tips and tricks picked up moving with children

Okay, so everyone knows I am moving, unless you haven't read my blog, in which case you SHOULD read my blog!

here are some things to think about when your moving regardless of having kids or not, and some other things which are helpful if you do have kids.

BEFORE YOU MOVE

mess

this will be messy. paperwork everywhere. junk everywhere. rubbish everywhere. lots of lost masking tape and nikko pens that never turn up. they omniscent feeling that your forgetting something. there will be mess after wards too. but instead of missing nikko pens and tape you will find a million torn boxes, and missing boxes or items. usually an emotional child's items. that will cause them to scream ad cry and hate you for the next two days. when it turns up. in their wardrobe.

get the money

get some money behind you. you will need a bond if yuo dont have one, two weeks rent, money for connecting and reconnecting services, fuel and phone bills will be higher this week, you may need  money to hire people, things go wrong ( always. murphy helps you move to make sure something goes wrong.) and you need to have moeny for fast food. you will more than likely have at least one meal that isnt good for you while moving.

ring around

ring your phone company, electricity company, internet provider etc. arrange for disconnection ad re connection. dont forget to find out what costs there are and if there are any additional costs on top of that, opr discounts you may receive. also think about upgrading your plan.

insurance

ring your insurance company (if you have one) and find out what their policy is while your moving (racq contents insurance covers you for 14 days at both premises during your move.) your premiums may also go up or down. you may want to think bout getting insurance if you havent got it already.

furniture removal

does your new house allow for large items of furniture? what level i your house on? are you going to usea professional company or DIY?

mail

red irect your mail. your bound to forget to inform at least one important company or person of your new address. in AUS you can choose from a 3, 6 or 12 month redirection. your local office can give you a brochure and prices. they can also do the informing of organisations FOR you. you jsut tell the mwhich ones.

packing

sigh. the part we all hate. get rid of all your junk 4 or 5 weeks before hand. hold a garage sale, give it to vinnies, or freeecycle if your area has it. oack your items in a junk room and garage, thing you dont often use early. keep an inventory of all boxes (how many from each room and what is in them. also record this informaiton on the box. having the room on the box allow syou to put it in that room straight away.

an inventory is extra important if using professional removalists. we have all heard the horror stories. keep your inventory and mark everything as it is loaded and unloaded from the truck.

shopping

dont get groceries the week of o rbefore your move. only buy essentials, and try and use up as much of the stuff you already have as possible. this will lighten the load and minimise the cahnce of having your food spoiled. do a big shop after you have moved in.

claening

hire a cleaning company, or get your frienfds to hel pyou clean after all your belongings are out. best not to have the kids around, as the fumes from all the different chemicals can be harmful for little lungs. yours too. wear a mask of some sort. (probably wouldnt recomend and balaclava though :)  )

the big day

make an early start. dont forget to eat breakky and lunch. make some arrangements for snacks too. you will be more hungry today after exerting so much energy. you need to put more energy into your body now. make sure everything is locked before you leave, even if coming back. looters will notice you leaving and will want to raid your place if they can in between trips.

PACKING

The best way to pack a truck is each corner. ie back right corner, tie it off. back left corner, tie it off. etc. fill any gaps wit hyour linen. its okay, it can be washed. make sure there is nothing that can leak in the truck. these things can go in the car or elsewhere. remember to empty oil from things such as lawn mowers (boy have a iseen a few messes when this rule has been broken!) Doonas make GREAT insualtors instead of a million metres of bubble wrap. wrap your telly, for instance in your doona to help it from being damaged.

Labelling  artons

Label the carton on three side and the top with-

whether it is heavy or fragile.

which way is up

the contents and the room. (put this in your inventory too)

its ok to go over board with the tape when moving. jsut not at christmas ok? :)

Load the most important stuff into the truck last so you get it first.

YOUR FIRST DAY

pack a small box with stuff you need ( a couple of changes of clothes - they do get dirty, toilet paper, soap, midcine towels etc.

pack another box with kitchen stuf you cant live without (mmm coffee!)

you should also creat a mini first aid kit to keep with you. this should include a toolkit and torch. some tape. scissors. a list as long as the great wall of china of phone numbers (poisons, hospital, Dr, removalists, landlord etc.)

INSPECT THE HOME if anything is wrong call the landlord immediately and donnt try to fix it yourself.

make  beds first, you wont beleive how tired it can make yoiu, and sleeping on the floor will only ensurte that you are even tireder the next day.

confirm appointements for electricity phone internet etc to be connected.

OKAY NOW THE KIDS PART

kids find moving to be quite traumatic. here are some tips for different age groups.

TEENS

They will probably hate you and make your life meserable for tearing them away from their safe little network. if they are old enough they may decide to move out on their own to stay in the same neighbourhood. if not, they will grudgingly make the move and stop hating you shortly thereafter. not alot you can do as they  seem to hate any attempt you make to help them be happy anywy (well if they are like me anyway!) unless you are makinga small move, which wont effect friends etc.in which case they will make life a bit easier than if your were moving farther away.

primary aged kids

if they are old enough to realise they are changig school and wont see their friends it can be very upsetting. sit in their room with them when its time to pack, but let them pack and just chat with your child. let them keep a few belongings out for the car trip. let them decide, it will probably be their most treasured possessions. just to make them feel at home.

toddlers

moving can be terrifying for toddlers, they crave normality  structure and routine. they usually dont mind new places, with the expectation they go home at the end. but this isnt home. this smells different. they don't know their way around. there is a lot of noise and stress. they may even go through seperation anxiety early or again. have a lot of toys ready when you get there. these should come in the car with you. make a rule that there are no loud noises or angry noises in the house. it needs to be a calm and happy place for your toddler, as they are like tuning forks, they picl up tension in the air. put on some familiar or relaxation music to help. set their room up similar to how it was before the move, and do this as soon as possible. try to keep to your usual routine. if the day you move is a day your child is usually in day care or something- GREAT. this means you can get your childs room set up and have some familiar things and a lot of the yelling will be gone. but dont do this if it isnt a normal occurence. your child will know something is going on. show them around the house first thing. show them their room. show them your room. show them the toilet if they are toiet trained. set up that routine. you might encunter monsters anda regression in their toilet training for a little while. this is just a fear assosciated with change. it will pass.

babies.

leave yourself and the baby at the new house after the first trip in teh morning. in the car for this trip you should have- bottles formula, breast feeding cushion etc, nappies , nappy wipes, teething gel, toys, panadol, tweezers, saftey gate, first aid kit, their bed preferably, play ,mat, cds, anything else they usually encounter during their day. lots of clothes too. the last thign you want is a crawling child that has grown up with wooden floors flying arond the house that has carpet and ripping their knees to shreds without havig annything to treat it with, or any clothes to put them into to cover it, the carpet, and so they arent crawling in their own blood. eww. before you do anything show them around the house. show them their room. show them your room. (if different) make them feel safe and let them play.  them being happy and knowing what is going on will let you get unpacking and directing removalists or husbands through the house a whole lot quicker. the better you get back to normal the better.

let them each bring a box of their belongings in the car with them. if it is a long trip have some game to keep them occupied, and some food and drinks too. they will inevitabley want to eat and drink. take a walk through the neighbourhood before the move so you can tell them all the good things about where your moving to. how happy everyone will be, and all the things they can do there that they couldnt do before.

During the move.

kids make great helpers. little kids can help pass objects to you to pack, and out of the boxes when unpacking, and it will make them feel great that they are such a big help, and you will probably be glad of the lesser amount of strain this causes your back!

older kids can help pack, but if they are sour about moving, just let them pack their own room, and work form their. dont be surprised to meet a lot of resistance. dont force it, it only makes it worse. they can lso help laod and unload the truck, and older children can help move furniture as well.

after the move

if you havent already, take your kids out for  a walk. visit the local shopping centre,look for parks and fun things to do. meet the neighbours. find some kids to play with oyur own. enroll them in school or daycare. find a parents group or a playgroup to attend. go shopping and buy the things you need, and do a big grocery shop to re tock your cupboards again.

let your children unpack and organise their room how they wish to have it (within reason of course. i doubt i would let them paint  a cave mural on their walls and foor with bat poop on the floor- although i did it anyway :)  )

arguments. they are bound to happen after the move with children. this went missing. i am going to cry and scream because this got broken.i dont want to share a bedroom. sigh. unfortunately these thingshave to be sorted to each individuals situation. how we used to solve the room sharing problem was to let them pick who they wanted to share with. for instance, my older step sister seemed to despise me, and would play terrible tricks on me in my sleep, so of course, i NEVER picked her. if it still doesnt solve the disagreement pull anmes out of a hat and tell them its final because they couldnt act responsibly and sort it out for themselves.

dont let your kids walk over you and make you feel bad because you are moving. for whatever the reason. as parents we all do what we beleive is best for our children and they will learn one day. if they are hostile, it will pass. you might want to be slightly more gentle on them as it is a big upturn for them, but still be firm and demand they respect  you! there is never an excuse for bad manners disrespect or rudeness! you are after all, their parents.