5 Tips for Moving with Littles
Moving with two kids, two and under, five hours away to a place where you know one human being is a lot of freaking work.
At least in our case, I am very confident it will be worth it, however the act of getting here was quite. a. feat. We learned quite a bit about ourselves, our abilities to work together and moving in general along the way though…. so just in case you also wish to question all our possessions and life choices ever— oh, I mean move with littles— here is a list of things to maybe help make it a tiny bit easier.
5 Main Tips:
Swallow your pride and ask for help.
I hate asking for help. It is very difficult for me. But I knew I’d need back up from the start of packing to all the way past unpacking. Keeping my sanity and continuing a semi-positive relationship with my husband and kids is much more important that my pride. Personally I trusted my helpers to handle my kids— not only would my kids enjoy playing but I could pack and unpack the way I wanted. Maybe you’ll decide that hiring movers or having your mom pack up your whole kitchen is a more suitable move for you. YOU DO YOU. Just save youself the headache and ask for some sort of assistance.Prepare some toys to keep your kids engaged while you are unpacking.
We bought some new ones, saved some from the holidays and packed up some toys a month or two before the move that way when we unpacked them, they felt brand new! New toy feel without the new toy cost. Plus gave me extra time when we didn’t have help to get another box or two unpacked and put away. We also implemented a “packing toy basket.” When I did not have back up, my kids could pick out a toy from the “packing toy basket” and when we are done, the toy goes back into the basket. This keeps the toys a bit fresher and more exciting! And in my most desperate times, I did resort to Disney movies and Paw Patrol. Sometimes you have to do what you must to survive! ***Prepare to childproof on day one!
If you have toddlers or babies this is a non-negotiable. Those kiddos are going to be itching to explore their new surrounds and no matter how trained your kids are they will do just about anything get your attention, even if that means getting into trouble to do it. (Also it’s a brand new space! I know I opened every door and cabinet when I walked through for the first time. Our kids have the same, if not more, curiosity.) Save yourself the trouble of getting mad and just go ahead and have the cabinet and door locks ready to install. I HIGHLY suggest making a LOCKABLE room the “open box” room. This will be where you can keep your craziness while you keep the rest of your home a bit more organized and child friendly. We have been using our bedroom as this room which isn’t ideal for a stress free sleeping environment but it is doing the job for the time being.Pack a suitcase for each member of your family as if you are going away for a week.
This suitcase should include toiletries, comfort items for kids, sheets, feeding tools for toddlers, any emergencies medications you may need, money, ALL THE THINGS THEY (and you) CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT. This will be your first night savior. Ideally you will get all sorts of unpacking done in the first couple of days, however…Give yourself grace. A whole lot of grace.
Life with kids is chaotic in good times. Change their entire worlds around…. and you need to be ready for some lashing out. They will feel your stress. They will feel the lack of routine. They will feel all the changes. You are their safe place. They want you to give them attention. (THIS WOULD BE AN AWESOME TIME TO HAVE HELP; people to tend to the kids while you unpack like a madwoman! And then after the help or if none is avaliable….) Do what you can, when you can. Establish a semi-routine. Breakfast and snuggles then mom gets 30 minutes to unpack and when the timer goes off we can play again, and repeat! Expect nights to be hard. Potty training may slip. Give it all grace. And prepare pep talks for yourself on the hard days. Which will come.
Some Quick Tips:
Write a pep talk or pep points in a note on your phone for those hard times mentioned above.
Keep scissors in the console of your car so you can use them to start unpacking right away.
Pack a cleaning supplies box with anything you know you will want to deep clean when you arrive.
While you are packing, label boxes where you want them to be unpacked. If you have extra kitchen supplies that won’t be kept in the kitchen, DO NOT LABEL IT TO GO TO THE KITCHEN. Make a note of what is inside, but the main label should be where ever you want the items inside to go.
On that same note, label the boxes that are first priority for each room. This should only be one or two boxes per room, but this will help to make decisions when you have no idea where to start with unpacking.
If you can make revisions/ changes to the house (like paint) before you move your kids in, DO THAT.
If you can take your kids’ furniture with, do. Keep as much the same, as possible.
Don’t stress about sending out moving cards. Either send holiday cards REALLY early next year with your new address or send them very late (like we just did) and announce your new address then! Two birds one stone.
Find ways to get involved in the community ASAP. This will give you and your kids a chance to make friends and get out of the house. Look into local libraries, YMCAs, etc.
Don’t forget about the pets. This change will effect them too. CBD treats have been our best friend as our farm dog transitions to a semi-retired state (until spring when she can get back to work with my husband).
Declutter as you pack and donate some more as you unpack.
Don’t let rules go to the wayside with the kids just because you are stressed. If you want to make sure there are no snacks in the bedrooms, you need to start that from day one or you will have yourself a mess. Literally and figuratively.
Don’t take out your stress on your partner. They are in this with you.
Mini Life Update:
We are now almost a month out from moving. We have a handful of boxes still in the garage. A whole lot of stuff still to make it to the recycling, trash and donation center. But the house is painted. We are in a semi-routine. No one has totally lost their mind. Close but not quite. Although I am not looking to move again anytime soon, it went smoother than anticipated and I attribute that to all the help we were able to get, the grace we gave ourselves which in turn made anything getting done at all feel like a win, and the rest of the tips I shared above!
Do you have any more tips, tricks or words of warning of our community of chaos coordinators? Let us know in the comments!
And if you too are moving with littles anytime soon, BEST OF LUCK. MAY YOU HAVE NO TRAFFIC, CALM KIDS, AND NO LOST BOXES.
***I am not anti screen time. I stand by you parenting however you would like to parent. Our kids show MAJOR behavior differences when they get screen time, so we try to limit it significantly. Again I will say, YOU DO YOU sis. No judgement either way and I hope you will give me the same. If not, maybe just go ahead and see yourself out now, please and thank you.
