Moving House with Children

Moving home is a stressful time for the whole family, but for young children, the prospect of leaving friends and familiar surroundings can be especially traumatic. There are lots of things you can do to lessen the impact of moving home - and make the experience exciting and positive rather than unsettling and threatening. And remember, anything you can do to make the move less upsetting for your children, will also make the transition less stressful for you!

Before the move
Get your kids familiarised with the new house and area prior to the move. Drive by your new home regularly. Talk about its features. Focus on the positives, but don't ignore any concerns your children may have. Discussing any negatives in an open and constructive manner will help alleviate many of their fears. If possible, take a couple of day trips to discover local parks, pools, sporting and other facilities like libraries, child-friendly shops and indoor play centres.

Include your children in the preparations
Treat the move as a fun adventure, a journey into a new and exciting realm! Talk to your children about the process - about how the family needs to sort through all the various household items in preparation for the move. Then explain what is going to be happening on moving day itself so that it's not a scary unknown.

Treat the move as a fun adventure
Let your children pack a small box of things that are important to them, especially for the first night in the new home. Consider buying a small (and inexpensive) decorative item - a simple picture, a bunch of cloth or paper flowers, a mobile - for your child's new bedroom, and let your child know that it's his/her job to find the right space for it.

Saying goodbye
Give your children a sense of closure - it will help them feel more secure about starting afresh. That means giving children ample opportunity to say goodbye to all their friends. If you've got the time and energy, throw a farewell party for all their little mates and hand out cards with your new address details. Let your child decorate the cards with stickers and/or drawings.

On moving day
You may be supremely organised, but moving day will be a lot less stressful for everyone if you can have the children minded during the move - preferably by a close friend or relative. That way, the kids will be happy and you'll be able to give all your attention and energy to the move. If you can't find a minder and your children are going to be present on moving day, give them a few specific tasks so that they can have some involvement. However, make sure you've also organised an easily accessible game or activity to keep them occupied and out of harms way. Also have an esky full of drinks and healthy snacks (the odd treat wouldn't do any harm on this busy day either!). Your time and attention are especially important on moving day. Remember to take time out during the hurly burly to hold or play with your child. Be sure to keep any security objects such as a favourite teddy bear, doll or blanket close to hand. Above all, remember that the move is likely to be a bigger disruption to your children than you, because they're not in control of the process and have limited coping skills. Be prepared for a range of reactions such as tantrums, bed-wetting and finger or thumb sucking. Give your children stability and a sense of place as quickly as possible. Make setting up their bedrooms a priority then work to get into a household routine as quickly as possible after the move.

In your new home
When the move is done and you're all set up in your new home, hold a special family meal to celebrate.

This information was taken from Our Brisbane.com