Moving House With Kids and Pets: A Calmer Way to Do It

A move is exciting for adults and disorienting for everyone smaller. Children lose their bedroom and their routine on the same day; pets lose their territory entirely. A bit of planning turns both from a crisis into a non-event.

Before the move: children

• Tell them early and show them photos or a drive-by of the new house.
• Let each child choose something about their new room — paint colour, where the bed goes, a new lamp.
• Keep bedtime and mealtime routines completely unchanged through the packing weeks.
• Let older children pack a personal box themselves and label it in their own handwriting.
• Arrange school and childcare transfers well ahead of the date.

Before the move: pets

• Update the microchip registry and council registration with the new address.
• Get a copy of vet records if you are changing clinics or moving interstate.
• Bring out the carrier or crate a week early so it stops being a vet-only object.
• Keep feeding times and walk routes normal for as long as possible.
• For anxious animals, talk to your vet about a mild calming option for the day.

On moving day

The single best decision most families make is having children and pets somewhere else while the truck is loaded. Doors are propped open for hours, heavy items are moving through hallways and the risk of an escaped cat or a stubbed toe is at its highest. If they must stay, set up one room with the door closed and clearly signed, containing their essentials, and tell the crew to leave that room until last.

1. Pack a day bag: snacks, water, favourite toy, tablet, spare clothes, nappies, medication.
2. Feed pets a light meal several hours before travel to reduce car sickness.
3. Transport pets in your own car, never on the removal truck.
4. Keep leads, litter trays and food bowls with you rather than on the truck.

At the new house

• Set up the children's bedrooms first, before the lounge or kitchen — a familiar bed made up on the first night is worth more than any other unpacking.
• Confine pets to one quiet room with their own bedding, bowls and litter tray for the first 24 to 48 hours, then expand gradually.
• Check fences, gates and screens for gaps before letting a dog into the yard.
• Keep cats fully indoors for at least two weeks so they bond to the new territory before exploring.
• Re-establish the normal routine the very next day, even if boxes are everywhere.

Our crews move families every week and are used to working around a toddler nap or a nervous dog. Tell us at booking and we will plan the loading order around it.