Making Your House Removals Stress-free for Your Family

Moving home is extremely stressful and has a massive impact on everyone in the family, you will be more stressed and highly strung, you may even have less patience with everyone else in your family, your children are likely to become sad or angry, confused or bored an may start making a nuisance of themselves or acting out, and pets will be confused with everything that’s going on and may start to be naughty or hide away. If you know what to expect then you can help to reduce the amount the family is affected, thus reducing the amount of arguments, bickering and tears.

•    Think about yourself: ignoring your own basic needs is usually the first thing you do when you are so busy, but in doing so you can lower your mood making you more tense and prone to snapping or arguing.  Make sure that you eat properly, drink regularly and do anything that you may need to for yourself throughout the day (e.g. adding warmer clothes).  Try to be patient with the rest of your family on moving day, lead by example.

•    The Kids:  moving home can be very difficult for children, especially if they are leaving the only home they have ever known, and friends to boot.  If you are having to move your child’s school, this may have an even greater impact, as you child will now be worrying whether they will like the school, whether they’ll fit in, if they are going to be bullied. To help to make the move less stressful start packing up the house and leave your child’s bedroom until last, let them have their familiar surroundings and safe place for as long as possible (plus they can keep themselves entertained in here leaving you to carry on with the packing).  It would be ideal if your child could stay with a relative or friend on the day you move home, you will have peace of mind that your child is being looked after and are left to get on with moving house. If nobody can look after your child for you, pack a bag for them, containing food, drinks, snacks, toys/entertainment, spare clothes and whatever their favourite things is, whether that’s a teddy or a blanket.

•    Consider your animals:  If you have dogs and cats moving home is going to be difficult for them, they are territorial animals and are not happy being taken away from where they consider home.  Therefore, you must handle the gently.  On the day you move keep them in a safe room so that they don’t escape in the madness of the house, make sure they have food and water and somewhere to sleep and go to the bathroom. Wait for as long as possible before putting your pet into the pet carrier to minimise the amount of time they are in there for. At the new property put your pet, in the carrier, in a safe room, open the doors so that they can come out when they are ready, and provide them with food, water and perhaps some treats.

Once you have unloaded the van and your home is secure, you can open the door to the room where your animals are, and let them explore the house at their own pace. Don’t rush them along, they may be very wary at first as the surroundings will be new to them.  Keep your pet indoors for at least 3 weeks, let them get used to the house first, then when you do let them outside, do it for 15 minutes at a time, any longer and they may wander too far and get lost, especially cats, dogs are usually confined to the garden.