Moving the house with kids can be a challenging experience.

As much ar you are excited to move, the kids will make it a less easy for you and as a matter of fact will actually make it a whole lot worse unless…. well… let’s explore.

According to Zoopla, on average people move houses every 23 years. This means I would only have moved house once until now, yet I have moved 9 times since arriving in the UK back in 2004 ( and not ones before).

So I think I have a little bit of experience in this department. Since having kids, however, I have moved 3 times and hopefully, my recent move was the last one for a very long time. This has however given me an idea to write a few tips on how to move smoothly having the kids.

This post contains the affiliate links. Please read my Disclaimer for more information.

 

Moving the house with kids 7 tips:

1. De-clutter

Possibly the most popular tip that comes up in every research- yet essential to a smooth move. Whether you’re moving to a newly owned house/flat or to rented accommodation you would have at least a month’s notice. This gives you enough time to get rid of everything you don’t need. 
I have started off kids rooms and got them involved in revising all of their toys with them, working our way up through their books and wardrobes. I then moved to my bedroom ensuring I get rid off all of my clothes I have not worn for at least a year (meaning I won’t probably ever wear it again).

You can make money too if you have a bit of time by selling unwanted items on Shpock, eBay, Gumtree or any other website of your choice or through a garage sale (which I haven’t tried but have heard off). Alternatively, you can donate to charity or directly to churches/ religious institutions.

 

2. Gather as many boxes as possible

 

Do not bother buying the boxes if you are on a tight budget. I am lucky enough to be working in a place that gets lots of deliveries so I kept all the boxes that I could reuse and they have really come handy and I have gone through all of them.

Bigger does not mean better- as once filled up, they will be very heavy, so it’s actually better to get smaller boxes like these ones, rather than really big ones as it’s easier to carry when moving them around.

If you do have few bigger ones try to fill it up with lighter items like cushions, teddies, hangers etc, keeping smaller boxes for toiletries, towels, bedding etc. You can also ask for boxes from local supermarkets as they throw away many and wouldn’t mind giving some away.

 

3. Use luggage for clothes

I have used all of our luggage to pack all of the kids and our clothes making sure they are nicely packed so are easy to transfer to the wardrobes once moved. It’s good to have one small backpack each ( I had one for kids and one for mine and husbands stuff) and keep the most essential items just in case it’s hard to find the toiletries and PJ’s and two days worth of clothes just as if you were going on short holidays.

 

4. Mark every box clearly writing what’s inside

Sharpies will do a great job or any permanent markers for that matter. Be as detailed as possible and mark if fragile or need to be standing upright. We have actually also renovated the house so could not unpack all of my boxes for nearly 2 months (some even longer). Hence it’s essential to write what’s in each box as you will end up opening every box looking for one particular item, especially if you have same looking boxes.

5. Ask for help

If you are running out of time and only have few days to pack up, but kids are a handful, ask for the help of friends to take them out for a long walk or babysit them for you. Or ask them to help you pack if kids are big enough.

6. Have plenty of tape rolls

Have plenty of tape rolls, markers, bubble wraps especially for fragile items such as glassware or kitchenware. Have plenty of heavy-duty bin liners -they come handy for lighter things like kids jackets, teddies, cushions, clothes.   

 

7. Spring clean your house before the move

You would be surprised how much dust gathers behind the beds, or underneath storage so if you prepare the house early and clean it all up so that the only cleaning left to do will be of those places that were hidden or covered.

Also, wash up your bedding and have it changed before the move so you don’t have to worry about this for the first week or so after the move when you have so much of moving and setting up to do. This also goes for the dirty laundry- staying on top of it and washing every last bit before the move would just take the pressure off this part soon after you’ve moved.

 

In general moving, home is always quite stressful and a lot of hard work, but having kids takes it to another extreme so being well organised and planning ahead helps a lot.

If you have any tips that helped you move or have any questions please write in the comments below.

 

Thank you for reading