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Tips for Moving with Kids

Family unpacking boxes in a new home
  • Written on November 04, 2021 By Stanley Martin

Moving is listed as one of the top stressorsthat a person can experience in a lifetime. If you’ve ever moved, you might agree. Packing all your belongings into boxes, coordinating the perfect overlap of leaving one home and entering a new one, dealing with financial disturbances and scheduling pressures can be enough to send your thoughts into a tailspin. Now, add your kiddos to the mix, and things just got a lot more challenging. Not to fear, we have a few helpful tips to make moving your family a task you can tackle.

  1. Communicate with your kids.First, give your little ones a heads-up about the move. Keeping a good flow of communication will help them feel more at ease with the transition. Depending on their ages, give as much detail as possible, including your exact move date. Their little minds will be racing with questions, and you can help calm their thoughts with information about their new living situation. For example, will they be sharing a room with a sibling, or is there a pool in your new community? Certain details will help them get excited about the upcoming change and make it a smooth transition for the entire family.
  1. Start earlier than you think is necessary. Don’t let moving day sneak up on you. Moving with your little ones will inevitably take longer than you think. Planning ahead will relieve some of the unwanted stress of the moving process. Consider writing out a moving plan with a weekly schedule of items to check off your list. Maybe your kids are old enough to get in on the planning. There's time for play, and there's time for packing. This schedule will help you stick to the plan, so there’s a good balance of work and fun. Feel free to include as many details as you’d like in your plan, like meal prep for each day leading up the move, the order in which each room will be packed and which car the kids will ride in to the new house. There’s no such thing as “too much planning” when it comes to relocating a family of two, three, four or more!
  1. Color code your boxes.Everything has a place, and every box has a color. Staying organized is key when moving (well, let’s be honest, when doing anything) with little ones. Instead of taking the extra time to label your moving boxes with permanent marker, use colored-coded duct tape or assorted stickers to organize your boxes easily and clearly. For example, yellow tape can designate the kitchen, green for your daughter’s room, blue for the living room and so forth.
  1. Prioritize unpacking your kids’ bedrooms. Amidst the hustle and bustle of moving into your new family home, remember to make your children’s rooms a priority. Do your best to unpack the kids’ bedrooms first and set up their bed for sleeping, so that they can feel settled in their new space as soon as possible. This will help them feel comfortable and secure during the transition. Depending on age, let them unpack their own toys and books to feel helpful and included in setting up their new room. Remember, this can be an exciting time!
  1. Take advantage of kid-free time. Although it can be fun to include your kids in the family moving memories, some things are better done without little ones running around. Utilize any kid-free hours to tackle moving large furniture or fragile pieces, and any other pesky moving tasks. Plan to work during nap time, after bedtime, and consider hiring a babysitter or scheduling a playdate to take the kids out for an afternoon so you can focus solely on moving prep.

Moving with kids will require more time and patience, but by sticking to a plan and keeping an open line of communication, you’ll find yourself settled in your new family home in no time. Don’t forget to wave ‘goodbye’ to your old home and celebrate your new space with a family dinner or a new tradition. Here at Stanley Martin Homes, we understand the importance of including the entire family in every step of the way toward your new, beautiful place. From our family to yours, “Welcome home!”