Tips for Moving with Children

By Brooke, June 9, 2010, Moving

Moving is typically pretty hard, but moving with children is exponentially harder. Whether you are relocating around town or out of state, it can definitely have an effect on all family members. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to help ease the transition for you and your children.

Toddlers

Visit the new house. If possible, before the movers come, visit the new house multiple times so your child can get familiar with his new surroundings. If your toddler is still having trouble with the idea, try taking some pictures of his old room as a keepsake. If he gets upset, he can look at them any time he wants.

Ask your toddler for help packing up his room. This provides some reassurance that nothing will be left behind. Bring one box of their most important items to the house early, before the movers arrive, and unpack it together. Make it an event – like opening gifts Christmas morning!

Let your toddler say good-bye to every room. To me this sounded silly, but an article on BabyCenter indicated that a good-bye means a lot to a toddler who wants and needs a smoother transition. They say it can also help the parents with closure, especially if you are leaving a home that was important to you.

Set up your toddler’s room first. This will give her a place to feel safe and secure, especially amongst the chaos of the first few days. Make sure she has access to all of her special toys, books, etc. On a personal note, we did this for our 9 month old and it made all the difference in the world. She didn’t miss a beat when lying down for naps or bedtime.

Older Children

Inform your children about the moving process and what to expect. Once you decide it’s time to move, don’t put off telling your children. Experts say that kids need time to get used to the idea. Explain where you are moving and why so they can better understand the situation.

Make room plans. To get children excited about the move show them their room (if possible) and then create a room plan. Have them arrange and decorate their rooms. If they seem interested in helping, then allow for them to help arrange other rooms. This engagement will provide some sense of ownership and belonging.

Organize a “See You Soon” party. One of the most difficult things about moving for children is saying good-bye to their friends. One way to cope with this is to have a party or get-together with family and friends and call it a “See You Soon” party where they can exchange contact information and take photos of each other. With today’s technology (texting, emails, phones, etc.) they should be able to continue those friendships, even from long distances.

Get children’s opinions on the new home. Once you’ve narrowed down the housing choices to two or three, take your children to see them and get their opinions. If you’re moving further away, show them pictures of each house. Be sure to let them know that you will take their comments serious when making the final decision.

Tips were used from “10 Tips for Moving with Children” and Babycenter.com.

This blog was written by a writer from Bounce Energy, which is a low-cost, Texas electricity provider.

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