It’s moving season, and post-quarantine I feel a major moving boom on the horizon. We moved right before shelter-in-place became a part of our every day vocabulary, and now it feels like we’ve lived in this house forever. Moving with 3 kids under 4 was a lot of logistics, but I implemented a few tricks that helped ease the big change for my brood that really went a long way on a very long day.

Here are my 4 best tips for moving with kids:

1. Accept Help: First and foremost, swallow your pride if you’re offered help or able to hire someone to help take care of your kids, pack, unpack, anything. Moving is one of the biggest stressors on the planet, and there is no shame in having all the extra sets of hands you can get. If you can, schedule the big move day during the week when they’re in school or camp, or send them to a friends or a family member’s house.

2. Talk It Up: Logistics willing, bring the kids to the new home and talk about all the things you will do there as a family. My boys came up with a nickname for the new house on their own and we used the nickname to refer to it before we moved in. We called it home from moving day on and it seemed to help them make the mental transition.

3. Celebrate It: I tried my hardest to act like moving day was fun for their sake, and gave them a small welcome gift. We ordered pizza for them and the movers, and put new pair of glow in the dark superhero pajamas in their closets to wear on their first night in the new house. It made them excited to sleep in their new rooms and helped them to feel at home.

4. Prep Bedtime In Advance: The pajamas were also part of the plan to make sure their necessities were accessible despite the craziness of moving day. I highly recommend packing a bag with their essentials, toiletries, and bedding and setting those up (toothbrushes etc.) before they arrive so that when naptime and bedtime comes you’re not scrambling to find things. Most importantly, pack their beds and cribs last on the truck so that they are the first pieces of furniture brought into the new home to be set up. This was a lifesaver!

Please share your moving tips in the comments.

xo

BB