I am moving and I have 7 month old crawling baby. Any tips for packing/unpacking process?

Question

I am moving in 10 days, so I am packing my staff nowadays. It is difficult with my baby around, so I am doing that very slowly.
Do you have any tips/suggestions/previous experience to facilitate the packing/unpacking process? for example, what to pack first? last? what to unpack first? last?
How much time did it take from you to pack and to unpack?
How to pack baby's big toys such as exercauser and jumper. Things that is hard to split its parts and put it back in their boxes.
Any suggestion is welcome.
Thanks.

Answer 1

I moved with a 14 month old, and again, with a 2yrold and an 8mth old. Pack as much as possible during nap time, then, during the day when your little one's up, put a bunch of toys in a box, or turn a box on it's side to make a little cave, kids LOVE boxes! This should keep him/her out of your hair. As for what to pack and when - pack the small things, anything sentimental - books, DVD's and CD's, ornaments, winter clothes, the spare stroller, extra bedding, anything you feel you can live without. Even the kitchen, pack up as much in there are you feel you can do without. Maybe you could prepare enough meals to keep you and your family going for the next couple of weeks and freeze stuff, then pack most of the kitchen up. Pack away most of your little one's toys, only leave the ones that are used the most. I have the Evenflo exersaucer, and if that's the one you have, it folds relatively flat without being dismantled, and will fit into the original box without the toys attached. You can pack it last and unpack it and set it up first and keep your little one occupied for a while (my son loved it, but my daughter hated it with a passion). Break down anything you can, if your wardrobe is a flat pack, buy a wardrobe box and hang all your clothes in there, then break down your wardrobe and get that out of the way. Only leave the basics, and most of the basics you'll have will go straight on the truck as is - your sofa, mattress, the kitchen table (though you can go without that for a couple of days if needs be, so maybe, if it can, break it down a day or two before the move date). Maybe move your baby into a pack and play for a few days before the move so that you can break down her crib. Find out if your moving company provides a specialist removals service for your TV, especially if it's a plasma or LCD TV (the vast majority are now), if not, make sure that you pack the TV well so that it's not damaged in the moving process.



If you're worried about packing anything, particularly the bigger of the baby's toys, consider packing them into the car and taking them around the your new place before the move, that way, you can have them ready and waiting when you get there for your little one.

Answer 2

My husband and I just moved in June and we had a 10 month old. I packed at night or early in the morning when my son was sleeping. This way, he wouldn't get into anything and I could pack in peace. With packing, we ended up packing things that we knew we wouldn't use. The majority of his clothes (except a weeks worth) were packed and most of his toys. We kept out 3 sippy cups and a plate for him - again, everything else got packed. We did this because we wanted to make sure when we got to our new place, all we really had to do was unpack one box and it had everything he needed for the night. We took down his crib last and put that up first.

On the day of the move, our son went with my mother in law and stayed the whole day. He also went the following day while we unpacked the rest of the boxes. He was out of our hands and we could focus on moving and unpacking. As far as his big toys, we moved them assembled. We figured it would take more time to take it apart than to actually move it. We pretty much had the whole house unpacked within a week or so, but I was also 5 months pregnant and nesting pretty bad.

Answer 3

Start by packing stuff you can live without until you move, such as books, decorations, nick-nacks, etc. Label every box clearly as to what room the stuff belongs in, this helps cut down unpacking time. As far as baby's bigger items, don't take them apart. Just save those for last when you are loading the moving truck. You can always stick them on top of things so they don't get crushed and you won't have to put them back together. It took a week or so for me to unpack completely, but that was just me unpacking since my hubby works long hours and I had two kids to juggle.

Answer 4

Pack the toilet paper and baby's things on top- you'll need those first!

I really suggest trying to find a sitter for the actual move or first day there; unpacking will go three times faster.

For the big baby items, leave them as they are or wrap them in newspaper. Detach the smaller toys if you want and put them all in a box together so nothing goes missing.

Answer 5

If you're worried about your baby getting into everything, you should put him/her in the exersaucer. I find I can get a lot done while my daughter is in hers. Personally, I would pack up my bedroom first, and just keep out a change or two of clothes and the bedding out. Then maybe I'd tackle the bathroom, that's usually a pretty clean sweep. Then I'd probably go to the kitchen and get everything except a few dishes to eat off of, or you could order food too. For us, the kitchen was a big process. In the living room, you should leave the TV for when you need a break from packing, you will probably miss it if you pack it up early on.



I think I'd work on baby stuff last, because you always seem to need or want something as soon as you pack it away. I don't think you'll be able to pack it all up in one day by yourself while watching your baby... if you can find a babysitter to either take your baby, or come and keep your baby happy, you will be able to get a lot more done. If that's out of the question, then I'd definitely suggest putting your baby in the exersaucer for as much of it as you can.

Answer 6

Another suggestion would be to completely pack and empty one room, preferrably in a common area of the house where he/she can see/hear you and watch the goings on, and you can have a close eye on him/her as well. Put a gate up in the room, and while things are moving in and out, packing stuff everywhere, and baby will be safe to play in that room. Give him/her toys in there, maybe your pak-n-play if crib is taken down. etc.

Answer 7

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