We’re moving. This weekend. To a tiny little house in the same neighbourhood. We’ve been in an apartment for the last few years, so we’re super excited to have a garden, even though it will be teeny tiny!
Although we’ve moved a couple of times before, from country to country, and even with kids, it seems like we have never had so much STUFF to move as we have now!! When my husband (then boyfriend) and I moved to NYC 9 years ago, (and moved in together for the first time), our ‘things’ consisted of 8 boxes. It seems like we must have around 80 now!
Last week, in a faint attempt to get organized, I decided to go through all of the old baby and kids clothes that I’d gathered in big garbage bags in our basement… Ouch. Who knew that two children (admittedly of different sex) could have gone through so many clothes?
Now that I know I’m having a girl, I could at least give away most of the baby boy clothes. But of course we have kept the girly things, the baby bath, the tummy tub, the bath seat, the Bumbo seat, the activity mat, the moving music mobile, the play pen, the toddler bed… I think we’ll need a moving van by itself just for the kids stuff!
Did you move house with children before? Any tips?? Tell me, is there any secret that I should know about that will make the transition as easy as possible? (And please don’t tell me I should have been preparing for weeks already!)
xxx Esther
Comments (9)
I feel for you…I have moved too many times, usually abroad.
1. Take the chance to throw things out or give to charity. Be hard on yourself and think of your new place as a new start.
2. Use large garbage for clothes and unbreakable items (easier to handle and take less space).
3. Space heavy things out. Do NOT fill one large box with books (husband or friends helping will not appreciate it).
4. It’s better to have too many light boxes than fewer but heavier ones (will speed up the move…I promise).
5. When possible label boxes by respective room they belong too, forget labeling content.
6. Only bother wrapping things that break, try keeping this in one marked box.
7. Have food and drinks ready for your movers, specially friends.
Good luck!
Esther- I moved 3 times last year with two little ones! Since you are moving close by, it shouldn’t be too bad. But my older daughter got a big kick out of ‘decorating’ her boxes [with all sorts of colors of electrical tape and markers] and then they were always easy to spot. She put her favorite items in them and then she got to unpack her own stuff too!
Good luck!
people and coloured stickers….
i am never organised, i always pack last minute and this worked for me, I bribed my family and there male friends with chinese food at the end and then put boxes in rooms which they loaded with stuff and had a colour for rooms, blue for bathroom, red for eldest boys room etc, this meant they could put stickers on stuff too as there was no way I was organised enough to have everything in boxes…
our wee hired van did three trips with random boxes, odd toys, shoes etc stickered and put in rooms by my loyal helpers as I stayed out the way with my two sons then at night we all sat on the floor (hadn’t worked out couch wouldn’t fit through door oops) of our new house and ate chinese, had a few bottles of wine to cheers our success…job done 🙂 (just don’t ask about unpacking!! )
I hate moving….with a passion, but it sounds like this is a good move for you!
My two cents:
take all the contents in your drawers and dump them into a ziplock bag, then when you get to your knew home you can dump them in a new one.
Heavy items=smaller box (books, dishes)
Good luck! And congrats on the girl!!!
Pack a small suitcase with all your toiletries and some essential items (toilet paper, hand soap, towel etc.) and keep it away from all the other bags/boxes. These are items you are going to need on your first night, and trust me, you do not want to be searching through piles of boxes and bags for your toothbrush at the end of an exhausting day.
Of course your children will probably enjoy packing a little ‘survival’ suitcase of their own!
Make sure you have snacks and drinks for yourself, and family and movers.
Good luck!
With kids, always pack up their room last and unpack it first. That way, they are uncomfortable for less time as they have familiar things around sooner.
Also, have fresh sheets for each bed, including yours, separately in a box and VERY clearly labelled. If possible make the beds as a matter of priority so at any stage you can lie down if it all gets too much. AT the end of the day you can flop into bed without looking for sheets and possibly crying because you’re that tired!
Thanks girls, I’m following all of the advice you gave me! All of it!! (We just had chinese food 😉 )
🙂 hope it went well and the chinese food was good 🙂
Moving with kids is never easy. At least you have too much stuff than ever. Our last move was when our girl was four and she was so excited. She’s now ten and looks so confused and even nervous. Although I’m a professional mover, moving my own home is a tough stuff and I hope to take the right decisions, to handle properly with the situation and to take best care of my girl’s feelings. Greets, Cloe from http://manwithvanwesthampstead.co.uk/ 🙂