There are many things a person could worry about when it comes to a move. They must hire a moving team, pack their belongings, and prepare the family. Men and women often worry about how their children will adjust to the move, whether their items will be safe when they turn them over to the moving company, and more. The following tips and tricks are of great help in reducing the anxiety associated with a move.
Prepare Children for the Move
Children often approach a move with both excitement and fear. They don’t want to leave their friends and familiar surroundings. However, they also look forward to having a new space they can decorate and new places to explore. Parents can help ease this transition in several ways.
If possible, take the children to the new home before moving. Explain what will be happening in terms they can understand. What parents should tell a toddler differs greatly from what they should discuss with a teen, so keep all conversations age appropriate.
Help older children say goodbye to friends. Set up ways they can stay in touch with those they are leaving behind. An email account or social media page is often enough to allow the kids to feel connected with their friends following a move. It also helps to set up a regular time they can call.
Ask for Help
It never hurts to ask family and friends for help. Moving brings with it a lot of emotions, and these emotions can make decisions difficult. This is particularly true when packing. You may want to take the giant stuffed bear that has been in the family since the youngest child was born. Nobody has touched the bear in years, but it remains in the household. Family and friends can be of great support when the decision is made to pass the bear on to a new family. A family member or friend might even want it for their kids, so it won’t feel like such a loss.
This same support group can help with the gathering of moving supplies, packing, making phone calls, and more. If they cannot be physically present in the home, they could prepare meals that can easily be reheated or thrown in a crockpot. The family would then have more time to pack because they aren’t stopping to prepare healthy meals. This task has been handled for them.
Create a Checklist
Countless tasks must be done when preparing for a big move. It’s easy to overlook one or more tasks as a result. Avoid this by creating a checklist that can be referred to regularly.
With this checklist in hand, call a family meeting. Assign each family member tasks they can do to help facilitate the move. Young children, for example, can go through their toys and see which ones they want to get rid of. You may even want to see if they would like to get together with friends and pass some of these toys on. Older kids can help with packing.
Set aside a specific time each week for all family members to come together and review the checklist. Every person can report on where they are with their tasks and ask for help if needed. This meeting ensures everyone is accountable for the tasks that have been assigned to them.
Pack Wisely
When possible, leave clothes in dresser drawers. Pack hanging clothes in garment bags, so the bags can be opened and the clothes hung with little effort. Wrap delicate items in towels and linens to use fewer boxes and spend less on moving supplies. Furthermore, color code boxes, so the movers know which room each box goes in. Doing so makes it easier to settle in the new home.
Pack an Essentials Bag
Every family member should have a bag of essential items that will travel with them rather than being put on the moving truck. This bag should contain medications, a change of clothes, toiletries, important documents, and chargers for electronic devices. In addition, the bag needs one or more things to keep the person entertained.
Parents will want to keep certain things, such as medications, for the children, but each person should be given their own bag. A young child may use this bag for their favorite toy or snacks while on the road. They enjoy feeling like a big kid, so ensure their bag contains what is important to them.
In addition, the family may want to have a bag or box of valuable items that will travel with them. This may be family heirlooms or valuable jewelry. Items such as these should not go on the moving truck, as the family may worry about their safety throughout the move. Worrying adds to the stress associated with the move, so it’s easier to keep these items close.
Plan for the Transition
Make time to plan a smooth transition. Utilities will be needed in the new home, children must be enrolled in school, and parents must find new grocery stores, healthcare providers, and more. Establish a budget for any expenses associated with the move, and begin researching amenities in the area.
One way to help children transition is to enroll them in their preferred activities as soon as possible following the move. Parents might find they need to pay registration fees along with one or more months of tuition. Budget for this. Getting children involved in these activities will allow them to connect with others who have similar interests. They will find it easier to make friends when this is the case.
In addition, plan meals for the days leading up to and immediately following the move. Nobody wants to eat out three meals a day for several days in a row. Freezer meals are a good option, and the family might also want to look into a meal home-delivery service. Healthy meals will help make the transition easier in every way.
These tips help to reduce the stress of any move, whether the move is next door or across the country. Ask the moving company for additional tips that will help smooth the process. They work with clients every day and learn valuable tips that are happy to pass on to others. All you need to do is ask.
