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Moving into a new home can be incredibly stressful but moving into a new home with a baby or a small child can add a whole other level of stress. That type of move is going to need master skills in organization, planning, and precision. There are two important elements that you need to keep in mind to make your unpacking less stressful – what you do before you unpack and the actual process of unpacking. No matter if your baby is a newborn, crawling, or walking, consider these valuable tips from the pros to make sure your unpacking is safe and stress-free.
Purge All Unneeded items before Packing
Less is best when moving into a new place, especially if you have small children or a baby. The best time to purge your home of any unwanted items or items you will not be taking with you to your new home is before you start packing. This will help with fewer items to pack and will save you room in your moving truck. The less you pack also means the less you must unpack, which will relieve stress on you and your baby.
Hiring Professional Movers
Having a new baby takes up a lot of your time and will take time away from the loading and unloading of your moving truck or rental truck. Trying to bounce back-and-forth from taking care of your child and packing and loading your truck can add much unneeded stress. We recommend that you hire a professional moving company to do the loading and unloading for your belongings. Make sure that you look for a moving company early in your process of moving. These types of companies tend to fill with appointments quickly. The early you do this the better chance you will be able to pick the perfect date for your move.
Detailed Packing
When it comes to packing those moving boxes and other packing containers you will want to make sure that you are as detailed as possible, which in turn will make unpacking quicker and easier.
- Pack clothing by type or by season. If most of your clothes are hanging up in your closet, make sure to purchase wardrobe boxes to make packing them even easier. You can also pack folded clothes at the bottom of the wardrobe box to lessen the number of boxes needed.
- Do not mix rooms when packing boxes. Once you have all your new boxes in your home, you will not want to start unpacking a moving box and then must carry it to another room to unpack the rest of the items.
- When packing items from your bathrooms or kitchens, if they contain a liquid, make sure to pack them into Ziplock baggie. This ensures that you will not have any leaks that can cause damage to other items.
- Labeling each box is important. Make sure to label them with the contents and designated room. This will make it easy to unpack baby-safe items while the baby is awake, and then you can save the others that may pose a danger to your child while they are asleep, in a safe area, or with a babysitter.
Deep Clean Your New Home
When moving into your new home you are going to want to make sure that it is clean for your family. You will want to do a deep clean and sanitize everything and everywhere. Try to find a babysitter or ask family or a friend to watch your baby while you deep clean your new residence. If you have the funds think about hiring a cleaning service to come in and clean your new home.
Baby Proofing
First things before you start to unpack, baby-proof your home. Everyone knows that moving into a new home can be stressful and distracting. Making sure that your home is safe for you family and baby should be your number one priority. Have a safe place to put all hazardous items and create a safe place for the baby so there are no dangers posed for unpacking. Some important things to consider:
- Put away all boxes and packing materials away as you pack and unpack.
- Secure any heavy items, furniture, or TVs and place in safe places. If they are in areas your child can get to, make sure that they are secure from toppling over.
- Use safety gates for any areas you do not want your child to access.
- Place child locks on drawers, cabinets, and doors.
- Cover all electrical outlets.
- If you have a pool, make sure that it is fenced in and gate is shut and locked.
- Lock all doors that lead to the outside.
- Install a baby monitor and security system.
Unpack During Bedtime, Naptime, or when they are away
Some of the best times to unpack are when your baby is sleeping or at a babysitter. Yes, we know that during this time you are going to want to catch up on sleep as well, but this is the perfect time to accomplish tasks that are impossible when your child is awake or in your arms.
Pack Baby Essentials
When packing you will want to pack all the baby essentials like playpen, baby swing, and toys separately and keep them in your vehicle instead of placing them on your moving truck. It will be easier once you get to your new home to create a safe area for your child. It will also give you a huge advantage during the unpacking phase.
Professional Unpackers
If you have room in your budget for professional unpacking, this may be a smart route to take. Many moving companies offer this feature at an additional fee. They will unpack and assemble any furniture. If you cannot afford the whole house to be unpacked, then consider having the moving company assemble and unpack the child’s bedroom or nursery.
Pack the Nursery Last
Sometimes you think that packing the nursery up first would be the best idea, but you must take into consideration how the truck is packed. If it was packed first, then everything will be at the back of the truck and not in front. This would make it incredibly hard to be able to set the nursery up first. Doing this will help tremendously in unpacking.
Maintain a Schedule
During the madness of unpacking, try to keep a schedule for eating and sleeping. A missed nap or a missed meal can mean one cranky child and stress that you do not need.
Keep Snack and Toys Handy
The move may be stressful on you, just think how the stress can affect your baby. You are going to want to keep them distracted with snacks and toys. Think about purchasing new toys so they have something they have never played with before. Try creating a couple of baby toy bins that can be switched out every hour to keep them engaged in something new.
If you follow these steps, you will notice that moving with a baby or child is not as hard as most people would think.