We thought we had it all figured out for this move! We had been at our apartment for 4 years and when the rent suddenly skyrocketed, we realized we had to move. It was a tough call because we weren’t exactly getting a much better deal. But we were trading some pros for some cons, and in the end were able to save about $100 per month.

Our plan? Hire movers. We’re not college kids anymore, woohoo! Not only that, but the hubby decided it might be easiest if I took Baby Pencil to my sister’s so that the entire apartment would be free for moving. We hired some guys and I planned to be away for most of the day. Sounds easy, right? Holy cow. There are some things I wish I had accounted for. Here are some tips for moving with a baby!

  • Hire movers… but also have at least one other person to help unpack at the new location.

We thought hiring movers was enough, but after they dump all the boxes in your apartment, you’re just stuck surrounded by boxes! Since I still had to take care of the baby, my husband was basically a one man show. Baby Pencil was running around, so it was quite difficult to help out. Our goal was to unpack as many boxes as possible. But when you unpack a box of stuff… where does the stuff go? For us, it just went on empty counter space. Then it just accumulated and everything started to look like a junk yard.

  • Get childcare for the next few days so you and your spouse can dedicate a few hours each day to settle in.

My nanny unfortunately was not available during our weekend move, but I should have planned ahead and asked my parents or someone else. My husband had to unpack and put things wherever he thought was best. It’s 2 months later and I still wish I had a say in where the cups went in the kitchen! (And who has time to rearrange that now?!)

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  • Make a food plan! Whether it’s scouting the nearest local restaurants, prepare that your fridge is going to be pretty empty.

I only thought about the baby’s food and I didn’t even think about food for us adults! I ended up having to run to the nearest place that had chicken teriyaki bowls and that’s pretty much what we had for the next few days. Also we really needed drinks! It would have been nice to just have some cold sodas for unpacking breaks.

  • Keep your eye out for all kitchen and baby related things so that those can be unpacked first.

We ended up using our booster seat on a random chair for a few days. Our dining stuff was nowhere to be found for a little bit, so we just had to scoot things aside and create a space for feedings. We labeled all the baby’s boxes pretty well. Or so we thought! But I should have laid out his clothes and activities for the week instead of only the next day. The most important things we needed to find right away were his sleep sack, his crib, mattress, and noise machines.

  • Prepare as many pieces of baby entertainment as possible! (Since you will be surrounded by boxes.)

This was the hardest part — trying to keep a baby entertained in an empty apartment with only boxes. I ended up allowing him to watch the most TV I’ve ever let him watch on my phone! I figure it was a S.O.S. moment!

  • Babyproof immediately! 

Since our furniture wasn’t set up yet, all the outlets and dangerous areas were exposed for weeks before we got around to baby proofing. The most important items were a baby gate to separate the baby from the kitchen entirely, cabinet locks and outlet protectors.

  • Be prepared that the baby may not adjust well to the new place.

I didn’t even think about this! But our old apartment was the only home Baby Pencil has ever known. He knows where all the rooms are, the smells, the sounds, so he was in a cranky mood for the first couple weeks! He would often go to the front door, as if to say, “can we go home now?” It took him awhile but I think he’s finally got it that this is his new home!

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Overall, it was much more tiring than we expected! I hope that next time we can be more realistic.

Have you ever moved with a child? What would have made the move easier?