10 Tips For Moving With Toddlers

movingwithtoddlers

Moving with two toddlers is no picnic. Scratch that, it’s lots of picnics, on paper plates, with plastic silverware, in kitchens walled by boxes. We relocated to Kansas to raise our kids closer to extended family. Thank goodness we have wonderful family members, because two moves in one year with two kids under three was all kinds of crazy. 

  1. Prepare Your Tot: Use books to ready your toddler ahead of time. We like Moving House, Boomer’s Big Day, and especially The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day. It’s nice to reference a familiar story in the midst of the chaos, “Remember how Boomer found his favorite toy at his new house? All of your toys will be at our new house, too!” After you move, keep reading the books, as your child continues to sort out the life-change in his mind. 
  2. Pack Late and Pack Fast: If you can possibly afford to have a company pack your items, do it. This enables you to live “normally” until the last minute. If this isn’t in the cards for you financially, wait to pack the spaces you use most until the bitter end. The whole family will be stressed if the playroom and kitchen are in boxes for longer than they need to be. 
  3. Color Label Boxes: We (and by “we,” I mean my husband) duct taped all four corners of every box to color coordinate them with their destination room. For one move, we had a complex labeling system using six different colors. For the next move, we only used three colors: upstairs, main floor, and downstairs. Simple is better, as long as each box also has its basic contents written on the outside. The color-coding method makes unpacking much quicker.
  4. Pack an Open-First Box: For most people, this box should include things like toilet paper, scissors and hand soap. You aren’t most people; you have a toddler. You also need toys and lots of them. Kids play constantly. Make sure you have plenty of toys available until the last minute at the old house, and first thing at the new house. This keeps your kids busy, and frees you up to keep the move moving.
  5. Be The Boss During Delivery: No matter who’s carrying boxes into your house – friends, family, a moving company or a random kid on the street – don’t shy away from directing where each and every item should go. Soon, all those helpful hands will be gone, and you’ll have to find time between toddler-wrangling to move items yourself.
  6. Assemble Cribs Immediately: Most moving companies will reassemble any furniture (i.e. crib) that they disassembled to move. Consider keeping the reassembly hardware yourself to safeguard it. Put a helper to work right away once the cribs are unloaded to ensure your littles will have a safe place to sleep that first night.
  7. Lose Your Pride: This is the time to cash out every favor you’re owed by all of your friends and family members. Don’t be too shy to ask for help. For us, the most important time to secure a babysitter was while we unpacked. Try to arrange off-premises childcare while you tornado around the house obtaining some sense of order.
  8. Prioritize Unpacking: Kids rooms first, kitchen next. But wait, you ask, shouldn’t I take care of myself and unpack my room first? By unpacking your kids’ rooms first, you’re helping to ensure they feel safe and cared for. This leads to the most important item on everyone’s agenda: sleep. If their rooms feel comfortable to them, they’re more likely to slumber, letting you continue unpacking or catch up on Fixer Upper.
  9. Never Underestimate the Power of Fruit Snacks: A wise mom once told me, “Anything goes when they’re sick or you’re traveling.” I’m adding moving to that list as well. It wasn’t without loads of heavy mom-guilt, but a tad more TV time or fruit snacks isn’t going to kill them, and it’s going to help you get your lives back in order quickly.
  10. Be Patient: Many toddlers regress in some way after a stressful event like a move. Some have more potty accidents, and some begin waking frequently during the night. If something bubbles up, realize that it may be a regression, and your little one needs oodles of reassurance that, despite the life-altering change, he is safe and sound. Consider making a social story using photos of your child to help him make sense of the move. Social stories are used often for children with autism, but they’re also a nice resource for all toddlers.

Good luck. I promise, you will reach that peaceful moment when your new home is livably unpacked, your kids are happy in the new space, and you’re sipping coffee just taking it all in.

I wish you well, but sorry, the day you’re loading the truck, I’m busy.

Caroline
A Topeka native, Caroline was lucky enough to get her high school sweetheart to marry her. She spent her first few years out of college as a gifted education teacher and dance team coach in St. Louis before fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a stay-at-home mom. Upon moving to Kansas in 2014, Caroline founded KC Tot Spot , a current collection of the best KC-area hangouts for young kids. When she’s not designing complex wooden train track configurations for her two toddler boys, you’ll find Caroline at a local theatrical performance, attempting to sing and play piano at the same time, or daydreaming of one day cultivating a thriving vegetable garden.