Moving With Children As A Busy Solo Dad

We've officially been in our new house for just over a month now, and phew! Moving is SO exhausting! While we trudged through the obstacles and delays that popped up on our journey to our new house, my husband and I had each other to share in planning the details and getting the physical moving actually done.

Single parents have a monumental task ahead of them when they look at moving to a new home! Without a spouse to lean on, they need to tackle all of the details, packing and childcare themselves.

Today I'm sharing a guest post about just that: how to make a move go as smoothly as possible for a single Dad. And I know that these tips will work just as well for single moms!

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As a solo Dad doing his best to keep up with children, sometimes, life can pull us from every direction. They center our kids at the forefront of everything they do, of course, but they still only have so many hours in the day to do all of that. If you’re planning to move house to give your children a new chapter in a beautiful location, all of the tasks you have to deal with can seem monumental.

You’re more than up for the task, of course. Raising children well and alone is a herculean task in the first place, so moving house is no sweat on your shoulders. Either way, it does take some good organization, and there’s no shame in having help with that. In this post, we hope to help solo Dads better plan out and ultimately relax into the moving plans they make, so they can focus on enjoying the journey and setting up a brand new life for their loved ones.

Open Communication With Your Kids

Moving might be a little stressful for you, but at least you know the full story of what’s going on. Children might not be entirely clear about how or why they’re moving when it will happen, and what the change will look like when they get there. Visiting the new location with them in tow and showing them their new beds can also be a good place to start. This way, they can feel excited and helpful, which makes the process so much easier.

Use Helpful Services

Using professional services can lighten your load a little. For example, packing up your belongings you don’t need, driving them to a storage unit provider, and leaving them for when you need to grab them again can help the packaging process run more smoothly. Alternatively, you can use removal services like Allied Van Lines to pack and take care of the hard work for you, which is always appreciated.

Involve Them in the Process

It’s also healthy to involve children in the process of moving. You can have them pack an essentials bag complete with everything they need for the drive. You can also agree in advance who is getting what bedroom so no arguments occur (or you can authoritatively decide this for them to solve any conflict before it happens).

Plan Fun Breaks During The Move

You don’t have to do everything at once. Getting a hotel room with enough beds or cribs for your kids while on your long drive to the new place can help you split up the journey, and also make sure you’re able to relax and not feel tired when driving an overly long distance. You might also make detours to help you stay engaged while on the way, such as heading to the movies or out for fun food trips. If you have a relative or friend await you in the new house, they can easily meet the delivery company while you transport the rest of your items and your precious kids. That can help break up some of the monotony.

With this advice, you’re certain to move well, even as a busy solo Dad.

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Share your thoughts!

What is your best tip for moving with kids?