Have you moved house recently? Are you planning on moving house soon? Do you have a baby? Well, how to move house with a baby is a question well worth asking!

Moving home has to be one of the most stressful things we do in life. When you think about it there are many things one has to think about during this chaotic period. We have to deal with estate agents, pack and unpack all our worldly possessions, organise removals, look for a new school if necessary – and all this might be happening under a cloud of uncertainty, as the deal which may lead you to your dream home could suddenly all fall through!

We can’t always choose the most ideal time to move home. Several years ago fate cast her dice and brought about a situation in which my partner and I had to move home with our 6 month old baby. Although it wasn’t the best of times to be having to deal with a move, decisions we made at the time really made things much easier than they might otherwise have been. Here are 6 tips to help you move home with a baby:

1. Try to keep to the same routine – sticking to the same routine in terms of feeding, naps and activities will help lessen any stress the move may have on your baby. It can be hard to get into a regular routine in the first place so keeping to one despite the upheaval will make life easier for both you and your little one.
2. Keep one room free of clutter – when we got to our new home we made sure that we kept one room free of boxes and other moving chaos! This made keeping to a routine much easier, as we were able to easily keep to his nap times without having to wade through a sea of boxes in search of his cot!
3. Speaking of cots…we ensured his was laid out exactly the same as in our old house. Familiar toys and mobile were all laid out along with his light show to ensure our little one’s new environment was as much like his old one as possible.
4. Have a bag handy – to keep all you’ll need for a couple of days. Things like nappies, toys, food and clothes can be kept in here so you don’t end up frantically searching for your baby’s favourite cuddly to keep him quiet while you try to unpack.
5. Make use of a play pen – and if you don’t have one get one! This was invaluable when we moved as we put all his favourite toys in it so he could keep himself entertained while we tried to make the rest of the house less like a bomb site and more like a home!
6. Ask for help – My partner and I didn’t have the option to ask relatives for help as we were miles away from them at the time. However, this tip goes without saying. If you can get a relative or friend to look after your little one on the day of the move, it will greatly reduce the pressure on you.

Looking back on this time, I think it would’ve been more difficult to move had our little one been a bigger one! I’d imagine moving with a toddler or older children is a little more trying as they’re conscious of a big change occurring which they may not like at all. I can imagine that having to explain reasons for the move as well as keeping them amused on the day would pile on the stress of an already difficult day. Thankfully something we’re not going to have to face for a good few years yet!

Author bio

Wayne Green knows full well the potential difficulties of moving home with a young baby or small children – from both sides of the coin. He runs Love Removals Brighton, a moving company on the south coast.

*This was a sponsored post