Tips for Moving with Children

Tips for Moving with Children

Moving your belongings from one home to another can be overwhelming. Packing up your home and the sheer amount of work required is enough to worry even the most experienced home mover. If you’re moving with children in Pittsburgh, you’re going to be even busier while you clear out of one house and get set up in another! We have lots of tips that should help parents who are on the move.

Ask Your Kids to Help

You may be thinking, No, I’d rather not have my kids help! But they’re going to see a lot of upheavals, and for younger kids and special-needs kids, (or kids who would rather not leave), it could upset them. Giving them something to do, according to their age, makes them feel a part of the move. Here’s some advice for moving with children in Pittsburgh:

Toddlers can be tricky. They’re going to see you packing things away in boxes, and of course, they’ll want to help. You should give them two or three smaller boxes, take a pile of toys that you don’t want to pack away yet and ask them to help pack. They’ll probably like putting their toys in the boxes, taking them out, and moving them into new boxes.
School-age kids may prove to be useful, especially if they’re older. Provide them with some boxes, give them some guidelines (put the things in this box that you won’t need for three weeks until we’re in the new house), and have them work. Sure, you could be repacking, but at least everything’s in one place while you shift it around.

Ask for Help from Others

If you have little ones, you’ll get a lot more work done when you’re uninterrupted. Ask a family member to take your kids back to their house, or out for the night. While they’re enjoying pizza and a movie, you can pack for hours and plow through your to-do list. Another option is to hire a babysitter and have them stay on one level of your home while you work on another. You can also have them go outside with the sitter. Bonus: They’ll be worn out and want to take a nap when they come back inside.

Buy Food, Even Right Before Your Move

You may be tempted to save money by not buying food that you’re not going to want to transport. For adults, that would be fine. Kids may hate it, though. If they go through a certain amount of milk in a week, keep buying it so that they don’t feel like their diet is changing, too. They’ll be happier, fed, and will make it easier on you, in the long run.

Expect Emotions to Run High

Moving is an emotional experience: cleaning out your belongings, deciding what to keep and what to donate or throw away, packing everything properly, and then moving from your beloved home into a new one is tedious, tiring, and exciting. Your kids are experiencing the same emotions, and if you have younger kids, they may not know how to react. If the weather is nice out, try to get them outside to a playground to have some fun.

The Best Moving Companies in Pittsburgh

Reliable, professional movers will make your move easier. Gardner Moving is here to help with your next Pittsburgh move. We can get you across town, across the state, or across the country, quickly and easily. Call us today to learn more.