Moving home hacks?

[Mazzatron]

Hi everyone.
Moving to a new house in a new town about 1 hour away, in early June.

Have moved plenty before but only as a single person. This time moving with husband, 3 year old, 1 year old and exuberant Labrador.

Anyway, feeling a bit daunted and wondered if anyone has any useful tips / hacks for moving, general types (like packing and organisation type tips) and also moving with very young children.

Thank you in advance. Hope it makes sense I'm v tired!

Pay for packers and removers - worth every penny! But I would say to keep a close eye on them and label boxes as they go as they tend to just sticker boxes by room and you'll find mugs in every box labelled kitchen while you're still searching for a saucepan and the toaster!
Someone to look after the kids and dog for the day, pack an overnight bag and a box with the kettle, tea bags etc in for when you arrive. Have dinner out that night or a takeaway.

Get a large see through bag or packing cell for each child and one for the dog.
Pack what they will need for the first night, next morning.

EG: for the kids, pjs , underwear, nappy, toothbrush, hairbrush, bedtime toy, outfit for the following day. Snacks.

Dog: toys, blanket, dry food, bowls. Etc.

People have covered a lot, but my top tip is label every side each box (can probably get away with skipping the bottom) - otherwise they'll all be stacked in a room and you'll be unloading and contorting to try and find the label to figure out what is in it.

Last year we paid about £500 on top of removals, that included all boxes and packing materials, so it's a no brainer. Look at the cost of boxes alone, if you want a comparison.

Childcare and animal care is an essential.

Start decluttering now.

Supply drinks and snacks (not just tea/coffee, but cold soft drinks/water, fruit, and doughnuts went down well with our crew).

And don't forget to tip.

Yes to packers x1000, it's worth every penny and some. You will need to declutter before hand or you are just paying them to move crap from one house to another. Best tip someone gave me is to take already slept in duvet and sheets from old house and put them back on in the new house (rather than 'clean' ones) as the familiar smell helps children settle in the new room

We were £500 extra for packing, worth it in the grand scheme of things.

We only moved with one 3 year old and paid for packers. About an extra £500 and genuinely the best money I’ve spent. They were amazing. Boxes were packed so well and labelled properly. Would have taken me weeks and took them one day!

keep a bag back and arrange childcare if possible. Make up the kids rooms first so that’s inviting for them.
set aside cleaning products for the new house - you’ll want to clean cupboards before unloading your stuff.

Pack your plates / glasses / breakables with your clothes!

Do an absolutely brutal de-clutter.
If you have 25 coffee mugs, give away 10
30 unread books? Keep 5.
Get rid of DVDs and CDs except for a few favourites.
Massive clothes chuck out.

I know people who've moved and six months later have a dozen boxes still unpacked because they don't need or want any of it.

The reason we all love holiday houses is they only have the essentials and not 50 of everything.

Sort through your child's clothes and toys but pack their room last.

We boarded our cat for a week while we moved.

Is there a family member or friend who can be there on moving day who can take your child off for a walk, lunch, park play?

Pack for the new house. As in pack your boxes according to what rooms the items are going to go in the new house, not where they are now. I can't believe how many people don't do this, then spend so much time reorganising when they're unpacking.

Fill the boxes to the top so they don't collapse when you stack them. So have smaller boxes for heavier items, ie books.

Wardrobe boxes are worth their weight in gold.

Label the boxes and items with what room they're going in. And then label the rooms in the new house on moving in day with post its or just taping a sheet of paper on each door. So the removal men know where to put everything quickly and everything ends up in the right place.

And most important IMO, the first thing you should do on moving in is make the beds. It's the last thing you want to do when you want to fall into bed knackered at the end of the day and you'll be pleased it has already been done.

I moved from a three bed house to a two bed apartment. I decluttered as much as possible. Gave things away via facebook or charity and I filled 3 skips.

I've always packed a suitcase with sufficient bed linen for all beds, towels, toiletries and outfits so we can manage for a couple of days. I pack an essentials box with tea bags, coffee, kettle, mugs, cat food, cat dishes, bin bags and a bottle of wine. All important papers go in my work bag. These 3 items go in the car with me with the cats so they dont get lost in amongst everything else.

I always pack as much as possible as soon as possible. I use movers and ask them to make up the beds and dining table so all we have to do on the first night is make the beds and eat a takeaway.

I wouldnt take your dog to a kennel as it would be upsetting.

Book a charity shop pick up for two weeks before and after you move. I found these great because it just really focussed my mind and made it easy to get rid.

Wow, so many useful ideas - thanks so much to everyone! What would I do without Mumsnet?!