Welcome to my series on moving house.
As you might already know, I hate moving house! I actually detest it. I don’t know anyone really who loves it. Do you?
I hope that these posts will make your next move easier and of course stress free, or at least happier.
Did you know?
“One in three Australians rank the stress of moving house second only to the horrors of divorce”
“According to the research, four in ten Australians find having to move in a limited time the worst part of moving and half of those surveyed believe their stress would be alleviated if they could have someone else come to pick everything up.” (August, 20, 2007, “Moving house almost as stressful as divorce”, The Daily Telegraph)
In the quote above half of the people surveyed about moving house would love someone to come and move everything for them! Well that is a great idea and one that I think would work for me when we move next.
Yes the dream is to have someone move you and the family and all you do is relax…. Well I could sign up for that. What about you?
How do you make things easier when you need to move house and you have children?
- Discuss the move with your kids. Explain why you are moving and answer questions, making sure you answer truthfully. If you don’t give proper answers your kids will see through this and get more anxious/stressed.
- Make sure the kids are involved with the move. Involve them in the planning and organisation. This might be tough depending on their age but you can give them things to do that are age appropriate. For example, if your kids are young like mine they can write their names and draw pictures on boxes so you know what boxes belong in their room.
- Kids like routine and if they have been in the same house since they were born it might be more of an emotional issue leaving the house. However if you are just moving around the corner to get a bigger and better house this will mean that the children are still going to the same school and won’t leave their friends. Explain this and I’m sure they will understand.
Make sure your kids have their special teddy with them. It will make them feel good that they know where it is, plus it will comfort them to cuddle it when they want to.
- If you are moving state or overseas your children might take a while to adjust to the fact that they will be leaving friends and familiar surroundings. Tell the kids that the whole family is going on an amazing adventure. Depending on what country you move to you might have to learn a new language, you will meet new friends and of course can fly home to see good mates and family. When the family is on holidays and on weekends you can explore your new home and learn new things. It will be an exciting and amazing adventure. I know that it is sad to leave your friends. I traveled a lot as a child and changed schools so I can understand how the kids would feel, although I dream of travelling to far off lands and I know that my kids would love to go and see different countries.
- Make sure that you as a parent have a positive attitude. Kids take their cues from you so if you are upset they will be too.
- Tell your kids that all the toys and furniture is being kept, just packed up so it can be moved to the new house.
- If you are toilet training during a HUGE home move it might be wise to stop and start again when you are settled in your new home.
- Some people recommend getting the kids room sorted before the rest of the house, this can help anxious children and having their room sorted gives your child a safe haven. The reason for this is to give your kids some normal routine and having familiar things around in a time of upheaval. (I know everyone’s room is important, without a bed and things sorted you cannot function. Once the kid’s rooms are done get other beds sorted. If you do it first when you are exhausted and want to crash your bed is made.)
Tired after the big move. Since your child’s room was sorted they can go to bed when they are sleepy.
- Make sure that you pack some food, a go to bag of clothes and toiletries. You don’t want to have the essentials in a box that is under all the other boxes. Trust me this has happened to me.
- Once you are in the new house allow the kids to decorate or organise their new rooms. (This is within reason of what is allowed in the room and the current furniture you already have. If you have kids like mine they will want to go shopping and have brand new furniture. One day but not now!)
- Spend time as a family finding out about your new suburb or new country. Having dates and plans to do things will make the kids feel included and part of everything.
- Get a babysitter to help mind the kids while you pack. You will get more done and of course if your children are getting worried about things it will make it easier on you and them if they are distracted a little.
- Make sure the kids have a backpack with their favourite teddies/toys with them. They will feel more secure if they have their special mates with them.
- Distract kids with an audio book of their favourite story. This will help you get things done while they are busy listening to the audio and playing with toys.
- Make sure that you get help with the move. Hiring A Mover will be the best thing you do and I’m sure you will thank you for doing this for the family! This will alleviate the stress and bother of it all. You can make sure that you spend time with the kids and to make plans for the new place.
Happy but tired after moving house. Still boxes to sort. Image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Check out my top 10 tips for moving house
The next post in the Moving House Series will be live in September and will be about packing…yes you will learn all about packing and sorting for your next big move!
This post was written in conjunction with Hire A Mover, a Sydney Removal company.
