Moving is stressful but more challenging when you have kids, especially if they are not the age to help. Relocating can disrupt their lives, uprooting them from their familiar surroundings. Leaving friends and neighbors behind can also trigger stress.
Additionally, it becomes more challenging to pack an entire house with kids running around and clinging to their toys. The hassle of finding new schools or daycare at the new location adds to the complexity of the relocation process.
However, regardless of the challenges of moving with kids, in some cases, it is unavoidable, for instance, when you are moving to escape your current city’s cost of living. This is especially true for residents of cities like Fort Lauderdale, where housing costs 61% more than the national average (source: Payscale). In this situation, you are forced to move to make a new start at a place where life’s expenses are more manageable.
Though moving with kids is challenging, it can be made easier with our expert tips mentioned below. Read on to know more about them.
- Hire a long-distance moving company
Moving with kids is not easy as it is; it can become worse if you have to arrange to move your stuff to your new destination. A much more practical option that suits families moving with kids is hiring reliable moving companies. These moving companies can manage the entire moving process, from loading to unloading to route planning. Moving companies also take care of fulfilling any technical and documentary requirements.
Finding a moving company may not be a challenge if you are moving from a city like Fort Lauderdale, which is one of Florida’s larger cities with a population of around 180,000. Busy cities like this usually have quite a few moving companies you can consider. You can contact several Fort Lauderdale long distance moving companies and compare their rates and services before finalizing.
Contact the moving company as soon as you plan to move so that the moving company gets enough time to understand and plan the details. The last thing you need is to rush through the process or experience the uncertainty of not finding a suitable and reliable moving company. This situation can become unbearable when you have kids who are already unsettled by the chaos and emotional turbulence of moving.
- Purchase premium services from your moving company
Packing the additional belongings of your kids on top of packing the whole house can become a nightmare when doing it on your own. An easy way out of this problem is buying the moving company’s premium or extended package, which also includes packing and unpacking your belongings.
The premium services will cost some money. However, the convenience, time saved, and reduced stress for you and your kids will make it a worthwhile investment. Ultimately, you will be left with the supervisory duties only while the moving staff takes care of the rest of the activities.
In addition to tackling the packing part, buying premium services offers multiple benefits when moving with kids. It frees up a significant amount of your time and energy, allowing you to address your kids’ needs and concerns they may have regarding relocating. You can also adjust them to changes happening around them.
Furthermore, hiring professional packers ensures that each item in your belongings is packed efficiently, which you might fail to do with kids. This can be particularly reassuring about delicate or valuable items you want to protect during the move.
In addition, the packing process is very chaotic and makes keeping the house organized challenging. Clutter can make the kids more stressed. By outsourcing packing, you can ensure that your home remains mess-free, stable, and calm.
- Start researching schools for your kid early
One major stress related to moving with kids is finding new schools for them in the new area. Not all children respond positively when they are made to attend a new school where they cannot see any familiar faces.
Some kids find adjusting to the new school environment extremely hard, which may impact their academic performance or social adjustment. Therefore, keep these issues in mind when looking for new schools.
Research online to list options, including public, private, and international schools, to determine which one aligns with your kid’s needs.
Starting the process as soon as possible will give you ample time to consider a few options. Additionally, early planning also allows you to assess factors such as curriculum, extracurricular activities, class sizes, and teacher qualifications.
Another benefit of starting early is that you can make unplanned visits to the schools and meet the administration a few times. This will help you understand the environment and culture of the schools, meet teachers, and see how students are treated.
- Arrange a moving-away party
Whether you are moving across the state or another city, hosting a moving-away party is a fun way to say goodbye to your friends and neighbors. You can also invite your child’s friends to play with them and tell them about their relocation. Besides providing them a way to have fun with friends, this activity will help your kids process the big transition.
You can arrange the get-together in your backyard or a local venue, depending on your budget as well as the number of guests. However, hosting the party at home is a great way to commemorate your space finally, allowing you to cherish the memories you created with your friends.
- Pack a moving day kit
When moving with kids, you must have the essentials you will need during the ride or drive to your new destination. The kit should contain items to keep your kids occupied, entertained, and comfortable during the ride as well as after reaching the new home.
Here is a list of items you must contain in your moving day kit.
- A variety of healthy snacks for your kids to enjoy
- A few water bottles for staying hydrated
- Comfort items such as stuffed toys, blankets, or anything they like to keep them happy and comfortable
- An adequate supply of your kids’ medications if they take any.
- Items for entertainment, such as color books, their favorite electronic devices with headphones, or puzzles
- Some of their favorite books to read aloud to them.
- Toiletries such as wet tissues, diapers, pajamas if traveling overnight, hand sanitizer, etc.
A well-thought and managed travel kit ensures that you can promptly address your kids’ needs and concerns during the journey and keep the stress at bay.
Conclusion
Moving with kids tests your patience, planning, and organization. The more organized and planned your move, the smoother the entire process. You can remove the stress by managing tasks such as hiring a moving company and packing early. Similarly, by supporting and understanding the emotional turmoil of your kids, you can foster a positive outlook about the new experience, helping them get through the transition.
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