Moving with Kids
In the past few weeks, my little family relocated from WA to QLD: hubby, myself and our two sons aged almost 2 (in a few weeks) and 3 and a half.
We decided we’d pack up the car and send a shipping container filled with our furniture etc. via train, and drive across the country making a bit of a road trip of it. A nine-day road trip, in fact! I have a few points I’d like to make…
Firstly, a move (I’m guessing of any proportion, but particularly interstate with no family around to help on that end) does not begin and end with the part where you’re actually “moving”.
I estimate that this move has affected our family for around six months so far, with no end in sight. From the moment you decide to make the move, there’s packing and planning and phone calls and appointments, not to mention the stress…and all the while your kids are receiving less of your attention. And let’s face it; the attention they do receive is far more distant and divided as your mind is filled with information and uncertainty. In hindsight, I didn’t recognise this was happening at the time and felt that the kids were simply going through a naughty phase. Although it’s REALLY hard sometimes, when you recognise something is off, stop everything for an hour or so to listen and sync with your little ones. Your stress levels will decrease too, as an added bonus.
Secondly, road trips aren’t all bad news with little ones.
There are certainly some full on moments, every day, but planned stops every hour or so make the world of difference. Also saving to make the trip as comfortable as possible definitely makes the trip a lot more enjoyable and one less thing to stress about. I recommend trying the money box challenge in the lead-up: any change you can spare throw into one of those money boxes that need to be opened with a can opener ($2-$3 from a dollar shop). I saved several hundred from six months out, which almost covered accommodation in cabins each night. When it came to packing, I sorted through and sold off any excess toys, books, cushions, furniture etc. and put aside the money from this, notes and all, into the money box: after all, it’s not money that I’d budgeted as income for the year so I didn’t miss it!
Plenty of items to keep the kids occupied in the car is a must!
For my boys I put together a little backpack each of items to keep them interested. Items such as stickers, Rubik’s cubes, magnets, painters masking tape, watches that light up (check how they’re powered though: the ones pictured had those tiny batteries with an easily removable cover: I threw these away) and those old school things with the water in them where you get the rings on the poles, were the biggest hits in our car. Also matchbox cars and a pack of those figurine animals kept the littlest happy for quite a lot of the time. But the best investment we made for this age was the portable DVD player that we strapped to the back of the front seat. You’ll get people saying things like “the kids should be looking out the window” and “we never had that when our kids were that age and managed fine”. You know what? I don’t give a toss. Kids aren’t designed to sit still and look out the window, so therefore keep them occupied if you want everyone in the car to stay sane (or relatively, ha-ha). I don’t recommend anything that has buttons to make a noise such as a phone. This WILL drive you mad!
Snacks are highly sought after, so try to make the majority of them healthy!
My boys were big fans of SAO biscuits, sultanas, cut grapes & other fruit, sandwiches, rice cakes and the occasional Tiny Teddy. 😉 I personally wouldn’t hype them up with sugar while they’re confined, and I learnt pretty quickly not to feed them lunch when we were stopped: let them run and climb, then use their lunch to keep them quiet in the car for another half hour.
After we’d arrived to our destination, the unforeseeable happened and delayed our shipping container for over a week. This stressed me to no end, and we stayed between family member’s houses whilst we awaited our things. This put a lot of strain on me because I’m really big on my routine, which I was keen to re-establish as soon as possible. I had to keep reminding myself that I’m my own worst enemy: the boys were happy, relatives were happy as they got to see a lot of us all, so I may as well make the most of it also. Once I’d decided that, things became a lot easier. That and my decision that I no longer cared if people thought drinking a wine or two every day was excessive he he. It took the edge off my anxiety and I don’t think it’s a problem. 🙂 Mind you, nobody said anything: sometimes I’m my own worst enemy!
Unpacking day finally arrived: the truck couldn’t fit down the driveway and got stuck, and the Fit Bit I’d received only the day before for my birthday told me that my heart rate was in fat-burning zone: I was barely moving ha-ha. In the end we made further compromise, and everything worked out even better. Family came around and the house was packed with bustling people trying to make our day easier, be it the physical heavy lifting, playing with the kids, unpacking boxes, or even bringing around ham and chicken bread rolls and cold drinks for all my hard workers.
The lesson here is accepting help where it’s offered: geez it makes a huge difference, and you don’t need to do everything by yourself.
We still have boxes to unpack and a pantry to properly fill, but we’re taking a few quiet days to realign, due to the boys showing me how stressed I’m making them! Sitting on the floor and building with Duplo with them is great for relieving stress and connecting with my role as mumma! 🙂
Article by S Johnston
