Tips for a Stress-Free Move With Kids

OMG We did it!! We took the plunge and moved out of the city of Toronto to live the good life up here in Collingwood, Ontario. Sorry we have been a tad MIA on the blog. It's been a lifestyle change and super exciting and busy taking it down a notch.

Now, I’ve moved a lot in my life so I knew what I was facing here and decided to do things a bit differently this time. It was such a huge success and stress free for us, Bran and I decided to write an article to show you what worked for us in hopes that it helps you if and when you move.

SAVE YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS THE HASSLE, HIRE MOVERS:

Let’s be honest, moving is not easy! It’s a lot of work and depending on the amount of furniture and items you are moving, it can be a drag. Save the hassle for you family and friends and by the time you get a moving truck, pay for the gas and feed everyone involved and stop for a Tim Hortons stop, you may as well have paid for a moving company and relaxed while it was being taken care of.

Having moved a couple of times in the past few years, we know the amount of time, effort, and coordination required to move from home to home. You need a truck, boxes, energy, and someone to watch the kids. There is only so many times you want to ask friends and family to assist with moving. 

We decided to use a moving company for the first time and went with Let’s Get Moving Canada. They had a lot of great reviews and are recognized as being a family-friendly company. I am compelled to share my experience because I believe that when a company really does well by me they truly deserve a good review or acknowledgment.

The service our family received was above and beyond my expectations. We had 3 movers Carlos, Christopher, and William ( there we are above). They were so kind and respectful. Everything was handled with extra care, covered in wrap and blankets, and carried quickly yet safely. I honestly never saw them once stop to even drink water. I literally loved that they genuinely loved their work and helping our family.

They never dilly-dallied or wasted time and arrived at my new house in perfect timing considering the traffic. They even stayed at our new place for a few minutes to make sure we were settled and happy and this was almost midnight where most people would be dying to just leave the house and go home to bed. 

START PACKING AHEAD OF TIME

Having to pack all at once is stressful mentally and physically. The thought of having to pack a whole house in just a few days weighs heavily on the subconscious and can put you on edge. 

Packing a bit at a time can ease the pressures of getting it all done at once.

We also realized that it was a great opportunity to filter through our belongings to see which items were important and others that we could purge from our experience. We were fortunate to have my mom come by once a week to assist with the packing.

COLLECT BOXES IN ADVANCE

Boxes can be a hot commodity these days and your lucky if you arrive at a store before they are sent to get crushed. Everyone knows about collecting boxes from No Frills so odds are you may get 1 or 2 half-decent boxes per visit. Highly unlikely you’ll get the 20+ boxes you need. To prevent the need from having to purchase boxes, start collecting!

We didn’t do a great at collecting in advance so we did have to purchase some boxes from Home Depot. You are looking at $2-$4 per box depending on the size. Save yourself some money and collect ahead of time. 

USE CLOTHING BOXES WITH THE ROD INSIDE INSTEAD OF PACK AND FOLD:

This was a game-changer. Instead of folding, stacking and packing every item of clothing ( and we have 2 kids and I have a separate room just for my clothes) Let’s Get Moving Canada brought these large stand up boxes with a rod inside and we literally pulled the clothes out of our closet and hung it into the box and into our new closets when we unpacked. It saved me days of work to not have to fold and packed clothes into storage bins or boxes. 

LABEL EVERYTHING: 

We labeled every single box as it was taped up and packed. This makes it super easy when moving into your new place and knowing which box goes where. This is also your opportunity to write “ fragile” on anything you think could break or should be handled with care. You can buy labels at the dollar store and make sure to use a black permanent marker.

USE BLACK GARBAGE BAGS:

Black garbage bags are super convenient to pack up pillows, blankets, loose items and things that would waste a box and need to be accessed quickly. They are also helpful for the last hour of your load up as your throwing out garbage and collecting any items you didn’t pack.

PURCHASE MASKING MOVERS TAPE AND BOXES FROM HOME DEPOT:

Forget Kijiji or driving around different stores asking around for boxes and save yourself the headache and go to Home Depot. They have the most reasonably priced boxes and tape for you to get started. The boxes are great quality, and they even have a really nice section that has all your moving supply needs. I had a great experience using their products and was very happy.

ASK SOMEONE TO WATCH YOUR KIDS ON THE DAY OF YOUR MOVE:

Moving while taking care of your kids is not fun. Not only is a huge change for them, but their routine is going to be thrown off and that means fussy, hungry, bored children. Have a friend or family member take them for a walk or have them over for a movie. It will make your life easier I promise.

HAVE KIDS STUFF EASY TO ACCESS

Have a big box or bag of kids stuff readily available once you get to your new destination. The kids or baby will need some familiar objects, things to do and you don’t want to be stuck frantically rummaging boxes for Thomas the Tank Engine with all that unpacking and organizing to do.

WELCOME HOME !!!

Thanks for reading our tips and I hope you guy take our advice. If you want to hire these guys you won't regret it. Just head over to https://www.letsgetmovingcanada.com/

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xoxo Anna & Brandon