempt to keep some consistency in your move.
Always keep their same curtains and bedsheets, at least first, so they feel at home already.
A somewhat unique piece of advice is to not wash their sheets…bare with us on this one!
Familiar smells can support children during the adjustment period.
With this in mind, using uncleaned sheets for one week will do more good than bad!
It’s essential for youngsters to feel at home in their new house in order to cope with the transition, and they can’t do so while their room is full of boxes!
If you concentrate on assisting them with unpacking and setting up their personal place, most likely their bedroom, they will be surrounded by familiar things.
This will make them feel more at ease in their new surroundings, making it much easier for them (and, by extension, you) to adjust.
Ready to Plan Your Move?
Were our top tips for moving house with children helpful?
If you are still planning your upcoming move, GoodMove will help to make your move an easy and stress-free process.
We take great pride in ensuring everything runs smoothly and flawlessly.
Hopefully, this article combined with our highly trained staff can help you and your family to settle into your new home right away.
As well as our competitively priced removals package, we can also offer extra services such as temporary or long-term storage facilities should you need them.
GoodMove cover all areas of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex and our friendly estimators can call round at a convenient time for you and strategically plan your move to perfection.
During these unique times, GoodMove are also offering a new video survey service.
Using our new technology, we can gather all the information required to assist with your move, from the comfort of your home!
Video surveys will help you save valuable time and preserve the best safety levels.
To find out more about how we could get your dream move underway do not hesitate to call us on the number listed above.
Alternatively, fill out a quick quote form or click on our live bot in the bottom right and a member of our customer services team will be in touch shortly.