Relocating with the family? While moving can be an exciting time for the entire family to enjoy, the actual relocation process can feel overwhelming. Children can add an extra challenging aspect to the moving ordeal, which is why so many families choose to hire professional moving services to ease them smoothly through the process.

Whether you’re hiring professional, licensed movers to assist you or planning on doing it all on your own, getting organized is your best bet for a safe and successful experience. At Allied Alaska, we’re experts in creating custom moving solutions for household moves—whether it’s a small family move into a new neighborhood, or a large, multi-family group relocating clear across the country.

In this guide, we’re sharing some of the greatest lessons we’ve learned in our decades of experience as leaders in the moving industry. Take a look at these important do’s and don’ts for planning your next family move, brought to you by your expert moving professionals at Allied Alaska.

What To Do in a Move With Kids

Your kids crave stability no matter if they’re 3 years old, or 13. Changing their entire life with a household move to a new home in a new place can be a recipe for disaster if you don’t properly manage the moving process.

To that end, we have compiled a list of do’s and don’t that are sure to make a move a little easier for you.

  • Family Meeting Time: Order the family’s favorite food and let everyone know you’re holding a meeting to discuss something important. Keep it casual with plenty of conversation. Let them know of the upcoming move, that you’re excited, and explain why the change needs to happen (promotion, new job, etc.). Do this as far in advance as possible, so your children have time to get used to the move. During the meeting, make sure to let your kids ask questions and express their feelings. The children will need to feel and understand that their voice is heard.

  • Focus on the Rooms: The move will be a lot of work. There’s no disputing that fact. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take time to encourage yourself and your children to plan out the new rooms. Don’t limit the children to their own future bedroom, either. If you’re getting new furniture, have them contribute to the design of the new living room, or maybe the house has a couple of extra rooms you don’t currently have. Let them come up with ideas for these rooms. Better still; make a budget to share with them so they can figure out which ideas to bring to reality in their new home.
  • Plan a Fun Road Trip: Even if the children are excited about the new place, they could still feel upset about what they inevitably must leave behind. Long-distance moving works best when you make positive memories they will remember for the rest of their lives. Make the trip to the new home fun by planning a road trip they’ll never forget. Some popular places to visit en route include amusement parks, local events (look them up online), and anything that lets them stretch their legs out.

Things You Don’t Do

  • Not Explaining the Move: Sure, we get it. It’s hard to tell the children that their life is changing by moving. But waiting until the last minute to let the kids know they’re moving, or refusing to explain the reasons behind the move can be damaging to their self-esteem and emotions. Children are fragile when it comes to stability, and nothing shatters stability like a surprise out of nowhere. Let your kids know early on about your plans for relocation, to give them the needed time to come to terms with the changes.
  • Excluding Them from the Process: It’s true. Your children won’t be able to help with everything related to moving, especially if they’re younger. However, that does not mean that you shouldn’t include them where possible. Let them pack and label their own belongings. They will want to know that everything is going and nothing is getting left behind. If you have teenagers, you may want to consider upping the ante by including them on decisions like new paint colors, furniture, and most importantly, how they want to decorate their room. Feel free to impose limits where needed, but the main goal in this is to make your children feel like they are a part of the decision-making process.

  • Doing it Yourself: No matter how prepared you are or how helpful your kids try to be, the truth is that moving in and of itself is hard work. The easiest way to handle the move while still paying attention to your children and their needs is to work with a professional moving company. Let the movers handle the heavy lifting and transportation. Your child will remember how much time you spent with them during the move more than they will that extra box that still isn’t unpacked.

Coordinate the Move with Allied Alaska

When it comes to moving assistance, you need to look no further than Allied Alaska. No matter if you’re moving down the street or across the country, we have your move covered. Our connection to Allied Van Lines helps us ensure we deliver nothing less than excellence for our customer's relocation needs.

If you’re ready to start moving, we’d love to hear from you. Give us a call to speak with one of our agents about our professional moving services or fill out our online form to schedule your free online quote.