We recently moved into a new house. It is a whopping five miles away from our old house. I know, some of you have moved across country or even to a different country and are probably smiling thinking about how five miles is nothing compared to thousands of miles.
I won’t argue with you on that.
However, I did still have to pack up an entire house and get us moved into a different one. So while our move was a lot less life altering than others, there are things I learned along the way that I think can help if you are venturing into a move with kids. Here are my tips on the actual packing process.
Don’t start without supplies: I shared my top items to have on hand when getting ready to move. Get these prior to getting down to work!
Start packing, now: Do not wait until a week prior to the move to begin packing. Since we also had to put our house on the market, I basically gutted the house so it would look good to potential buyers. We rented a storage unit to house all of our boxes while it was on the market. Packing is going to take longer than you anticipate, trust me on this one.
Start packing the kids rooms without them: My kids are eight and five. When I find a toy that has not been seen in ages, I get the response, “oh that’s my favorite!” So, my recommendation is that you begin the process of going through their rooms/toy rooms initially without them. Otherwise, you may fall into the “that’s my favorite!” dilemma.
Donate: We moved into more square footage but that didn’t mean I wanted to take it all with me. Prior to putting things into boxes, I suggest being really cutthroat in determining what items will be moving with you. Summon your inner Marie Kondo and declutter now versus when you get into the new house!
Sell: Might as well make some money off the items that no longer bring you joy. I use the app called Offer Up and have had great luck with it. I recommend pricing to sell so you are not strapped with last minute items still lingering around.
Donate/Sell kids items without them: Similar to packing without them, don’t let the kids see what you are selling/donating. It causes unnecessary drama. I guarantee my kids have no idea the things I got rid of but if they saw it, they would have argued.
Involve the kids: Once you feel you have done a good initial swoop of their items, allow them to help you the process. My eight year old was in charge of labeling all boxes and my five year old became a bubble wrap pro.
Talk to your kids: My kids went through (and still are going through) ups and downs when it came to the idea of moving to another house. It’s ok to feel happy and it’s ok to also feel sad. Whether it’s a big or small move, it can be disorienting and exhausting. Excitement is not the only emotion your little ones will feel so talk to them about the process.
Pack a bag for each family member: A couple of days prior to moving, I packed each of us a bag of what we would need for the next week. This got us through the last days in the house we moved out of and the first few of the house we moved in to. Think about things like school clothes/uniforms, toiletries, things they might need for school work etc. You will not be as organized initially as you may think you will be. This was probably the smartest thing I did to ensure we all had the necessities and were not digging through boxes looking for clean underwear.
Clean prior to moving: If you can, go into the new house before moving day (or hire a cleaning service!) to ensure you are not wiping down drawers at the same time you are trying to move things in.
Last minute items are the worst: When it came to moving out of our house, I felt like I was super organized and ahead of the packing game. But then the last day came and oh my word it was a nightmare packing up all the little stuff that had still been hanging around. I recommend having bags/boxes on hand and anticipate the last minute stuff being a pain.
Do you have packing tips to share? We’d love to hear!
Related:
Seven Must-Have Items to Pack for a Move
Making the Move: Helping Your Kids (and Yourself) Navigate a Relocation
Read more of Stephanie’s contributions to allmomdoes here.
