Tips for Moving with Toddlers and School-Age Kids

If you take only one piece of advice from this article, let it be this: Pack an essentials bag for every single child.

Treat it like you’re going on a weekend trip, but simpler. This bag does not go on the moving truck. It stays in your car, right next to you.

Here is what needs to go in there:

• Comfort items: The special blanket, the pacifier, the one stuffed animal they can’t sleep without.
• Change of clothes: Two sets. Trust me. Accidents happen, and juice boxes explode.
• Snacks: Hungry kids are grumpy kids. Pack more crackers than you think you need.
• Entertainment: Tablet (with charger!), coloring books, headphones.
• Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, kid-safe soap.

I made the mistake once of packing my son’s nightlight in a “bedroom” box that ended up at the back of the truck. The first night in the new house was pitch black and terrified him. Never again.

I know, I know. You want to get the toy clutter out of the way. But packing up a child’s room weeks in advance is a recipe for anxiety. Their room is their sanctuary. If you start stripping it bare too early, the reality of the move hits them too hard, too fast.

Pack the garage first. Pack the dining room china. Pack your own winter coats. Leave the kids’ rooms intact until the last possible moment – usually a day or two before the truck arrives.

When you do pack it, let them help. My boys loved wrapping their action figures in socks. It made them feel like they were protecting their buddies for the trip.

This is an old warehouse trick I brought home. Don’t just write “Boys’ Room” on the box. Use colored duct tape.

Assign a color to each kid.

• Blue tape: Oldest son.
• Green tape: Youngest son.
• Yellow tape:

Put a piece of that colored tape on the door frame of their new room in the new house. When the movers (or your helpful friends) come in with a box that has blue tape, they know exactly where it goes without asking you fifty times. It speeds up the unloading process massively, meaning you get to the “settling in” phase faster.

Chaos is the enemy of security. When everything around them is changing, kids cling to what stays the same.

Try to keep the pillars of their day identical.

• Do they eat lunch at noon? Feed them at noon, even if you’re sitting on the floor eating pizza.
• Is bedtime 8:00 PM? Keep it at 8:00 PM, even if the beds aren’t set up yet (use mattresses on the floor).
• Do you read a story before bed? Do not skip the story.

The more familiar the rhythm of the day feels, the less scary the new environment will seem.

I mentioned the “Essentials Bag” earlier, but this goes deeper.

Don’t wash their favorite blanket right before the move. Seriously. Leave it smelling like “home.” That scent is comforting.

For my dog Max, we bring his old bed and don’t wash it for a week after we move. The same logic applies to kids. Familiar smells and textures ground them. If they have a beat-up old stuffed animal, that thing needs to be treated like royalty during the move.

Kids have weird fears about moving.

• “Will the tooth fairy know where I am?”
• “Will my friends forget me?”
• “What if the new house has monsters?”

Listen to them. Don’t dismiss their fears as silly. To them, they are very real.

When we moved to Chicago, I was terrified I wouldn’t have anyone to play baseball with. My dad didn’t just say, “You’ll be fine.” He actually researched the local Little League before we even got there and showed me the pictures of the field. He validated my fear and gave me a solution. That’s the goal.

Forget the kitchen. Forget the living room. The kids’ rooms are priority number one.

Get their beds assembled first. Put their sheets on. Set up their favorite lamp. Get some of their toys out on the floor.

When they walk into the new house, you want their space to look inviting and familiar. If their room feels safe, they will sleep better. And if they sleep better, you sleep better. It’s a win-win.

Once the beds are made, get out of the house. Go find the positives.

“Look, there’s a park with a slide bigger than the old one!” “I saw an ice cream shop two blocks away, let’s go check it out.”

Turn the new neighborhood into a treasure hunt. We call it “scouting the perimeter.” It makes the new place feel like an adventure rather than a displacement.

I touched on this earlier, but post-move, it is even more critical. Get back to normal as fast as you can.

If you usually do Taco Tuesday, find a taco place or make tacos on your first Tuesday there. If they have soccer practice, get them signed up immediately. The quicker they plug back into their activities, the faster the new place feels like home.

How do you know if they are family-friendly? Ask them. “I have a toddler who might be running around. Are your crews used to working in homes with children?”

You want movers who are patient. You want a crew that watches their language. I’ve seen crews that blast heavy metal and curse every time they lift a sofa. That’s fine for a bachelor pad, but not when you have a four-year-old mimicking everything they hear.

This is the boring logistics part, but it’s non-negotiable.

Any legitimate interstate mover must have a USDOT number and an MC (Motor Carrier) number. You can look these up on the FMCSA website.

Why does this matter for your kids? Because rogue movers hold belongings hostage. Imagine your kid’s crib and clothes locked in a truck while some shady company demands an extra $1,000 cash. It happens more often than you think. Verify the license. Protect your family.

Don’t just look at the star rating. Read the text.

Look for keywords like:

• “Polite”
• “Respectful”
• “Quiet”
• “Clean”

If a review says, “The crew was so nice to my kids,” hire that company immediately.

• Cash only: Run away.
• No physical address: If their office is a P.O. Box, be suspicious.
• Unmarked trucks: If a rental truck shows up with no logo, that’s a bad sign.

Your family’s safety is involved here. Don’t cut corners to save a few bucks.