There are a lot of moving pieces that go into actually moving. Packing, loading, de-cluttering, donating, moving utilities, and the list goes on. If you’ve done it, you know how stressful it can be. Now, throw in children and pets running around and the wheels start to come off.
That’s why we pulled in our Dad Community to impart their best moving tips and tricks to make your upcoming move a little more seamless:
- Hire help. This option may not be for everyone, but if you can, hire out. That might mean packers/movers, laundry services, or cleaning companies. Outsource things that will make your life a little easier.
- Start small. For the most part, we know when we’re going to be moving. So a few weeks to a month out, start packing up non-essentials. That way, towards the end, you’re packing up much less than if you had waited.
- Donate/Sell. Your new home might be smaller or have a different layout that doesn’t lend itself to some of your current furniture/household items. Look into donating or selling what you can to eliminate packing and moving them.
- Label, label, label. There are a couple schools of thought here. One dad mentioned that he used different colored duct tape for each room, that way when they got into the new house all the blue boxes went to the kitchen and red went to the living room. Another dad used a method of labeling boxes based on priority. That way, at the new house, you knew which boxes you wanted to open first. Of course, you could do both methods if you wanted to be an overachiever.
- Box alternatives. Not everything needs to go into a box. If it isn’t fragile, toss it into large garbage bags or buy the extra large rolls of cling wrap and go to town. A lot of times it can be much faster than building and taping up a box.
- Babysitters. Most of our contributors mentioned they brought in their babysitters for at least part of the moving process. This helped keep the kids busy (and having fun) while they were able to get large parts of the work done.
- Have them help. For the times the children are not off playing, you should have them help where they can (if they’re at a reasonable age). Younger kids especially love helping—have them put their clothes and toys into boxes. Will it be the best packing job you’ve ever seen? No. But, it will make them feel a part of the process and leave you with a few less boxes to pack.
- Unpack kids first. Moving can be a tough concept for children to grasp and they might feel overwhelmed. Make sure to keep their favorite blanket/stuffy out to have as a comfort during the transition. When you’re in the new place, unpack them first to restore normalcy to their lives faster.
While moving isn’t always an enjoyable experience, we hope these tips will help make the process a little easier—and, congratulations on your new place!
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Contributors:
@goblinandbeast, @interstellarblues, @stubble3417, @owwmyfeelins, @zootallurs, @LogDelicious8010, @jimbabwe, @ep3187, @randyfloyd37, @triton2toro, @pbaperez, @willshire59, @ahorribledrummer, @Mundane-Reindeer2975, @abnormal_human, @Accurate-Historian-7
