Moving house can be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. But moving house when you have a large family can feel like a bit of a military operation.
As quickly as you pack up boxes, your toddler can be unpacking them just as quick!
Our Property Law Team at Lamb Brooks have been helping families to move into their new homes for over 230 years. They share some useful tips to consider when you are packing and moving onto your next family home.
#1 Declutter First
Family homes are often packed to the rafters with stuff collected over the years. Before you even think about packing, declutter every single room one at a time. Doing this will save you time when it comes to unpacking the other end and is a useful exercise to avoid cluttering up your new home with things you no longer need.
Start with wardrobes and drawers as children grow out of clothes so quickly. Then move onto their toys and games – again as children develop, they can lose interest in many of their toys and games that can be bulky and difficult to store. When clearing out children’s toys it is best to do this whilst they are not around as they may suddenly become attached to things that have been squashed at the bottom of the toy box and you will struggle to get rid of much.
Try selling items online to make some money towards your move or donate to local charity shops.
Parents like to keep sentimental reminders of their children’s early years but once you have a few children these boxes of paintings, school reports, first pairs of shoes, photo albums etc. can start to take up quite a bit of space. Invest in some high-quality stackable boxes and set aside one for each child without allowing them to overspill.
#2 Start Early
When you have children, it can feel like everything takes 10 times longer to do. With this in mind, it is a sensible idea to start everything much earlier than you would intend. Once you have de-cluttered try to gradually pack up your house, packing away items that you will not need for the foreseeable weeks.
For example, in the kitchen you are likely to need a lot of things until the last minute but if you are not hosting any dinner parties or planning on baking much over the last few weeks in your house then you could start to pack away the special dinner-ware, champagne glasses and baking equipment.
#3 Involve The Children
Share the excitement of moving to a new house with them. It may just inspire them to help with the de-cluttering, cleaning and packing. Give younger children coloured pens to label up their moving boxes and give them challenges like filling up a box per day or finding 10 items to donate to charity.
To stop children getting under your feet on moving day it is ideal to have them looked after by relatives. But if this is not possible then try to give them small, simple jobs to do to avoid them getting bored or slowing down your move. Depending on their age or ability, you could have them packing up non breakables, emptying the fridge and food cupboards, carrying light boxes to and from the cars/vans. Or get them to help with the cleaning of your old or new home with jobs like hoovering, sweeping or dusting. Giving them something to help with will make them feel like part of the moving process. Younger children may need a bit of encouragement, things like ‘helpful’ stickers or a treat at the end of the day may spur them on to be pretty useful, or at the very least, out of your way.
#4 Supporting Emotional Children
Some children can find moving house upsetting, particularly if you are moving away from their friends and having to start at a new school. Consider how you can help support them in the lead up to moving house. Involve them in conversations, get them excited to pick out colours or arrange their new bedrooms. You could get the children to make a scrapbook of the family home or even bury a time capsule in the garden before you leave.
Remind children that you would only move house if it will benefit the family as a whole and although they may find it difficult at the moment, they will be able to keep in touch with their old friends as well as make new ones.
#5 Hire Professionals to Ease the Load
Using the specialist skills of professionals can help your move to run more smoothly and may be well worth the cost when you find yourself feeling under pressure.
Research and ask for recommendations for reliable removal companies and even professional packers. If you are moving house at a weekend or in the school holidays it may also be worth considering booking younger children into a holiday club or play centre for the day to help you focus on your move and the deadlines for exiting your house.
It also pays to instruct the right professionals who make things happen and keep the ball rolling throughout your property transaction. A good mortgage broker, estate agent and solicitor all working together can ensure that you always feel up-to-date and confident with the progress of your sale and purchase.
Tips For Moving Day
When you get to moving day itself, here are a few other tips that may help you to keep children entertained and safe.
- Set aside chargers for phones, ipads, ipods and handheld consoles – they are bound to want these when they get bored.
- Hotspot from your phone. Once in your new home you are unlikely to have any Wi-Fi – a modern day necessity in a child’s hierarchy of needs! Hot spotting mobile data from your phone can save a tantrum or two.
- Have each child pack a small bag of things to entertain them. If they are not into their electronics then some small toys, books or colouring may be a good idea.
- Snacks are important. Mealtimes go out of the window in the chaos of moving day – make some snacks the night before for children to graze on throughout the day.
- Keep aside any medications that your children may need along with a simple first aid kit, some plasters and Calpol – just in case!
- Don’t forget a well-stocked changing bag for babies and tots. Moving day will be a long day, so plenty of nappies, wipes, milk and changes of clothes.
Get in Touch With a Property Solicitor
We would love to be a part of your family’s moving journey. If you are looking for a competitive conveyancing quote from a law firm that you can rely on, then please get in touch.
Call our dedicated Property Law Team on 01256 844888, email enquiries@lambbrooks.com or speak to our online chat assistant.
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The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.