How Kids Can Help on Moving Day
Moving out of your old neighborhood and into a new property can be a challenge for many families with children. If you have friends or family nearby who can help babysit for the day, it can make things go much more smoothly. But many families moving into new cities don’t have that luxury and have to watch the kids themselves. Hiring movers can make this go a lot easier, but you and the kids will probably still be pretty busy with the move. If you have lots of clutter that you are unsure about bringing or have things that you may want to bring at a later date, then you may want to invest in self storage units to help ease the chaos. Anyway, here are a few moving tips to get the kids involved when it’s time to move!
Babies and Young Children
Babies, toddlers and very young children won’t be able to help very much with moving boxes, and they are likely to get hurt if they’re walking around or playing in high-traffic areas while you and the movers are carrying things through the house. It’s recommended to simply keep them safe and out of the way in a separate section of the house while the moving truck is being loaded and unloaded.
Older Children and Preteens
Older children and preteens are usually very eager to help out, but they’ll get bored quickly if they aren’t allowed to do anything but sit and watch. It might be appropriate to have the oldest child stay with the younger ones to keep them safely occupied while you’re busy carrying boxes or unpacking. You’ll know from previous experience if this is a good idea, or if you’ll need to supervise the younger ones yourself. One idea is to get them to sort through things that they no longer need. It might be a good idea to look at crate hire if there are lots to get rid of! If they have no younger siblings to watch over and just want to be involved, one way to keep them busy for a while is to have them “supervise” and check off the boxes from your master packing list as they are being carried in or out of the home. They’ll love being able to tell the moving crew where to take each box as it comes in from the truck.
If possible, try to have the kids’ furniture and boxes brought to their rooms ASAP. That way they can start unpacking their clothes, toys and books themselves. This keeps them occupied while the movers are hauling things in and out of the other rooms, but it also gives them a sense of pride and ownership over their own rooms. They’ll love being able to set everything up themselves.
Teenagers and Young Adults
Your teens and adult children can and should be very hands-on during the move. Anyone who isn’t busy watching the younger kids should roll up their sleeves and help wherever possible. If you’ve hired a moving company, then all the heavy lifting will be done by them. Most moving companies in Las Vegas will even unpack everything for you if you want them to. You can your young adults unpack their own belongings in their rooms. They can also help set up in the kitchen by lining shelves and drawers with shelf paper, putting away dishes and glassware or by stocking the pantry.
Moving is a major life event. Even if you’re only moving to a home and not actually leaving your current state, it can be pretty stressful. But by working together, following a plan and keeping the little ones safe, moving into a new home can be a fun, memorable and relatively painless experience.
