I have moved house during every pregnancy with my 3 boys, plus another couple of moves in between too! Now we have been at this home since Mr R was 3 months old and I hope that we will be staying put for a good few years. Although it is always exciting to get a new home, packing up and moving everything especially with small children can start to get a little stressful! Today I have a guest post to share with you, to share a few tips if you are in the same situation of moving house with young children. Personally I found that luckily the children do adapt fairly quickly but I always need to allow for them to have a couple of days were they won’t sleep well as they are not yet used to their new house! I hope the following tips will come in handy for some of you:
Children need to have a sense of security and routine in their home life. That is why moving homes can sometimes be traumatic for young children who don’t understand what is going on.
Parents need to take certain steps to make the transition as easy as possible and they need to ensure their children understand the reason for the move.
Here are 6 tips on moving house with young children:
1. Explain the Move to Your Children
You might think your children are too young to understand, but they need to have some sort of explanation for why they will be living in a new home. Highlight all of the positive reasons your family is moving homes and why the new home will be better for your children.
2. Comfort their Concerns
Make sure your children know that all of their important belongings are also moving to the new home. Tell them that their loving family, special teddy bears, and favourite toys will still be with them no matter where they live.
3. Pack Their Room Last
Don’t start packing up your child’s belongings until the end, so your child’s room stays intact until the very last moment possible. This will give them a stable place to go if the sight of the rest of the house being packed up upsets them. It is also important to unpack their room first and to layout it out as closely to the old room as possible. This will make the new place feel safe and familiar.
4. Involve Kids in the Move
Young children like to be involved in grown up things whenever possible. If you give them some responsibilities and make them feel like they are a part of the process, they will become enthusiastic about moving homes instead of fearful.
5. Stay Calm and Organized
Young children will notice if the move is making you stressed out or frustrated. It is important that you stay calm and collected, so they get a sense of what a positive experience moving is for everyone.
If you are renting your new place, it is best to work with a letting agent that can make the transition as smooth as possible. Rentify has a solid history of helping families find safe and secure rental homes throughout the UK.
6. Plan Before You Go
Make sure you find a good school, dentist, pediatrician, pharmacy, and hospital in the new area before you arrive. You should also look for fun activities and family restaurants that your kids will enjoy, and then plan a trip to visit those places within the first week or two of moving in. This will help your kids get excited about their new home and location. To avoid unnecessary stress make sure to thoroughly research and hire a professional and affordable man and a van.
Moving homes is a big endeavor and it can be difficult on younger children. If you are moving homes with young children make sure to explain the move to your children, comfort their concerns, pack their room last, involve the kids in the move, stay calm, stay organized, and plan out the services and facilities that you will need once you are in the new home. These simple steps will make it easier on everyone.
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*Featured Guest Post* Image: Girl having fun moving house Shutterstock (modified)
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Great tips! I will be needing this later in the year when we move again!
Great tips! I will be moving from my parents where we’ve been staying for a couple of months soon and these will come in handy x
Great tips Anna – lovely post. Having moved in 2010 I’m hoping not to do it just yet! Happy New Year x
great tips, we are going to be moving this year, I am dreading it
This is really helpful – I’m hoping we might move in the next year or so.
I’ve pinned this on Pinterest to remind me when the time comes.
Really practical tips! I don’t think we’ll be moving anytime soon but I will go back to these if we do xx
another good tip is to attach photo’s of your children on their own movingboxes. let them pack their toys, blankets etc themselves. they will be very excited to find their own boxes and bringing them to their new rooms.
That’s a great one!
In previous moves we often waited until the last minute to pack. It’s dreadful. With kids, unforeseen diaper blowouts and temper tantrums can put a halt to everything. Start packing early so you can get a brunt of the work over with before moving day
Great tips! I will be needing this later in the year when we move again!