Moving With Young Children
No matter whether you choose to move using a moving company or to do the whole thing yourself with a van, the whole process is known to be extremely stressful. It is never a case of simply packing your stuff the night before you leave and then heading off the next day. Instead you will need to plan for moving day a long way in advance, sort out transportation (either hire a van or a book a reputable moving company) and work out whether you might need New York storage or not (if there is a gap between leaving your last home and moving into your next home). All of this can be stressful enough, but what can make it harder still is if you have to go through a move with young children in tow. Firstly, they too can find leaving their home extremely stressful, particularly if it is the only home they have known. Secondly, you need to plan for how they will cope with the journey itself on moving day, and also, whether they are able to pack their own things or whether you need to do it for them.
One of the best ways to cope is to get the kids involved in the process and turn the whole thing into an adventure. They will need to learn about saying farewell to their old home and to their favorite places and people, and you will need to help them understand that their friends and neighbors will not be waiting for them at their new home. They must be given time to say goodbye to their pre-school or nursery friends and you need to be prepared for the fact that the whole process of putting their things away and packing them into boxes (particularly their favourite toys) will be stressful, especially when they see them actually disappear into the box. The way to minimize this stress is to pack their belongings into the boxes as late in the day as possible, perhaps by doing it on the night before you actually move. When you do it you should ensure that they understand that their things will be coming with them and will be at their new house when they get there.
Similarly if your pets are anxious about moving then the pet’s anxiety can increase the anxiety of your child. One way to solve this is by telling the child, particularly if they are close to the pet that they need to look after that pet and help the pet move. This gives them a sense of responsibility and takes their own mind off the move.
Another way to help the move go better is to make a party out of it for the children and to host a going away party that will be a lot of fun for them with all their friends there. In addition, if you are not going to be moving too far away you can arrange for their friends to come and visit at their new home within a week or two.
Lastly, have some entertainment for the journey planned for them, perhaps some new toys or games, DVD’s or CD’s or a stop off en route that might be fun. That way the journey is something to look forward to and not something to be feared.
