Moving with Small Children

Keep the kids' boxes (esp the 2yo) well marked and easy to get to. Her stuff should be the last packed and the first unpacked. To her, her family and the her toys signal home and that's most important. What you can't control for is sleeping in a new room -- it may have different lighting and shadows, different noises that are unfamiliar and therefore scary to her. Maybe get a nightlight and a sound soother if you don't already have them. Lastly, get a good "top of the stairs" safety gate, it will give you a lot of peace of mind.

I move when mine were that young and it went very well, mostly because my mom came to town to watch them while we managed the actual move. That helped a lot. The rest of it -- kids are pretty adaptable, they'll be fine. Try to be calm and breathe lots, it'll all come together when it needs to. Good luck!

First off, get the 2 1/2 year old excited... it will help so much if they're excited about it and not upset, you know? My girls literally moved once for every year for the first 4 years of their lives, so trust me on that one ;) (Actually, now that we've stayed put for 2 1/2 years, they're itching to move again!)

Anyway, pack what you can, now. Take stuff off shelves and walls. Pack all the stuff you don't need on a daily basis, a little bit everyday, so you're not overwhelmed 4 days before the move out date.

Get a neighbor or friend to help watch the kiddos. Moving, with doors open and stuff everywhere is not exactly the ideal place for little one's. Even if someone can watch the kids for an hour, that's an hour you can bust your butt and knock stuff out.

Be prepared to be tired. Put yourself on autopilot and muscle through it; fake it till you make it. There IS an end in sight :)

Good luck!! You'll be just fine, lots of people have done this before you, and lots more will do it after you. Don't blow the situation out of proportion... also, make yourself lists and cross them off as you go, you'll feel a huge sense of accomplishment!! You can do it :)

When our kids were little we moved 11 times in nine years. My husband was determined to keep me out of the workplace so we bought, fixed up and sold houses until we knew we needed to settle down for the girls. The key was to always make the new house exciting. ALL kids love stairs so this won't be a stretch to get them motivated. Remember the scene where Mary Poppins cleaned the nursery with Jane and Michael. We always sang and pretended that we were packing like that. It WILL be stressful for you but it doesnt have to be stressful for them.

Our last major move was the day before Christmas (The people we bought the house from were elderly and actually refused to move after we closed. We almost had to get the Sheriff involved. It was a mess.) That was one of our BEST Christmases because we did all the traditional things all at once. Years back, the tree wasn't put up til Christmas eve. We talked of all the old traditions. We talked of our new house being our Christmas gift and kept our tree up til mid January. Just try to make everything fun. As long as you and your husband are getting along and not snipping at each other, which is common when moving, your kids will be absolutely fine.

Hope this helps! Just keep singing!

M.

I agree with the others....keep it fun for the kids.

We've moved twice in the past 2 years and my kids are (just turned) 4 and 19 months. I feel your pain.

My oldest was excited about the new house, but didn't like too many changes in HER room. Keep the room set-up decor as much the same as you possibly can. If new bedding and wall stickers (say, Dora or Diego) would help make it more interesting, do it! That helped us move to this house.

We also just kept explaining that this was our new home, but all of our things were coming with us. Don't forget to explain the family pet is coming, too. They have a hard time imagining what it will all look like and what it is going and what is staying. My daughter kept asking if the stove was going, the clock, the bathtub, etc. She was also older, so you may not get so many questions.

If you have access the new house before your move in date, see if you can start child proofing things like under the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms where cleaners go, and a gate at the top of the stairs and bottom. Invest in a really heavy duty gate for the top.

Pack away about half the toys your oldest plays with and keep it marked REALLY well. You'll want to pull those toys out first at the new house. They will be fresh toys to play with making them more interesting when you get there.

Set up bedrooms and the playroom first. You will need a place for them to nap and play immediately.

Try to label your kitchen cabinets with masking tape ahead of the move-in. That way if you have someone helping you put things away, they can work on your kitchen right away - and it isn't personal belongings.

Try to have a staging area that you put things in while you wait to put them away - like the garage or an extra room that you won't be using in a few days.

Take any help you can get!!!! Good luck. It will be the best move for your family in the long run. Remember that. You won't have that stress of a house you are drowning in over your head and feel relieved that when something goes out in the new place YOU aren't financially responsible for it. It really is a relief. :) Been there, done that.

I agree with Kate B, their stuff should be the last packed and the first unpacked. When we moved my son was 18 months, so a little younger than yours, but we took down his crib the morning we moved and the first room we put together was his. The day we moved in I hung his pictures on the walls, had his books on the shelf and his crib set up just like at our old house.

We also had one person specifically designated to him during the move. He loved to help, but at that age it's difficult for them to be helpful. He and my MIL carried pillows in from the truck, they made his bed together, sorted through his books (reading many along the way). It was very relaxed for him because her only job was to make sure he stayed safe and he got her undivided attention the entire day.

When we moved to a larger home in PA, my daughter was just under two. I gave her a box to help pack her toys and let her help unpack at the new house. I did the same when we moved here to Florida and I let her decorate her room.
Your children are young so they won’t even remember the move. Just keep things that you really need out and some toys. If you can maybe put out some Christmas decorations at the new house, this will help take the attention away from moving.

Do you know any teenagers? When we were moving (packing everything into storage then moved two states away and then came back for all the stuff once we found a place)...

Anway we have two nieces that were teenagers and they would take our then 2.5 year old and five month old and watch them for a couple of hours. With our older one they played at the playground, went to the movies...with our little one well he just napped most of the time. But it was a great stress relief on my husband and I to know they were occupied and being taken care of.

Doesn't even have to be teenagers, we had friends who couldn't move items so they would take the kids as well.

But making it fun and getting our older one involved. She was allowed to help pack up her books, toys and stuff. Then when we finally brought all our stuff to the new place we let her unpack and help decorate her room.

As far as packing for you like someone else said...have a goal each day to get "xxx" amount of boxes packed. Set a minimum and then once you reach that do two more if time allows.

For the stairs, buy some gates. Show your 2 1/2 yr old how to go down them slowly on his/her belly. That is the first step.

When you move, have a family friend or hire a teenager that can babysit your kids.

Set up the 2y bed first, the baby's crib second.
Have a box of clean sheets and covers in your car so that the two beds can be made as soon as they are put together.
Have a friend help who's main job is to help put the two beds together.
Depending on where you live, arrange to have groceries delivered to the new place so that you don't have to go out shopping.

It is SO hard sometimes!
I know how you feel!
We moved from our apt to a new house a few months ago.
We are now in a 2 story house that has 14 stairs, a basement and an attic!
Get baby gates for the stairs!
We had about 2 weeks to replace carpet, repaint the house, get appliances, change address, and get moved. It was seriously stressful.
Get friends to help, if you can.
You might be able to find a moving company that will pack it all up, drive it to the new place and unpack it for you. There are cheap companies like that out there.
For your 2 1/2 year old. Are they getting their own room??
My son was about that age when we moved.
Since we knew he was getting his old room, we told him he could pick out the paint color, and how to decorate it.
We also made sure he knew that it was HIS room. that he could go in whenever he wanted.
He LOVES it
I put a lock on any door that lead to someplace dangerous. The little one, probably won't mind.
Before we moved our lil girl was still sleeping in our room & waking up several times in the night. 1st night we slept in our house, and every night since, she has slept through the night.