Tips for Moving with a Toddler & Small Children

Are you starting out the new year in a new home? Moving is already difficult enough, but when you add small children to the mix it can make things downright unbearable. That’s why SMARTBOX is here with tips for moving with a toddler! Let us put our years of experience to work for you and help you get settled in your new home!

If you’re planning a move in MD, VA, or DC, contact the experts at SMARTBOX by dialing 301-683-6111 or filling out the form to the right.

Our Tips for Moving with a Toddler

Here are our top 10 tips for moving with a toddler:

1. Pack in advance – Trying to move the whole house in one day can make for exhausted and grumpy parents—not to mention how your little one will feel! SMARTBOX offers the ability to pack well in advance for your move. We’ll bring our portable storage containers right to your home and give you a month or more to fill the boxes with your belongings.
2. Make a checklist – A checklist is going to help you keep everything in order and ensure everything that needs to get done does. A large concern for many children is that their cherished belongings are going to be forgotten and left behind, so a checklist for them can be useful, too!
3. Involve your children – Whenever possible, involve your little ones in the move. Depending on their age, let them help pack their clothes and toys, wrap things in bubble wrap, or sort through items to go in different boxes.
4. Pack a specialty bag for kids – Does your child have a special bear or blanket that he or she loves? Favorite books, PJs, bottles, or more? Pack a specialty bag of items for your little one so those items will always be on hand when needed.
5. Label kids’ boxes very clearly – Imagine this scenario when you get to the house: your child wants their specific Toy Story doll and you know it’s packed in one of the many boxes labeled “Toys.” Solve this problem before it even happens by labeling your boxes as thoroughly as possible, including lists of what items are in each box.
6. Enlist the help of friends, family, and a trusted moving company – This is a really great tip for moving with toddlers—possibly one of our best! Getting into your new home is going to be a lot easier with good help. You can enlist friends and family as babysitters and SMARTBOX as your moving company. We can move you locally or long-distance, we offer moving services such as packing, loading, and unloading, and we can even offer temperature-controlled storage and moving supplies.
7. Explain the move to your kids – Particularly with younger children, sometimes they just don’t understand the concept of moving. Sit down with them and explain everything that’s going to happen so it’s not confusing and scary when the time to head to your new place comes.
8. Prepare car activities – Another stress-saver for moving with children is preparing car activities for your kids. Whether it’s car games like Bingo or I Spy, books, movies, or toys, be prepared with a multitude of distractions to keep the kids entertained.
9. Help your children say goodbye to the old house – After your goodbye party, another important thing for your children will be saying goodbye to the home where they’ve made so many memories. Help them write notes to their friends, make a list of all the things they’re going to miss about their old house, and all the things they’re looking forward to in the new house.
10. Make the new house feel like home – When you get to the new place, things are obviously going to be different, so try to make the new house feel like home by hanging up art, setting up pictures of the family, and sticking to familiar routines.

Let SMARTBOX Help You Move

Do you need more tips for moving with toddlers and small children? Or are you ready to plan your move to a new home? Contact the moving pros at SMARTBOX. We can help you customize your move and make getting to your new place easy.

Contact us online or by phone today at 301-683-6111!

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