Moving with Toddlers
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Moving is usually pretty high on the list of stressful life events, so we’ve learned to work together to make it as streamlined as possible at this point. Moving with toddlers just layers on the stress potential. There may not be a medal for the extreme sport of moving with kids, but we think there probably should be!
Over the past 10 years, Michael and I have moved eight times to pursue career opportunities. We just completed our fourth move with toddlers in the past five years. We’ve also moved three times while pregnant — twice while pregnant with Preston. While we may not feel like moving experts, we definitely feel like we’ve moved more than most people. It seems that when you have a dual-career family, you also have twice the opportunities for a move.
To make your next move with kids a bit easier, we’re sharing our top tips with you:
Schedule movers. As soon as you know when you’ll be moving, schedule your movers! If you’ll need a truck rental, now is the time to reserve that, too. For our three out-of-state moves, we have saved thousands (not an exaggeration) each time by renting a U-haul and hiring movers for labor. This did involve some additional planning (e.g. ordering furniture pads in advance), but it was worth it because it allowed us to travel more!
Purge relentlessly. As in, take notes while watching Marie Kondo on Netflix. If you’re not sure if you love it now, you won’t be loving it when you’re carrying it up the stairs after moving for two days straight, I promise! Sell. Donate. And don’t forget to itemize donations and get a receipt for tax deductions!
Get boxes. Once you’ve purged, now is the time to seek out boxes to reuse so you can save some cash. Liquor stores, friends who have just moved, and Facebook are all places we’ve found free boxes in the past. We’ve also found great deals on Amazon, and the free two-day Prime shipping definitely helps! Tip: Small boxes will help prevent loading up a box so heavy it requires a forklift. We reserve larger boxes for things like pillows
Pre-pack. If you’re selling your house, this doubles as staging, and it means packing everything you do not absolutely need between the date you begin to pre-pack and the date on which you’ll unpack in your new home. This means everything — extra towels, winter coats in summer, the kitchen utensils you refused to purge in step 2 but haven’t used in 5 years; everything non-essential.
Get a storage unit. Unless you have a place to store these boxes, take them to storage. This made our move to North Carolina so much easier, because the movers loaded everything directly from the storage unit into the moving truck, and because it broke the packing process up into two chunks.
Calendar your packing plan. I like to use a calendar to stay on track, and I plan for packing to take about two days per room, realizing that really full rooms (e.g. a chef’s kitchen) may require three or four days.
Pack. Once your house is under contract, or when you’re 30-45 days away from Moving Day, it’s time to start packing up everything else. Here’s how we do it:
Unused rooms. Pack them first. Did you leave your china in the cabinet to stage the house for sale? Start there.
Clothes. Pretend you’re traveling. Pack 1 bag of clothes for each person to use until move-out. You can do this. You do it every time you travel! Just pretend you’re on vacation and pack everything else up.
Everyday dishes. When you’re 1-2 weeks out from moving day, buy paper plates, cups, disposable utensils, etc. to get you through the next two weeks or so. Pack up your everyday dishes and the rest of your kitchen supplies.
Toys. Pack kids’ toys last. Nothing will bring down the mood like a toddler who thinks you tossed their newly-favorite-even-though-they-haven’t-touched-it-in-months toy. Just pack them last, and let the kids help by putting stuffed animals into boxes. We explained we had to pack the toys so they’d arrive safely at the new house. Surprisingly, it seemed to work!
Cleaning supplies. You’re going to need these as you move out, so leave a few boxes available for these items and any other loose items you haven’t yet packed.
Move. Try to build in a little wiggle room. For example, we thought we had two weeks of wiggle room for our last move. Guess what? The truck was dirty (like, livestock dirty, not diva dirty, I promise) and we had to pick up a second option. A hurricane hit and flooded out major highways. I want to say this is a one-off, but we’ve moved during two hurricanes and an earthquake, so . . . just trust us and save your sanity by building in some extra time!!!
Unpack. Reverse the order of packing when you unpack (i.e. cleaning supplies, toys, everyday dishes, etc.). You’ll need cleaning supplies, the kids will feel better when they see their toys, and parents will feel more settled when they’re eating from their familiar dishes rather than paper plates. Start there. If there is ever a time to overextend yourself during a move, that time is now. The faster you feel comfortable in your new home, the better for the entire family.
Donate boxes. As soon as you have a pile of boxes unpacked, pay it forward and donate these to someone else who will be moving soon. Tip: Cut the tape to break them down rather than pulling it — it will prevent you from tearing the boxes, destroying your nails, and risking your kids hearing a colorful string of words come out of your mouth.
Purge again. Realize you moved socks with holes in them, or that the foyer table is longer than the wall? Repeat step 2, above!
We hope this will help you have a little less stress for your next move! If you’ve moved with kids and have other tips, please share in the comments below!
Also, please follow us on Instagram at @UnkemptAdventures! While you’re there, check out @threeducklingdesigns for custom shirts like the awesome ones she made for us below. If you have been eyeing custom family Disney shirts or anything else, the sweet owner Colleen is so talented, and her quality shirts held up to our “toddler travel” test!!