Moving with Small Children

Our not-so-small family is one of renters. In order for us to stay in the city, we decided to forgo buying a home and focus on staying in a community we like, even if it means being renters. This has given us the freedom to change our space as needed over the last few years, and with the boys getting a bit older, we realized we needed a better outdoor space for them.

Our current home is a bright and functional two story apartment above a shop on a busy day-time street (very quiet at night). We are close to the lake and to our kid’s school, and we love our community so we weren’t necessarily planning on moving, but when a flat of the same size became available around the corner with the added bonus of a very large backyard, we couldn’t say no.

So, we get to stay in our community but have a different space for our family, which is awesome. What’s not awesome is that we have three kids five and under, which is a lot of work when it comes to moving.

Or is it?

With some planning, we’re prepared for an easy transition move. Here are my tips for you if you’re planning on doing something equally difficult.

Plan, plan, plan

This one seems like a no-brainer, right? It’s hard enough to plan our day-to-day, let alone a move with five people, but the early time headache will save in the long run. We planned our move around taking possession of our new apartment a few weeks early so that we have some overlap. This gives us the ability to go in, purchase the small items we need and move odds and ends easily at our leisure. I know this isn’t an option for everyone, but it’s really keeping me cool about the move. We’ve also picked a moving day where the older two kids will be in school, and we’ve hired movers for a short time (three hours). We are planning on using the movers to move our large furnishings, and we’ll be able to do any odds and ends in that overlap time.

Purge

Also, pretty straightforward, no? I told my kids, husband and reminded myself that we need to clear out 50% of our stuff (knowing that it’ll be more like 30%) before we move. So while we pack, I’m going to purge the closets, toy box and kitchen equipment. Less to move means easier move, no? I’m going to be pretty brutal this round. Any broken things are going to be recycled or tossed, and anything unused is going to be sold or donated. I’m even getting rid of high end items I’ve kept for nor reason other than I felt like I should.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

This one is going to be hard for me! Even with all the planning, I know that there will be things beyond my control and I’m just going to accept them and move past them. Which is also why we planned on the moving overlap (if you are considering moving, and can, this is awesome and gives you a buffer to get things done!).

Once we get into the new space, we’ll be able to see what we need and where things will go, which is always the best part of moving, don’t you think? And the fact that we’ve been lucky to stay within our community is very rewarding for us.

Have you ever moved with small children? Was it a big move or a more local move? Tell me how you survived!