Moving house is so stressful for anyone so if you are moving house with a child, its even more stressful. Here are a few ways, that, hopefully will make it more manageable…
To make a start you should use a moving checklist and cost out each stage. Then you will have a real budget that you can work to. Use professionals that you have sourced that provide a fixed fee quote for their services. We all worry about hidden fees. It’s the out of control expenditure that we all hate. Before you instruct anyone it’s worth using comparison websites to find the best deal. Ideally use comparison websites that show pricing without you entering your personal details. If you do then you will be contacted by many companies. We found the Homebuyer Conveyancing website which lets you compare their best conveyancing quotes without the need for you to disclose your contact details. We were amazed that a Solicitor say in Doncaster was substantially cheaper than a Solicitor in London. It does make sense as the cost of living is cheaper in Doncaster. You will be able to do something similar for Surveying and removals. Don’t forget you will need house insurance on your new home when you do get to exchange of contracts. Your current insurance company should be able to help on that.
Have a proper clear out, taking only the belongings that will will need and want. Moving items from attic to attic that you probably won’t touch again isn’t productive, you could try and sell them, take them to the charity shop or choose to hire skip bins.
Clearly mark the children’s boxes so you can find them quickly once they’ve been moved and unpack their rooms first. This gives them somewhere to settle and play, out of the way, while you unpack boxes for the rest of the house.
If you’re able to leave the children with friends or family, while you carry out the move, it’s wise not to pack all of their toys. Instead, give them some of their favourites to play with first, then in the event that you don’t manage to unpack their rooms, you can still keep them distracted. A friend of mine is moving tomorrow and she has booked herself into a hotel for the night tonight with her children so her husband can finish the packing and moving everything into the moving company vans without the children being effected by seeing everything going and also getting in the way.
Prioritise the rest of the unpacking to help ease any unnecessary stress, what you use most should be what you sort out first. It’s even worth making up a box of essentials (kettle, teabags, snacks, cutlery, etc.), which you can get access to quickly when you’ve moved.
The hours after you move house can be just as tiring as the move itself, as you recover from what’s been a big upheaval. It’s exhausting for an adult, so imagine what it’s like for a child.
Bear in mind that children, especially at a younger age, are creatures of habit, so it might take a few days to get settled into their new surroundings.
Try making the days that follow your house move fun, let them explore and get comfortable in their new surroundings. Living in a new home can be quite overwhelming for anyone at first, so make their first few days there as painless as possible, help them settle and lessen the stress for you. I know when we have talked to Lucas about moving, he has thought of it as a holiday and always comes back to the point of asking when we will be back in his house. It’s the only home he has known for nearly 4 years and in his words ‘I love my house, I don’t want to leave it’. I’m sure once he sees that all his belongings are in the new house and his routines aren’t changed, he will be absolutely fine and soon forget about where we live now.
