Caring for young children is a full-time job. Adding a relocation into the mix can make for a complex moving process. These five tips from the Gainesville moving professionals at UF Mover Guys will help you simplify the process of moving with kids.
1. Hold A Family Meeting
To prepare children for a move, start with a family meeting several months ahead of moving day. Order-in from your favorite pizzeria — for recommendations in Gainesville, try Satchel’s Pizza, Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, or MOD Pizza — gather the family around the dining table, and lay out in clear terms what everyone can expect (e.g., changing schools, leaving old friends, making new friends). By taking away the element of surprise and providing kids with realistic expectations, children are more likely to both adjust to and handle the move.
2. Ask Your Kids For Feedback
Parents know best, but kids always have an opinion. When it comes time to make decisions about the move, let the kids have their say. If you’re browsing homes for sale online, ask the kids what they like or dislike about your final picks. When you’re choosing a moving company, ask your children whether they agree with your choice of Gainesville movers! The point of this exercise is to provide your kids with a reason to feel invested in and involved with a significant aspect of the move.
3. Downsize Kids’ Rooms With Caution
The fewer items you take with you, the easier the process of moving. Every move should include downsizing — the process of donating, selling, and/or disposing of items you no longer need, want or use. But for the sake of household harmony, exercise caution when downsizing kids’ bedrooms and play areas. While it may be less of a burden to move five boxes of toys instead of ten, the stress of moving coupled with extreme downsizing can be too much change to handle for young children. Instead, consider hosting a yard sale once the move is complete.
4. Spend A Day As Tourists
When you live close enough to your next home to visit ahead of time, you can help your kids adjust to life in their new surroundings by spending the day as tourists. You can swing by the new house or apartment as well as the kids’ new school to help them become familiar with nearby, but new surroundings. It may also be beneficial to set aside a couple of hours for exploring the new neighborhood with the kids. If your family is moving to Gainesville, feel free to contact UF Mover Guys for tips about local points of interest.
5. Prepare A Moving-Day Survival Kit
A survival kit for moving day follows the same concept as the kits commonly prepared for hurricane season and other perilous occasions. But instead of batteries, you have fruit snacks. Rather than astronaut food, you have granola bars. Instead of a flashlight, you have coloring books, handheld game consoles or kid-friendly apps downloaded and ready for use on your smartphone. Other items in a survival kit for moving with small children include wet-nap moist towelettes, a change of clothes, a few select toiletries, and a few of your kids’ favorite toys. As the majority of your personal belongings will be packed into boxes, this kit can serve to provide you and your kids with the necessities until your items arrive to the new living space. For more moving tips or to schedule your next move, contact UF Mover Guys today!