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We have moved a lot in the past few years, and today I am working with Bounty to share how we made moving possible… even with kids.
tips for moving with kids

They say that moving is one of the ten most stressful things that you will do, but honestly, it wasn’t that way for us.   We moved and were unpacked, each time, within a week.    Here’s how we did it.  Oh-first… our moving history.

2004: married & moved to our first house.  This move was the furthest… from PA to NC.

Two years later, in 2006, we found out that I was pregnant with our first son and my husband was transferred to a neighboring city, so we decided to move to a house closer to his work.

A woman posing for the camera.

2008: When our oldest son was a year from Kindergarten, I wanted to move back to the school district where I taught.  I wanted to be in the town where we were most comfortable, so we moved back to the town that our first house was in and we’ve been here ever since….

We had three boys at the time of the move.

A group of people posing for the camera.

So, anyway… back up a few years.  When we moved to this house, we had three young boys.

I had our house completely unpacked (& decorated) in six days.  This was longer than it took me for house #1, because for house #1, we did not have kids.   With house #2, I was on bed rest with our second baby, so everyone had to unpack for me.

I have always unpacked really quickly.  Most people ask us how we always unpack so quickly and here is the reason:  IT IS ALL ABOUT HOW I PACKED.  It saves us so much time!

tips for moving w kids

I packed exactly the way that I would unpack.  I packed up one drawer at a time (in every room in the house).  When I packed up the kitchen, I did not separate into categories, I just packed it exactly how I had it at the old house.   The cups all were put into one box (I didn’t even use much protective wrapping, I just moved it carefully.  We left the very heavy stuff to the movers).    I labeled it “Kitchen cups” and I had it unpacked in five minutes.

I also set aside the “must haves” for that first day there (everyone gets an overnight bag & I bring cleaning supplies):   

A pile of suitcases with a package of Bounty paper towels resting on top of them.
Notice my enormous amount of Bounty paper towels.  Hahaha!!  Yes- I have these in my garage now (we stock up) but I also used a lot at each move.  I want our house to be clean when we move in, so before I unpack each room, I clean each room. The absorbency of Bounty is perfect for cleaning old and new spaces.   I guess that’s why they are known as the Quicker Picker Upper (saved me time.. That’s for sure!)

I literally cleaned EVERY room with them before I put our stuff in there:

 A package of Bounty paper towels with a spay bottle of cleaner beside it.

I think that this makes moving SO easy… being prepared.   They say that moving is one of the most stressful times in your life, but I think that if you make it easy, it can be less stressful.

Here are some tips to make it easier:

  • When moving our clothes, I didn’t take them off of the hangers and fold them- I just put them into our car, on the hangers, and put them right on the new closet racks.
  • Stock up on cleaning supplies for before and after the move, like Bounty Paper Towels.   Bring them on Day 1. (Grab some Bounty coupons here.)
  • When moving toys, I just moved the whole toy box.  I didn’t take it out- I just moved it.  I moved the ottomans  (filled with everything).  I moved desks (filled).
  • If you pack just as you want to unpack, you will have it all ready when you get there- you just open a box and transfer it to its spot.
  • Don’t take your clothes out of the dresser, just take the drawers out and leave the clothes in the drawers- no need to re-stock them at your new house.  They will be ready to go.
  • Let the kids play- The kids had a blast playing with the boxes and in a new house, so they were easy to keep entertained.
  • I worked on the house a lot at night.  I stayed up until 2:00 am or 3:00 am until I had it done.  I just can’t stand having boxes around, so I had to have it unpacked and “live-able” for our family as quickly as possible.
  • Plan on ordering meals for about 3 days straight.  The reason?  Until you get your food moved in and your kitchen the way that you want it.  It was also much easier to not have to prepare a meal for our family when I knew that I wanted to use my time unpacking. I also stocked up on non-refrigerated foods that we could eat for lunch quickly (PB&J, fruit, etc…)
  • Like I mentioned before, keep your cleaning and moving supplies in a box that you can unpack first.  You will want to have this box handy.
  • Have friends help you to move the boxes (buy them dinner when they are finished- we just picked up a few pizzas and some beer/wine/pop for my family and friends.
  • Unpack the kitchen first (you will use this room the most).
  • I moved to our bedroom second (how I organize the bedroom)  and the living room third (How I organize the living room).
  • -The kids rooms were so easy to move- just dressers, beds & a few toy boxes.  
  • Put all of the toys in the play room (if you have one)
  • Have a place for everything & put everything in its place.  You will keep the same system, just move it to a new house, which is what will make this easy.
  • When you come across a decoration (picture, etc…) just hang it up.  Don’t let it sit for months because you “can’t decide”- just pick a place & hang it up.  You can move it at any time down the road.
  • NO ELECTRONICS (for you) for a few days!  Just focus on getting organized!  Wait to get online or watch TV until you are unpacked.  These things slow down your work-pace because you can easily lose focus on what you are doing.

I hope that this was helpful!  Grab your coupons for your cleaning & moving supplies here.  Thanks to Bounty for this sponsored post today- I use Bounty Paper Towels EVERY single day, so moving day is no different (well… maybe a little.  I use a few rolls on moving days! lol!). 🙂

 

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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4 Comments

  1. I am pinning this for later! You have some mad unpacking skills! This makes me think about keeping things clean and organized as you go so packing would be easier.

  2. These are really great tips! We are moving to our new house and I was looking for helpful tips. There is a lot of work that we need to do in order to create the atmosphere of our home! Thanks for these tips.

  3. Be positive about your move. If you dread the move children will pick up on this and will also be anxious about it. Try and get children as involved as possible by welcoming any questions they may have, and go through what will happen on moving day. Great tips! Thanks.