Moving, no matter what the reason can take a physical and psychological toll on you and your family. If you’ve ever had to move in the past, you know how stressful the process can be. Not only are you dealing with the emotion of relocating from a place you’ve gotten comfortable in, but you also have to take everything you own and somehow get it to fit neatly into the moving truck.
When you couple all that you have to do with the emotions your younger children may be feeling, it can be enough to drive you insane. That’s why it is imperative to work out a plan of action early on. You should also consider the benefits of working with household moving companies such as Allied. Having professional movers as opposed to just renting a moving van can save you time and frustration. The movers can help with everything from packing to unloading your personal items.
Reduce stress with these tips:
- Move What You Can on Your Own
If you’re moving locally, you can cut down the cost of moving and the stresses of trying to load everything on the truck all at once by taking as many items as you can on your own. Smaller boxes, and household items that you aren’t going to need until you move can be packed into your car and taken to the new place. Even doing one or two boxes before or after work would be beneficial. Then you can unpack those boxes and put things away so you’re not stressed trying to unpack everything with little ones needing your attention.
- Get the Family to Help Out
Trying to sort through or package things while your children are home can be a pain. It is best to ask a few family members to help out. They can watch the kids for a couple hours each day while you pack.
- Let Older Children Help
Your older children will really be big helpers when it comes to packing things up and moving. Make a list of things that your children can do to assist you. It will make them feel like part of the process and will also make them feel proud as they’re helping out mom and dad. Depending on their ages you might be able to have them sort through things in their room, box, tape, and label items after packed, or even discard of any trash they see around.
- Deal with the Emotional Association
While moving may be for an exciting occasion in your lives, it still has some psychological impact on the children. If your children are toddlers or newborns, they may not have a feeling one way or another. However, school aged children and teenagers may feel sad about the move. They’re leaving the place they grew up in and quite possibly all the friends that live nearby. So to try and deal with the psychological impact, you’ll want to do things like:
- Allow the kids to get contact info from friends
- Set them up in programs in the new neighborhood so they can get acquainted with children from the area
- Allow the children to take pictures of their old home, room, and other things or people they might miss once they move.
- Answer any of their questions as age appropriately as possible.
Moving with younger children can slow up the process which only makes things more stressful. By making smaller trips ahead of the moving date, asking family members to babysit, allowing older kids to be a part of the process, and dealing with any emotional change surrounding the move, you can keep your sanity and ensure the kids are okay too. Now all that’s left to conquer is selling your old home and setting up your new one.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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