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Tips on Moving Home With Children
Moving home can be hard on children as they often aren’t used to having to turn their backs on sentimental feelings. If a child is to be unaffected in their schooling and to continue to function well during the move, it helps if both they and their parents have as stress-free a move as possible. Here are my top tips for reducing stress levels during a move with kids:

Sort out the beds first!
This is always my number one tip. If you move into a new property and begin unpacking the kitchen or the living room on day one and don’t make the time to fix up the bedrooms, you could find yourself frantically putting beds together that you may have never assembled before. The last thing you want after a busy day is to have nowhere to sleep, so always get the kids’ beds done so they will have a place to crash.
Use a reputable letting agency
There is nothing worse than turning up on the day of your move only to find out that someone got the dates wrong and there is no one to let you into the new property. Maybe a boiler isn’t working or the previous tenants haven’t moved all their property out. This can also be a massive financial burden. Using a company like www.rentify.com can help to avoid these problems.
Get friends to help
This is a no brainer. For the price of a meal out or a returned favour you can save a lot of money and have someone else on hand to either look after you kids while you are moving in or help you unpack at the other end. Having your child/children spend the day away from home with a family friend could be the best thing to do – children can become overexcited when moving into a new home and, with all the heavy furniture being moved about, accidents can happen.
Give the kids something to look forwards to
It can be as simple as cooking them their favourite meal or planning a trip to an amusement park in the near future. This can help the child cope with any stresses or anxieties he is feeling. If planning a trip, it may be prudent to invite children/family friends from the new area to join in, kick-starting a new social life for your child. If your new home is more amenable to pets, it may also be worth considering getting one as a family surprise.
Pack well in advance
This may be annoying, and children might wonder why they have to put away all their stuff so early, but everyone underestimates how long it takes to pack up a whole house so it is necessary to get this part right if you are going to reduce overall stress levels. The best thing to do is write an inventory of what is in which box and number all the boxes. This may seem pedantic but it means you will be able to pull out anything you need and will make unpacking at the other end a breeze.
Image: Jhayne
