How do we pack up a 3 bed semi with a toddler in 2 weeks?!

[Mammabear31]

Finally got our move date, in 2 weeks time! argh we have so much stuff I don't know where to start. Plus we have never moved before, not on this scale anyway! Hints, tips, advice please!!!!!!

I have just moved (2 bed flat to 2 bed house) and I am on my own with a toddler so I feel your pain!

I first did areas that would impact on ds least - my bedroom / my knocks knacks and books / kitchen etc and just had piles of boxes tucked away in corners of the rooms for the duration.

Ds "helped" pack his toys for the new house, which I think helped his comprehension - I made sure it was first thing I opened at new place as well so he saw what would happen.

We lived on take always and paper plates eye for the last week if I'm honest, and the last few days I took ds to my mums house as I needed to just crack on. Appreciate this may not be an option though!

Good luck, have plenty of wine in for those stressful moments and try not to panic!

Ps I got a house move kit with boxes, tape, bubble wrap and a marker pen in. It was expensive but worth it for the lack of hassle involved. You can get wardrobe boxes too so you can transport clothes and just pop them back In the wardrobe other end.

One room at a time? Draw up a schedule, few hours every day.

Pack the kettle last & make sure that box with similar stuff travels closely with you, not packed away in back of a van.

You'll need lots of boxes I expect, so day 1 is finding & bringing home boxes.

I packed over a 4 week period. But it was doable in 2 weeks. I did it in the summer hols with a 4 & 7 year old plus my mindees under my feet.

We started the de clutter as soon as we knew we were moving. Have you had a skip yet to get rid of the junk?

I used banana boxes picked up at my local Morrisons. I got 5 or 6 every time I went. I just wrote what was in it and what room it should be put in at the new place.

We used a removal company who were brilliant, they charged a flat rate £150 them £30 an hour there after. And we just left them to lift and carry everything as DH and I both have bad backs.

We pain the removal company for their full packing service. Day before we moved I sat on the sofa and are biscuits whilst 2 men stripped the house like a pair of locusts. It was genuinely the best money I've ever spent.

Ask the removal company how much extra for them to pack for you.

It is brilliant: they do everything on the day before you move. They provide the boxes, and collect them and take them away again when you have unpacked. All you have to do is mark clearly which room in the new house you want each box to go in.

Pack a box with kettle / tea /mugs and take that in the car with you, also pack a bag as if you were going for a weekend away - everything you need for toddler - PJs, teddy, calpol, toiletries, some favourite toys and books, and keep that separately, maybe in the car.

Ideally get your toddler out of the house while the removal men carry furniture and boxes out and then in. The move very fast, a toddler underfoot is not in anyone's interests. A relative or friend who can care for the toddler elsewhere?

Also get a removal co who will assemble your beds before they leave.

The packing service we had was surprisingly cheap as part of the removal package.

And worth it.

Pay for packers - it's genuinely very cheap and they take the boxes away for you when you have emptied them.
AND
even with professional packers, you will still need/want to pack some stuff yourself and there'll be tons of unpacking to do don't forget.

Agree. Get them to pack for you. Ours have just left with all our stuff in a van (we complete tomorrow!) and they've been fab.

I'm sitting in a half cleaned mostly empty house with a few mins spare for MNetting

We will do most cleaning tonight and finish off the rest tomorrow. So far I'd heartily recommend it :)

We moved last Friday, Thursday morning a man came from the removals company & packed the entire contents. Cost us £300 extra but was absolutely the best money we spent!

Yup, I am (hopefully) moving in 2 weeks with 4 kids and a husband who may be out of the country on business. We are getting packers, though be warned all 3 companies that quoted for us would not go in the loft, so we have to empty that ourselves. It feels weird not to be putting stuff in boxes yet!

Packing service all the way!!!!!

Thanks for all the ideas everyone! Today the packing starts and I'm doing the things we don't need I.e photo frames, candles, Pots and pans in the kitchen etc. and DH is going to sort the shed/loft this weekend. It's so overwhelming!

It'll get done OP. I packed up a four bed house on my own with four kids in the middle of a breakdown in four days. Just be organised and label boxes and try not to stress too much.

Be as imaginative about your packing as you like - it's only you that sees it! I've used towels and spare bedding (and tablecloths and coats, now I think about it) to wrap up fragile stuff, or pad out boxes. Even padding out the bedroom photos / ornaments box with socks or t-shirts - knowing that it all belonged in one room.

At the other end of the scale, I'd empty one kitchen cupboard into one box, so that I knew that whole box just had to go into one cupboard the other end. Depends of course on what you're moving to and from.

Consider who will be lifting the boxes - would it be better with more smaller boxes (lighter, but more trips) or fewer heavier / bigger boxes?