Moving house is stressful enough as it is, whether you’re going cross-country or somewhere nearby. You must juggle the financial and paperwork of buying or renting a new house. But there’s also the logistics of physically moving your family and belongings to another property.
This stress can get even more overwhelming if you compound the issue by involving children and pets. So, how can you ensure that the house move goes smoothly for every family member?
Be Prepared
Preparation is the key to success. As soon as you know when and where you’re moving, you should take steps toward making the process easier. The first thing to do is to tell your children what’s happening.
Older children will find it easier to understand, but you should keep younger children in the loop, especially if they’ve never moved house before. They’re likely to be confused and worried about what’s happening, so telling them and reassuring them that things will be okay will minimize this. If your children are concerned about moving away from friends and family, then it’s essential to give them time to come to terms with the move and provide them with an opportunity to keep in touch with the people they’ll miss.
Another part of being prepared is to start packing in advance. If your children are old enough, you can rope them into packing their belongings and helping out around the house. Order some moving and packing boxes as soon as you have the moving date. This way, you can concentrate on getting over to your new property on the day rather than hurriedly packing everything up. The less stressed you are, the less stressed your family will be.
Get Help
When you’re trying to take care of young children or pets while moving, you will need some help. The moving process can be difficult for them to understand, and they could get in the way or even get injured while everyone is busy. Also, you will likely be busy during the day.
With this in mind, asking a friend or family member to take care of your children and pets on moving day will make things far less stressful for everyone involved. They can be out of the way, happy, and safe. Meanwhile, you can focus on moving without having to worry about them. If possible, it might be an idea to have them sleep over somewhere else until you have some semblance of organization in your new home.
Another way to make things easier for you and your family is to hire a professional removalist to help you to transport your furniture and belongings to your new home. While you can move some things in your car, your furniture needs something larger. Removalists can transport items safely and quickly, saving you a job and a lot of work. Then all you have to do is unpack and settle in.
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