Motherhood Moment: Parenting Pointers: Moving As a Family Minus the Stress

By Gabrielle Gardiner

With 15.9 million people having moved during the pandemic, according to USPS data, there are a lot of families in motion. Maybe you’re leaving the big city for a big backyard, or maybe you’re moving across the country so you can live next door to family members. Moving is one of the top stressors in life, especially when you’ve got kiddos in the mix.

Thankfully, there are some stress-free moving tips you can follow to not only make the moving process easier but also to help reassure the kids. Regardless, even if your children are excited about the move, they might also feel like their lives are being turned upside down as they deal with new changes. (More tips on moving with kids).

There are plenty of ways to make certain aspects of moving a breeze, so you can look back on some aspects of the experience fondly. One of the clearest solutions is to look into the cost of hiring a moving service to make your life easier. We’ve highlighted some more great actionable advice for moving with kids specifically below.

Tips to Make Your Family’s Move Smooth Sailing

If possible, schedule your move to happen mid-month or mid-week — there will be less traffic and the cost to move furniture might be lower during these times.

Make a master folder for moving. Keep all documents: contracts, receipts, and other important records in one organized place.

Make some money and declutter by selling items on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. If you have items that are decent quality that you would rather donate than sell, schedule a pickup with WePickUp.org or a similar site. It’ll save you a trip to the donation center.

Be sure to organize your boxes by necessity and color code them accordingly. Or, give every room a different color packing label. You can download our free packing labels to add to your boxes below.

Be careful about how you pack! Take care of wrapping fragile or tedious items first so you’re not rushing and leaving room for error (and damage.) Also, avoid leaks or other mishaps by packing items like cleaning chemicals and sharp tools in clear plastic bins rather than cardboard boxes.

Weeks before the move, get out with your kids and explore your new neighborhood way before your move to feel out the public spaces nearby. Mention the move in a positive context often leading up to the move.

On moving day, pack kids’ lunches and go the extra mile to include the kids’ favorite snacks with a personal note or surprise to solidify in their mind how special the day is and how helpful they are. Also, have a few toys or other fun distractions that you can keep in an “emergency fun kit” — a great way to prevent boredom or a tantrum.

Hopefully, these tips come in handy one day, and maybe you’ll put these printables to good use.