Find a new house. Check. Sell our current home and move into a new house? Not as easily done. I knew crossing off “sell home” and “pack” on my moving to-do list wouldn’t be easy. But the reality of prepping a home for house showings and figuring out the logistics of planning a move—with kids—quickly set in. How do I keep the house tidy when the state of my home on a normal day looks like a tornado of Toy Story toys and dinosaurs (sprinkled in with a handful of fruit snack wrappers)? The thought of packing up my entire home with littles had me at a standstill.
But it wasn’t just the physical part of moving that finally set in. My family and I were off to a new adventure of making another place a home, which meant I needed to figure out a way for the kids to say “goodbye” to the place that housed so many wonderful memories. The house we were putting on the market was the only home my kids knew. The emotional aspect of moving was something I didn’t anticipate until we started the conversation with them.
Needless to say, moving my family, dog, and all the stuff we accumulated over seven years was a tad stressful. Now that I’m on the other side of moving and in my new home, I can say that it is doable. But there are some tips and tricks on how to make a move with kids slightly easier. From house prep to move-in day, I’m sharing how I survived a move with my kiddos.
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Prepping the house to sell with young kids around
The most common question I get asked about moving with kids is how I kept my home tidy. I knew having a well-lived-in home with toys and toddler messes would be a challenging part of the moving process. I opted to be notified at least one hour ahead of time if someone requested to look at the house. It meant that my house needed to be “show-ready” at a moment’s notice: no toys in sight, dishes put away, and zero remnants of kids’ snacks. So, I positioned myself to be prepared.
Get rid of anything you don’t want to take with you
Before we put our house on the market, my number one goal was to get rid of anything I didn’t want to take with us. Clearing out any unnecessary items ensured we wouldn’t be wasting our time filling up boxes of things we didn’t actually want. I wanted to be able to say, “We’re taking everything with us.” So ultimately, I wouldn’t have to worry about decluttering in the middle of packing.
We followed the ‘one-year rule’ with our wardrobe: if we hadn’t worn an article of clothing in the last 12 months, it meant that it was time to get rid of it. All of the clothes we decided to discard were taken to a local thrift store.
Make time to clear out each room
Knowing that I had a month to prep, I mapped out which rooms I’d declutter every weekend over the course of four weeks. My bedroom, bathroom, and closet were the first in the lineup since I was ready to throw anything away that was unimportant to me—like the jeans from high school I’d held onto all this time. Then I moved on to the living room, kitchen, pantry, and our office. The kids’ rooms were saved for last since I wanted to keep their belongings untouched as long as I could to keep a sense of normalcy, although I confess I threw some of my kids’ toys away.
Designate quick storage baskets for house showings
As far as keeping up with the clutter for house showings, my saving grace was storage baskets. Any time a request came through for a house showing, I was able to quickly throw the kids’ toys in them and shove them in their closets. Toiletries on bathroom counters were also kept in smaller-sized bins that made it easy to hide in bathroom cabinets at a moment’s notice. While tedious, my husband and I made sure we tag-teamed our opening and closing shifts by tidying up the house to put us in a good position if prospective buyers wanted to look at the house.
Have a place to go when a showing pops up
Making sure the house was ready was important, but so was having a place to go with the kids once we were out the door. For showings that lasted anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes, a nearby park was a quick and easy option with kids and a dog to spend our time. But when we needed to be out of the house for a few hours, having a place to go that was both kid and dog-approved came in handy. In these instances, I had a list of a few restaurants that allowed dogs on their patio that we could stop at if timing was in the middle of a mealtime. We also reached out to nearby friends and family, who allowed us to haul the entire family over.
Talking to kids about moving homes
Luckily, my kids are able to finish out the school year at their current school. However, having to start over the next school year somewhere different was somewhat of a stressor for my son. For some kids, moving looks like leaving a school, friends, and familiarity behind all at once. So how can parents navigate the discussion of moving with their kids?
There isn’t a perfect way to tell kids you’re moving. The selling point for my kids was that we were looking for a house that had stairs, which was an exciting transition from a one-story home.
We were also straightforward in letting our kids know that we would no longer be living in our current home. As a parent, I worried that my 5-year-old. Would he have a hard time adapting to the concept? So, I made it a point to communicate that if he had any questions about moving, I was always there to answer them. Moving can be a big change for kids. As much as I could, I made an effort to point out the positives while still acknowledging any feelings of apprehension.
Read More: Is your child moving schools? How to prep them for being the new kid at school.
How I explained the process of moving
While the process of purchasing and designing a new home was exciting for me, I had to remind myself that it was a huge life transition for my 5-year-old. We were leaving the only home he knew.
Even discussing the process of moving was helpful. My mother-in-law reminded me that knowing what moving looks like isn’t as obvious for a child who’s never done it. It didn’t occur to me that my 5-year-old thought we’d be leaving everything behind. Stating that we would be taking all of our belongings with us from our old house gave him comfort.
Seeing the new house in person was also helpful for him, too. As we toured our new house, I tried to help him visualize life inside it. I’d say things like, “This is where you can put all your toys, where we’ll eat breakfast, and where you can play outside with your little brother.” My husband and I also let him pick which room would be his, not only so he had a say, but so he could look forward to his new space, too. Talking about the process of moving is something to consider if your child has never done it before.
Getting my kids involved with the move
According to the Child Mind Institute, letting your kiddos help with packing and involving them in the move makes them feel a little more in control. Putting the kids’ toys in boxes was a hard concept for my young kids to grasp—another reason why I chose to wait to pack up their rooms.
But I allowed them to help, even if one toy would go in, and another toy came out to be played with. It was part of the process for them, at least, to feel included. I boxed everything I could a few days before our move while they were at school. I made sure to leave out a few of their favorite toys.
Packing tips for moving with kids
Packing was as daunting as it sounds. Even though we got rid of a large number of things before the house went on the market, I never knew how much we had until it all had to be packed.
Have a separate box packed for essentials
There’s nothing like racing to the bathroom to realize that you don’t know where you packed the toilet paper. Having a separate box packed with things we used daily was a lifesaver and made moving day a little bit easier. We wouldn’t have to scrounge for what we needed once we were in the new house. I individually packed a box of my family’s essentials: toiletries, towels, extra clothes, pajamas for the night of the move, toilet paper, a roll of paper towels, and trash bags.
Stock up on paper plates and disposables
A week prior to moving, I stocked up on paper plates and disposables. With the pots and pans put away, it made sense to stick to simple meals. I purchased ready-made dinners from the store that I could easily pop in the oven. Plus, once we were in the new house, the last thing I wanted to do was cook an extravagant meal, and that meant I knew I wouldn’t want to be cleaning dishes, too. I had the phone number of the local pizza place on standby for moving day.
Moving day tips with young kids
There’s no denying that moving and living in a sea of moving boxes can throw a wrench in established routines. But with young kids, this was the preparation that helped on moving day.
Source help if possible
Having family nearby was helpful in keeping the kids entertained. This isn’t always possible, especially if you’re moving away from family. With that said, screentime rules for the day were out the window. My kids were intrigued by the movers and how they navigated all the moving boxes into each room. A dolly suddenly became one of the coolest toys on earth. That meant moving day was a Bluey and Ms. Rachel marathon. So, endless screentime with their favorite kids’ shows for the time being was OK. It allowed the movers to get all of our belongings in the house—safely, without little kids running around.
Have snacks readily available
Snacks were a necessity. We had lots of them in case the kids were tired or needed a little pick-me-up from moving all day (the snacks were for me, too.)
Set up the kids’ rooms first
The most important thing on my mind was making sure the kids had a place to sleep. By the time we had everything out of the moving truck, the sun was starting to set. I wanted the kids to be comfortable in their own beds to make the transition as seamless as possible. We made sure that the kids’ beds and sheets were set up first. With how young my kids are, I knew sleeping in a foreign place could be scary for them.
For my toddler, we set up his crib, dresser, and rocking chair in the same positions as they were in the old house for some familiarity. And for my 5-year-old, we reassured him that he was in a safe place. I planned on staying in his room for the entire night to ease the change, but it wasn’t needed. It also helped to orient him to where our bedroom was. I didn’t want the kids to be disoriented in case they woke up in the middle of the night. I set up night lights along the stairs and leading to our bedroom as a guide if my eldest wanted to find his way to our room.
Other than being overly tired, the kids did well on their first night in the new home. As expected, my eldest son made his way to our bedroom without fuss. He climbed into our bed just like he always had in the previous house. As for my 1-year-old, I honestly don’t know if he’s caught on that we’re even in a new home. I’d say he’s adjusted pretty well.
Moving was hard, but preparing helped
Moving the entire family was exhausting. As much as I wanted the house to be set up, I embraced the messiness. I welcomed living out of boxes and having the house in disarray. I kept telling myself it was temporary, anyway. There’s no doubt that moving with kids is a big life transition.
Looking back, considering how the move would affect the kids helped navigate the logistics from selling the house to moving into our new one. I’ll acknowledge that as a parent, I was more stressed about how my kids would adjust to a new environment. Even though they’re still young, I wanted to be mindful of their feelings, too. Whether that was sadness, excitement, or even confusion, I wanted them to know I was listening.
I do think the prep I did helped in this transition: packing up their room last, explaining the process of moving, and setting up their new rooms first. And today? I can confidently say the kids love living in the new house and exploring their new neighborhood. Just the other day, my 5-year-old said, “Mommy, can you believe we’re finally in our new house? Let’s stay here forever.” In which I replied, “Yes, buddy, let’s do that.”
Patty Schepel, Associate Editor
As the Associate Editor, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, editing freelance articles, and more. With Patty’s passion for writing, experience as a mother of two, and expertise as a pediatric nurse, she brings a thoughtful and informative perspective to The Everymom.
