Three tips for moving house when you have young children
If you have young children, the process of packing up your belongings and moving to a new home can be difficult and tiring. Here are a few tips which may be of use to you if you are in this type of situation.
Pack during nap times
Trying to pack your possessions when your children are awake is not a good idea. The noise and chaos that they will make could distract you, potentially to the point where you pack some items incorrectly.
For example, you might forget to wrap fragile glasses in bubble-wrap, or accidentally load up a weak cardboard box with too many heavy items (which could result in the box collapsing when it is eventually picked up). This could then lead to your belongings being damaged during the moving process.
As such, it's best to wait until your children are taking their daily nap before you attempt to pack anything. You may be surprised at how much you can get done in an hour or so when there is no-one else around and you are therefore able to focus all of your attention and energy on the task at hand.
Create a box of moving-day essentials
Moving can be just as stressful for children as it can be for their parents; the upheaval, uncertainty and general chaos that tends to accompany a house move can leave them feeling upset and overtired. As such, you may find that your children are a little grumpier than usual when moving day arrives.
To prevent their moodiness from developing into a full-blown temper tantrum that will hinder your ability to focus on the moving process, it's a good idea to put together a box of moving-day essentials, which will help to keep them calm, happy and distracted throughout the course of the day.
This box should contain some form of sustenance (such as juice, cereal bars and other non-perishable snacks) so that your children don't have a hunger-induced tantrum. It should also include some form of entertainment (such as a storybook, a colouring book and some markers, or a portable DVD player), as well as any items that will help to soothe and comfort them if they get upset (such as their favourite blanket or stuffed toy).
Keep them out of the way when the removalists arrive
To increase the chances of the moving process goes as smoothly as possible, it's best to keep your children out of the way when the removalists arrive (by, for example, letting them watch a film on your e-tablet, in a room that's already been emptied of boxes and furniture).
This will ensure that your removalists don't have to waste their time worrying about accidentally bumping into your children whilst carrying heavy objects. This, in turn, will allow them to do their work quickly and efficiently.
Not allowing your children to wander around the house whilst the removalists are doing their job will also reduce the risk of your children being injured, as they won't end up tripping over boxes on the floor or getting struck on the head if you accidentally drop a box whilst carrying it out of the house.
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