Zoombirding For Families: How To Make Moving With Children A Stress-Free Experience

If you’re working remotely like many people these days, you probably have the freedom of working from anywhere. That makes it easier to move across the country and enjoy the perks of a warmer climate year-round. Finding an ideal location for “zoombirding” is easy, with many places in the South offering excellent locations  for remote workers looking for a bit of sun and warmth during the cold season. According to a recent StorageCafe study, Florida and Texas lead in this respect as they offer an ideal mix of fun and sun, plus well-supplied housing markets to cater to .

If you’re among prospective zoombirders and you have a family, moving can be headache-inducing as there’s a lot to manage—from finding a new home and packing to thinking about your children’s needs during the move. To help you streamline the process, we’ve put together a few tips below:

• Make Arrangements For Your Current Home

Zoombirding means you’ll be away from your current city and home for a couple of months at least. That means you’ll need to make a plan for your current home. If you live in a house, you need to do more than lock the door and leave, especially if your house will be uninhabited during the cold months. A pipe could burst or the roof could get damaged, incurring huge expenses to repair. With all these considerations, you could rent your home while you’re away. If you decide to take this route, putting some of your belongings in is a good idea to avoid issues while you’re away. Ideal candidates are family heirlooms, personal items, artwork, collectibles and even furniture—items you don’t want to get damaged while you’re working remote.

If you’re renting, managing your apartment prior to your move may be easier. You could arrange it so that you are leaving when your current lease is up. If that’s the case, you can place most of your belongings in storage. If you’re not putting everything in storage, you might be able to fit the contents of your two-bedroom apartment in a 10’x15’ unit, or you might need to upgrade to a 10’x20’ unit if the smaller size seems like a tight fit. 

However, if your lease is not going to be up before your move date, or you love your apartment and wish to keep it, you could continue to pay the rent or sublet if your lease allows it. 

• Decide How You’re Handling Moving Your Belongings

You also want to consider how you’re going to get your belongings to your new home across the country. You could manage the move yourself, or you could hire a moving company to assist you. Since moving can be quite stressful, this is probably a job best left to the professionals. If you’re going with professional movers, book them in advance to make sure you can get them on the day you need to move.

• Prepare Your Children For The Move 

Change can be difficult for children, and moving to a new place, even if it’s temporary, can be stressful for them. To help them navigate this time of transition, explain why you’re moving and when the move is going to take place. It might be helpful to show them pictures of the new city and the neighborhood you’re moving to. Ideally, it will be family-friendly, where your children can find playmates easily. Get them excited about a museum or another child-friendly place they can look forward to visiting in their new city. This will help them better cope with the relocation.  

• Find A School In Advance

If you have preschool-age children, start as early as possible. This will help you pick the best school for your children before the move. Once you decide on the school and your children are enrolled, you can show them a picture of it so they can have an idea of what their new school looks like. This can help them better adjust to the new environment.

• Start Packing Early

Essential items such as IDs, birth certificates, medical records and other personal documents are the first that should be packed to avoid forgetting them. Make copies of them and put them away in a secure location.

• Go Through Your Belongings

Moving is a great time to purge your home. Go through everything you own and see which items are broken or you’re not using. Make “toss,” “keep” and “donate” piles. You can have your children help at this stage. They can bag or box the sorted items. This can make them feel like they are a part of the process, and it will give them something to do while you’re busy packing.

• Engage Children In The Packing Process

If it’s not possible to take all their toys with them, have your children pick which ones they’re taking. Show them how many containers they can use for their toys. They can also help with packing their clothes, shoes and other personal items.

• Pack A Children’s Essentials Bag If They’re Small

If you have a baby or young toddler, make sure you have a baby essentials box. Include items such as diapers, pacifiers, bottles, wet wipes, baby food, set of clothes, toys and medication. This way, you’re set baby-wise, both en route and when you arrive.

• Make Childcare Plans For Packing Days

Having small children in the house when you’re trying to pack can slow the process down, not to mention it can put your toddler in danger. Cardboard boxes may be innocuous, but tape cutters have razor-sharp teeth that can hurt your child. That’s why it’s a good idea to plan for childcare for this time. This way, your child is safe and you can take care of packing with no interference.

• Take Pictures

It might help to take pictures of boxes with their contents so that you can easily find what you’re looking for when unpacking. If you plan on decorating your new home in a similar way, it might help to take pictures of your current home for inspiration.

• Label Moving Boxes And More

Even though you’re organized and you might be packing items by category and room, labeling boxes can also be a helpful step in your moving process. Group boxes and containers by room to make unpacking a little less challenging.

• Organize A Goodbye Party 

If you can squeeze it into your moving schedule, it would be fun for the children to have a goodbye party. Invite their friends and family to say goodbye. This way, you’re allowing your children to have some closure before the temporary move.

• After The Move

Once you get to your new city, take time to familiarize your children with their new home. Point out any interesting details that might excite them, such as old trees near the house or the large backyard where they can play. 

Unpack their room first. It will give them a sense of security and calm to see their bed, toys and other familiar items, helping them to settle in more quickly. 

Next, meet the neighbors and introduce yourself. If you moved to a family-friendly neighborhood, your children will find playmates easily.

If you plan on zoombirding with your family, you might discover that this type of relocation, albeit a temporary one, can be even more challenging than a regular move. However, following a few simple guidelines can turn the moving process into a positive experience for you and your children too.