Advice for moving day please?

kiwichick · 23 September 2005 at 4:24PM

Dear All,

Our move should be happening in late december (horrendous timing). Do any of you have advice on how to deal with our kids on moving day? They are 3, 2 and 1 :eek: . I havent moved before and dont know what I should take in the car with us rather than the lorry in order that they have what they need when we get there. Also, what do I do with them on moving day? I thought about staying over at the mother in laws place the night before and leaving them there the next morning so the adults could be here for the lorry but OH says silly idea. I assumed it would be easier with 3 nippers running around - maybe I am wrong?

Any advice VERY gratefully received.
Al.

N9eav · 23 September 2005 at 4:27PM

Sounds like a potential nightmare. I think I would find somewhere for them to go for the day. You don't want them running about, crying and risking getting injured. You would find it difficult to watch them and do the pack-unpack. It is likely to be stressfull, and you would want to leave them behind at the old house?

socks_uk · 24 September 2005 at 8:55AM

ahmilligan wrote:

Do any of you have advice on how to deal with our kids on moving day? They are 3, 2 and 1 :eek: .

I know you would rather not have the children under your feet and this is what 'I would do'...

Make sure the 2 older children have visited the new house a few times and they know that that is where they will be living and sleeping soon. Show them which room they will be having etc.

Just before moving day, get them each their own 'moving box' and decorate it with them trying to make it fun and exciting and make a list together of what they will need to take with them to Grandma's.

On the day of the move ( I know you will be totally stressed but...) wake the children early and 'pack' their things first WITH THEIR HELP. Shouldn't take too long if you've got the things ready in a pile the night before. They'd probably be the only things left not in the packing boxes anyway. Make them aware they are 'helping' with the move. Then Grandma can take them without too much fuss because they've 'helped so much already'.

When you get to the new house unpack and make the children's beds up first and then your own and the kitchen stuff or as much as you can do before the children come 'home' (don't worry too much about everything else, you have the rest of your lifetime in the house to do that.

As soon as the children come home you should explore the house and garden together making it fun, maybe even playing 'hide and seek'. Show them their rooms again, now with their beds there and unpack their decorated 'moving boxes'. Maybe even keep an early/late Christmas present for them to open at bedtime or new pyjamas. You can carry on unpacking when the children have gone to bed if you've not gone to bed at th same time!

Children of 2 & 3 love to help (well, mine did) and the following day give them simple jobs like dusting. It will let them feel like they are helping, then maybe grandma can help out again by babysitting again. Include the children in as much as you can and the move should be less traumatic for them and for you in the future. If they're suddenly whisked away from their 'normal, safe surroundings' to a 'strange place' without warning it might upset them quite a bit.

Jill

PS

I've never moved house before (but mine's on the market) and my daughter is 17 almost 18!! so maybe this isn't the right thing to do. I only know that if you try to involve the children all the way and make it 'fun' it's easier in the long run. Shopping trips with my daughter when she was 3/4 yrs were fun because we drew her a shopping list of a few items with pictures and I put all the other things we needed into the trolly on the way round looking for 'her' things.

kiwichick · 24 September 2005 at 9:42AM

Thanks Jill :A thats FANTASTIC advice. I was worried about how it might affect the kids, even at such a young age they have a social network of friends and playgraoup etc. I will def be following your plans.
Al.

socks_uk · 24 September 2005 at 10:43AM

WOW Al, I'm an angel??

No, not really, I've just worked with kids in various settings for 14 years... playgroup, Infant school, junior school (still there, been there for 12 years), kid's clubs, playschemes, Rainbows, mum (of one) for 17 years!

Thanks anyway,

Jill

kiwichick · 7 October 2005 at 2:52PM

Well, after all that our sodding house sale has fallen through, we have lost the house that we want ant wont be moving any time soon.

I'm having a BAD day.

Thanks to all for the advice though,
Al.

socks_uk · 7 October 2005 at 6:54PM

Oh no! How disappointing for you Al.
Is there no chance things can be sorted?

This is what I'm dreading. I just hope we sell to a FTB and that nobody puts in an offer on the empty house with 'no chain' that we've got our eye on.

Hope all works out for you soon.

Jill

kiwichick · 7 October 2005 at 7:27PM

Ours was a FBT, they had their mortgage approved in principle an after they (and we) paid out for surveys, mortgage app etc they were told they couldn't get a mortgage after all :mad:

We havn't told the top of the chain yet, we have a viewing tomorrow which sounds promising to I will see how that goes and then fill the rest of the chain in on Monday.

So for now I am tidying like mad, having gone from a house in a complete state due to packing I am now haing to try and get it immaculate before 12pm tomorrow!

ARGH..........................

whoever · 8 October 2005 at 9:42AM

Hmm - that seems a bit strange. Did they offer a lower price based on how much mortgage they can now get? I wouldn't have thought that the mortgage offer would suddenly be reduced by that much unless they were economical with the truth or circumstances have changed since they applied. I'd get on the phone to the estate agent and try and get to the bottom of why their mortgage was refused. Have they tried another mortgage company?

kiwichick · 8 October 2005 at 10:36AM

As far as I can gather, they were going for a 100% mort with Northern Rock. I t had been approved inprinciple and my EA had paperwork from NR comfirming it. Then yesterday NR rings to say they cant have it afterall, effectively breaking the contract they had with my buyers :mad:

Shes stuffed cause shes paid for a survey that hasnt been done and cant get er money back, I've paid out over £1000 on surveys, mortgage apps etc on the new place and now we might loose it :mad:

I am fuming and waiting for a call from the EA on monday to get some more answers.

Al.

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Advice for moving day please?

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