Moving is stressful at any time. However, it can be an especially daunting undertaking when you have small children around. Here are 5 tips that can help you keep your sanity during the process.

1: Out of the way on moving day

Moving day is busy… and it’s also exciting! For children who are watching their home get dismantled and then handled by hired strangers, it can certainly be both. Children running around underfoot during this period is a major safety hazard for both your children, and the movers (not to mention your valuable possessions.) Get your children out from underfoot by enlisting the help of a friend on moving day so that you can still direct the process the way you want it done.

2: Introduce them to the home early

Moving into a new home can be disorienting, and for your children, your old home might be the only one they ever knew. Introducing them early to the new house can help them envision the future better. Help them to get excited about new decorations in their room, and if possible, introduce them to some new friends in the area.

3: Invite them to help pack… but keep them out of the kitchen

Moving means a lot of work. Usually, children will want to help! However, you don’t want them handling grandmother’s china. Instead, assign them practical tasks like packing up their own rooms, putting away books, and packing up clothing. Make sure that you give specific instructions and are area-specific with your packing scheme so that things don’t get mixed up in the wrong boxes.

4: Be careful of packing materials

Many packing materials can be unsafe for children, although you can guarantee that they’ll want to play all day with that bubble wrap. Packing peanuts provide a common choking hazard for infants and toddlers. Plastic bags carry suffocation risk, and even the serrated blade on packing tape can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Keep packing materials carefully stowed away when young children are around and educate yourself about the dangers these materials can pose.

5: Self storage can help

We know that moving is stressful in every way possible, and it’s just made more difficult when there are also children to manage. Here at Red E Storage, we’d love to help out. Many customers use our units when moving from one home to another, as it’s a perfect way to take care of your possessions when you have a waiting period between move-out day and move-in day. Our units are conveniently located at the point of the mountain in Bluffdale. So whether you’re moving in Salt Lake county, in the rapidly expanding Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs area, or down towards Provo, we’re poised to help you get your things safely from one place to another.