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Mommy blogger, Allison Stanton, of Ally's Helpful Hints for Mommies, recently moved with her two preschool aged children in tow. Ally shares her moving experience and organizational tips to make moving with kids easier.
Thanks to Carolyn for letting me guest post! She asked me to share some tips with you on moving with small kids. Check out last week's post for tips on preparing for moving day.
The last couple of days before moving I packed up everything except what we would need for a couple of days. It was like staying in a hotel. I had as much as I could in our dining room after moving our table out of the way and stacked it all up in one spot so it was easy to get at.
This made room in the bedrooms to take apart the beds as much as we could before our help showed up to load it all up. We allowed several hours to disassemble beds, to pack up bedding and to pack last minute items before our help came.
We also sent the kids to the grandparents house the morning we moved and the first night in the new house so we could get everything set up. If Grandma and Grandpa can take the kids longer than that I would recommend it!
To save the cost of a moving company, we got help from our church. The volunteers did a good job with minimal damage on the big items. Make sure to have a small treat and drinks for your helpers. :)
One tip I have for unloading is to have one person telling everyone where to put the boxes. It can be overwhelming with them coming in two doors or a bunch at once, but this way 80% of your items will be in the right room. I stood and told everyone where I wanted items and the boxes that were not labeled well I made a pile in our living room and went through it right away and put things where they needed to go.
I am still going through things and giving items away to downsize pots, extra bowls, decorations and the like. It really helps to keep things simple. I still have a room that has some boxes in it but we are slowly organizing and putting things in place.
The biggest thing that has helped me is to not hold on to items thinking "I may use this one day". If you haven't used it in awhile and do not think you will use it again soon, get rid of it! You can find yard sale groups on Facebook and Craigslist in your town.
Happy moving! What is your biggest tip when it comes to moving?
Who is Ally? My name is Allison Stanton and I am a stay at home mom of two boys: 5 and 2 years old. We live in Ormond Beach, Florida. I love connecting with other mommies and helping each other out. I pass along hints for mommies and I receive help at the same time. You can find me at my website at http://www.allyshints.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/allyshelpfulhintsformommies.