5 Ways to Make Moving Easier with Baby

5 ways to make moving easier with baby via http://www.thegoodmama.org

The big day is here!

The day we say good bye to my beloved city of Philadelphia and become suburbanites.

I never thought I would be so excited to move out of the city, but I am.

  • No more circling around the block to look for the perfect parking spot in the shade!
  • No more digging my car out of the snow (well, I guess no more for Good Papa)!
  • No more loud, partying youngsters outside our window waking us up at 2 in the morning!

I spent the past week packing all of our stuff. Yep, I totally procrastinated.

I was totally anxious that it wasn’t going to get done, and there were definitely moments that I just wanted to give all of our stuff away and start all over.

In the end, I did find ways, with some help of course, to make the moving process go a little smoother.

1.) Utilize your materials! 

Boxes! Bubble wrap! Tape! All these items make for brand new baby toys that’ll keep your little one occupied for more than just a few minutes. W loved playing peek-a-boo in the empty boxes and investigating the bubble wrap and tape. You can find tons of creative ways to use a cardboard box over at The Train Driver’s Wife.

2.) Keep moving! 

In my post on 6 Tips for Dining Out with Baby, I mentioned the importance of transitions when I taught Kindergarten. If children have to sit in the same spot for too long, they start to get restless. The last thing you ever want as a teacher is for your class to get restless. This concept can be applied to babies (although they don’t last quite as long as 5 and 6 year olds). I would try to pack one box in one room, then pack another box in another room, and so on. The change of scenery distracted W and kept him happy.

5 ways to make moving easier with baby via http://www.thegoodmama.org

3.) Use Music 

W loves music and dancing. If someone happened to walk in on us packing they would have probably thought I had lost my mind with all of my crazy voices and dance moves.  I couldn’t care less. Music, whether it came from my “beautiful” singing voice or a pandora station, entertained W while I continued to divide and conquer the hordes of crap  stuff we had accumulated. Check out 20 Songs to Sing with Your Baby for some ideas.

4.) Get some help

At W’s 1 year appointment, the pediatrician warned me not to pack unless I had someone to keep on eye on W.  Well, sorry Doc, but that’s not practical. I was fortunate enough, however, to have my mother watch W one day while I got some serious packing accomplished. The pediatrician was right though- moving is a very dangerous time for baby. There are boxes everywhere blocking your view and a lot of items that are unsuitable for baby left unattended. If someone offers to watch your child while you pack, don’t hesitate to take them up on it!

5.) Take breaks!

5 ways to make moving easier with baby via http://www.thegoodmama.org

I’m not going to lie, this is my favorite way to make moving easier with baby. You start to go a little stir-crazy stuck in the house, packing day-in and day-out for 6 straight days. It’s the worst when the sun is shining bright and you are stuck staring down the bottom of your 15th cardboard box. So, go ahead, take a break. It’ll save your sanity!

5 Ways to Make Moving Easier with Baby via http://www.thegoodmama.org

What do you think, readers? What are some of your moving tips? What do you think the worst or best thing is about moving?

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