Moving Tips

ChevelleRivers · May 2014

We're moving in a month and I'm a little stressed about the process (even though it's going to be a big improvement for us once we're settled in). Any tips for moving with a 17-month-old? And also, getting her adjusted to the new space?

*LrCg* · May 2014

* When packing, I always label boxes with an index card on what's inside and I use color coded stickers to indicate if its an upstairs, downstairs, basement, etc. box. I go so far to write on the box what room it should go in.
* When bringing boxes in I take them to the appropriate room
* Unpack DC room first. I would have it look the same/very similar to the old room
* Always pack a separate box of necessities- toilet paper, change of cloths, meals/snacks for the next day. You may also want to put night lights and outlet covers in this box as well so you have quick access.

jac409 · May 2014

We just moved a few months ago. I labeled boxes by room as well, and tried to be as organized as I possibly could. I also made sure to line up lots of help from friends to watch her during the move itself, and for unpacking afterward. As far as getting DD settled in the new house, I did my best to keep all of our routines the same, no matter what else what else was going on. This gave her some comfort and normalcy, even in new surroundings. I made sure she knew where all of her toys and things were. I also let her explore on her own as much as possible. The biggest thing I noticed was that she was much more clingy when I would try leaving her somewhere, like the gym or church child care. It took a few weeks, but she settled in just fine. Like you, our move was to a much better situation, so it was definitely worth it. Good luck!

SingleMom31 · May 2014

The more organized that you are up front, the easier that it'll be. We pre-printed labels with the names of the rooms at the new house, and as we packed a box, we added a label to it. We had help moving, so I also stuck corresponding signs on the rooms at the new house so that people could easily match box to room. At first, we just put boxes in the respective rooms and then unpacked one room at a time, disposing of boxes, etc. as we went. We also identified the boxes that were going into the basement (stuff like Christmas decorations that are stored for most of the year) and stuff went immediately down there.

I like the index card suggestion from PP too, since some boxes are obviously more important than others.

We had a suitcase packed with stuff for the first couple days, so that we didn't have to worry about laundry and/or finding clothes, toiletries, etc. for the first couple days.

If you can afford it, look at local moving companies. We had Two Men & a Truck move us, and it was $400 to have them move all the furniture and all the boxes. It wasn't much more than renting a UHaul and they had us 90% moved in about 4 hours. We moved the fragile stuff ourselves and the stuff that wasn't 100% packed when they arrived, but otherwise it saved us a lot of time and headache.

Get paper plates, cups, etc. so that you can pack up the kitchen early and you don't have to unpack it right away. We also used it as a good time to dispose of a lot of stuff in the fridge and start new (you know, like the ketchup that's half gone, the box of baking soda in the freezer, etc.).

kerbear135 · May 2014

We just went through this. If you're doing most of the moving yourself, I strongly strongly suggest getting someone to watch your LO...even if you hire someone to do the hard stuff, it's easier when they aren't there. We had a hard time packing with DD around because she wanted to "help" so we also had her stay with the ILs the weekend before we moved so we could get everything finished up. Like other PPs have suggested, label your boxes and label them well (instead of "bathroom", put "master bath med cabinet" etc...)...I made sure we had DD's room as unpacked as possible before we brought her to the new house, and she was fine...a little fussy the first night, but that's how she usually is when she spends the weekend with the grandparents.

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