Moving house is hard enough, but if you have young kids it can add another layer of difficulty to an already tricky situation!
If this is your kids’ first time moving, it will most likely be a confusing and stressful time for them, as they have to say goodbye to their home. But there are a few things you can do to make the move easier for your kids, and yourself!
Here are our top to-dos for moving house with kids.
Before the Move
Talk about it
The best way to ensure a stress-free move is to give your kids plenty of notice that is going to happen. No one likes surprises, so do your best to make sure everyone knows what is going to happen and when.
Your kids are likely to have lots of questions about where you are moving to and why you are moving, so be prepared to give them as much information as possible to help them start to accept this big change that is happening in their lives.
Even if this move is a great opportunity for your family (bigger/nice house, better suburb, etc.), young people will often not be able to understand from that perspective and may be focused on the negative aspects of the change.
Get familiar with the change
If you are able to, it’s a great idea to take them to the new place they’ll be living at before the move. This will reduce their anxiety levels and (hopefully) they will start getting excited about the prospect of their new home and location.
Discuss with them ideas for what their new bedroom will look like and let them plan how they will decorate it etc. This will help them feel a sense of ownership of their new home and will distract them from their worries about moving.
Prepare and pack
Moving day is not the best day to start packing! Give yourself as much time as possible to help reduce the stress on yourself, and your kids. Here is a checklist of things to do before the moving day.
We often forget how many things we own until we are forced to pack them all up! Allow the kids to help pack their belongings, so you can help assure them that their items (especially special toys) will be safe and won’t get lost in the move. Don’t forget to declutter as you go so move day isn’t a big, disorganised mess!
You can even let The Moving Man take care of all the hard work so you can focus on getting your family settled and comfortable in your new home.
Our team can start by packing all of your household items safely and efficiently, ensuring your possessions are protected from any harm. We can even help pack and relocate all of your outdoor furniture, plus the contents of your garage and garden shed!
Once one of our moving fleet arrives at your new home, The Moving Man team will unpack your belongings and place them where they are meant to go in your new home. Too easy!
The Move
Pack up a kids survival box
Just before you move, get your kids to each pack a special box of their most treasured possessions, like favourite toys and books, things they will want to have as soon as they get there. Having easy access to these things will allow them to feel at home more quickly.
Be sure to also include things they will need the first night, such as bedding, pyjamas, toothbrush, and other must-haves.
Make your move an easy one
To make this move as stress-free as possible for you and your family, why not leave it all to the experts? Our “Full Monty” service allows you to leave for work in the morning and return to everything in its place; how easy is that!
This service includes everything from packing and unpacking, setting up and arranging all your furniture according to your preferences, making all the beds, ready for your first night in your new home, cleaning, storage, gardening, even arranging an evening meal for your family’s first dinner in your new home!
We do all the hard work for you so you can start making new memories in your home immediately.
So to get started with your next move, leave it to the experts at The Moving Man. We have over three decades of experience in moving Western Australian families to their dream homes. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can make your next move an easy one.