Tips for Moving With Kids

We have lived in our new house for about 2 weeks, so the moving day memories are still fresh in my mind. We've got three-year-old Aiden and one-year-old Emma, which only made moving "more fun" (more complex). Before we actually moved, it felt like an impossible task! Yes, packing things with the kids around was tough--they wanted to play with me, or they played with each other and needed a referee every 0.3 seconds. Yes. That made it harder to be productive. During naptime and evenings, we packed things away, and come moving day, things went really smoothly! The only thing that was tough was trying to show people where things went at the new house (see tips below under moving day!!). Anyway, all that being said, moving to a new house with kids is totally possible even though it is a big undertaking.


Here are some tips for making the whole moving process with kids go more smoothly: 

Selling your house:

1. Beg a friend to hold all your toys/large, ugly items (kids plastic slide, play kitchen, etc.) for staging your house and getting photos taken. We had alllllll the extras stored at my in-law's house! They are the real MVPs! 


2. Plan things to do outside the house every single day in case there are showing requests. We did the zoo, the parks, friends' houses, Chick-fil-A play area for lunch, etc. Here's a list of our favorite things to do with kids around Philadelphia!

Packing: 

1. Pack a box with only items from one specific room. I did have some half-full boxes and I wanted to fill them up to maximize that box, but it made unpacking easier to have boxes that were literally ONLY a "Living room" box or a "Master Bedroom" box. 


2. Only pack one category of toy in a small box. Here's what I mean: in Pennsylvania, we have state-run liquor stores that have free boxes! These boxes are small-medium sized, which made them perfect for holding all of one type of toy. All the trains + traintracks? In one box. All the duplo blocks? In one box. It made unpacking easier because the boxes of toys could be opened slowly as I had space for things to go! It would have been CHAOS to just dump all the play kitchen accessories, trucks, nerf guns, puzzles, and stuffed animals all into one box and then try and unpack them and put them where they need to go. 


3. Check local Facebook groups for free boxes people are getting rid of. We got some free boxes from my grandmother's move and from her neighbor who also moved (the white ones seen in this photo and in the photo below!), which was incredible!

Moving Day: 

1. Get a babysitter for the kids, and have them go somewhere else (not the old house, not the new house). It's incredibly easier to focus on everything when the sweet little ones are not on-site. 


2. Label not only your boxes BUT NEW HOUSE ROOMS. I should have labeled which rooms were the master and kids rooms so that a box that said "Aiden's Room" went to the right place without me having to answer the question 5 times in a row for 5 different people. 


3. Set up kids beds and toys first. It was a delight to have their bunk beds assembled and have toys on the shelves in their room so when they arrived after being away all day, they had their things ready to play with!


4. Keep dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, paper towels, toothbrushes and extra outfits in a suitcase. These items are important. If ALL the things don't get unpacked right away, at least you can start washing dishes as you unpack them. You can do laundry. You can wear clothes, brush the teeth. These are the essentials. 

Most of you replied to my Instagram poll that you've moved more than 3 times in your adult life!

If you've moved, what's the furthest you've moved? What are your packing/moving tips?