Moving With A Baby Tips

I have been MIA these past couple of weeks while moving with a baby. Granted it’s just from our mobile home to our FINALLY finished home. It’s so exciting and tiring at the same time! It has been difficult keeping a routine with the baby and trying to pack everything, clean and unpack everything else.

We’re moving up the driveway so I can only image how difficult it would be moving across town or to another country! Still, with an infant it has been a struggle. There’s been so much going on that we haven’t been able to depend on family to watch Little Man for hours or even days for that matter.

After a week of trying to pack things and move I decided to get my crap together and have a plan. I want you to learn from my mistakes with these tips for moving with a baby and not waste time as I did. Our little ones grow up so fast that there is no time to waste!

Prepare

Have plenty of boxes ready to put things in.

Don’t go in blind. Having a plan of attack on packing is not going to work. You want a plan for the baby and work on packing around that.

Trust me, you will not get packing done with an unhappy baby unless you are going to pack in the middle of the night. And I don’t know about you, but I like my sleep.

Invest in packing labels so it is easy to unpack and keep track of things. Also invest in some good packing tape to secure the box after it’s packed.

Items to consider for moving with a baby

Lots of juice/fluids/snacks

Depending on the age of your little one, you’ll want to have plenty of fluids and snacks for their age. At 6 months of age, we just started trying the Gerber Puffs, so as I was packing I would break a puff into thirds and give him a little treat to focus on as I was moving things.

Same way with juice. Most of it was diluted with water, but as I was working around him I would give him sips of juice to keep him hydrated in between meals. Packing is exhausting, even if your little one isn’t doing anything but watching you run around, they’re exhausted too.

Different toys in each room

If you’re packing in places that don’t have things an infant can play with, it may be best to have toys they are familiar with in different rooms.

My child has about a 20 minute attention span before he’s bored and looking for something else to do. We found it best to alternate between laying time, sitting time and standing time. Each in different rooms. I packed as he was entertained with different toys.

Involve the baby while packing

When you stress, baby stresses. Try to make packing into a game.

Give them different things they can play with. When baby stresses they want to be held and comforted. It’s difficult to hold a baby and pack things, so involve them the best you can.

Let them play with things, hold certain things. Sit in the box while you’re packing things. Try making it like a game.

In the kitchen I gave Little Man a pot and wooden spoon to play with. Something he normally wouldn’t have. It kept him occupied while I packed most things in the kitchen.

When that stopped entertaining him, we brought out cups and he eventually played with cereal containers. Get creative, but stay safe because your attention will be more focused on packing.

Stay with the baby’s routine

Everything is about to be chaotic. You’ll want to stay on track with the routine you have already established. Continue with their normal eating and sleeping times.

If they get off schedule things may become difficult, because they won’t understand what is going on. I know I get cranky when my schedule gets messed up!

Move baby’s stuff last

Babies like routine and staying with what they know. Packing their stuff last and setting it up in the new place first keeps them with the things they know. This makes moving easier and less stressful on the baby.

Side Note: While packing things can get messy. If your little one is very active, watch for small pieces on the floor. Moving furniture can have small surprises too, make sure baby isn’t able to get ahold of these while you’re not looking.

We started early and didn’t have to go far, but it wasn’t easy. We’re still slowly unpacking, but baby is happy and we’re enjoying our new home! Good Luck!

If you find something else that worked for you, please share with me!

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