Moving into a New House with a Toddler?

Shelley,

You can expect changes in sleep pattern and regression in certain behaviors. It will pass. The best thing you can do is to maintain routine, normalcy and rules. Don't let everything slide under the excuse of the move; it will just freak her out even more. Discipline the same as you always would.

I have moved twice with toddlers and each handles it a little different. My 2 year old son had a hard time understanding that his toys were coming to the new house even though he watched the packing process, saw the empty house, and we told him a hundred times that his toys were going to the new house. Even after we unpacked he believed some of his stuff was left behind. My son is bright, there are just some things too hard for a 2 year old to understand, so be ready for that kind of thing.

Piece of advice: Unpack daughter's bed first. That way, even if you don't get much unpacked the first day, when it's time to go to bed she will have her bed, sheets, pillow, blanket, etc. Have her keep her favorite whatever with her instead of packing it. Try to keep the same bedtime routine, timeframe and rules.

Good luck,
S.

My daughter was about the same age as yours when I moved from an apartment to a house and what we did was put her from a crib to a toddler bed and that was her big treat in the new house. However, my daughter was fully potty trained by that time...so maybe the crib to toddler bed wouldn't be a good idea for you, anyway, my daughter did just fine and was excited about the move and didn't wet the bed one single time, so no anxiety that way. It'll be great for your little girl too I bet!

We've moved twice since we've had kids...only with my oldest, really. He was about 8 months the first time, and 20 months the second time. Honestly, he barely flinched. He had a good time exploring the new place and enjoyed the empty old place---we had to go back and clean it after we moved our stuff out. We just made sure that his stuff was the first priority to get set up---crib/bed, blankets, and whatever stuffed animal they are used to. They have the easy part, believe me...I think it'll be you that has the hard time...little ones are so resilient.

We just moved about 4 weeks ago. I am due with our second in 2 weeks. My son's room was the first thing we set up. I tried to give him something familiar to easy any anxiety. He did have some night waking for the first 3 or 4 nights. I went to comfort him the first 2 and then felt like he needed to figure out how to put himself back to sleep in his new room. So the next to nights I let him fuss a bit. He figured it out pretty quick. The rest of the transition was pretty exciting for him. He loved unpacking boxes and "helping." Also we baby-proofed BEFORE we moved in. Outlet covers and door latches made me feel better about letting him explore without my constant "NO"ing. I will say that I found myself getting pretty pre-occupied with getting settled and ignored him a bit. His behavior started to deterriorate a bit because of that. As soon as I realized it and took several play breaks throughout the day things really started to smooth out.

Moving is hard enough and throw a toddler and pregnancy into the mix and you've really got a circus. Just know that it will take time to get settled and remember to give your toddler the attention she needs.

My son was a little older when we moved, but it was a big transition for him. Check some books out from the library about moving to a new house; if you can, bring her with you to see the new house BEFORE you move "this is your new room;" ask her to help you put some things in boxes (one thing very common in kids is they think they have to leave their toys and books and things behind in the old house - she can "help" you pack some things while you talk about playing with these toys in your new room at the new house.) If you have time to paint, maybe ask her what color she wants her room - where she wants her bed, her bookshelves in the new room. She doesn't have a choice about moving, so give her as many choices as you can about other things. Make sure to say "goodbye" to the old familiar places - the park, friends' homes, etc - always with an eye on the new places "let's say goodbye to the old park" and then at lunch that day talk about the playground at the new park, or whatever. It'll take a little extra time, but will give her space to process the move in whatever way she needs to. She might breeze through it all without looking back - or it may take her time - totally depends on your kid.

Good luck!

We moved to a different state with a 3 year old and a 1 year old! There was no time to really prepare them for an adjustment! But very surprisingly they both handled it really well! Once the start putting their rooms together and seeing thing that are formalize they did fine! Kids are a lot easier to adjusting then adults! Maybe let her pick something out new that she gets to put into her new room! Good luck and congrats on the new house!!

We just moved last week with our 3 year old. He has been having some attitude problems since we started packing up his stuff and it really hasn't gotten much better yet, but who knows if that is him just being 3 or if has stemmed from the move. We also set up his room first and got all his toys back out just to make it feel like home and he does seem to have adjusted good, he says he likes his new home and doesn't ever ask to go to the old home.

The one good thing about it is ever since we moved he has actually been sleeping in his own bed at night, he was coming into our room everynight at 2:00 am. So hopefully that will last, he must like the knew house (he also got a big bed too, so he really likes that, easier to move around in and toss and turn :))

Good luck, and I'm sure your daughter will do just fine. Kids can handle more then we give them credit for.

d.

Shellie K named our experience well. We moved with a 18 month old. We did check out books at the library about moving as well as pack his room last and unpack it first. He was very excited about his new room. Make sure those loveys are available before, during and after the move. Best wishes on your move!

We moved twice withing about 6 months--house to apartment while new house was under construction, to new house. Daughter was about 16 months for the first move and 22 months for the second. She was perfectly fine, but we have always been blessed with good night time sleepers. As much as was realistic, we kept her around during packing and unpacking at both locations (with grandparents helping!) We were able to move over the course of a couple days both times and visited the new house frequently while it was under construction. She did just fine. Now part of it will depend on how your child does with change in the first place, how does she do when you travel, etc. Have her "help" put things away in her new room. Visit often to the new house, if possible before/during move in. Good Luck!

With my daughters, it was important for them to see our old house after everything was moved out. Since a lot of our stuff was in boxes, they kept thinking that all their stuff was still there. As they were running through the house you could see the anxiety just lifting off their shoulders.
good luck!

Hi Shelly,

We just moved a week ago with our 23 month old. We sold our house in May, temporarily moved into an apartment, and just moved into a new house. After the first move into the apartment, our son regressed to wanting his pacifier all the time (he was just taking it at night). He also wanted to be in his crib a lot. He didn't eat quite as well either, but enough that he stayed healthy. This all lasted about 6 weeks and then everything was back to normal. Getting him back into his routine was key. They saw no behavioral differences in him at his daycare because there were no changes there. He also started thinking of the apartment as home when thats where we returned to after visiting Grandma and Grandpa.

With the move last week, we had gotten him a few new toys. Nothing expensive, in fact they were all from garage sales, but the fact that they were new to him made him very excited about going to the new house to play with the new toys. We also made sure his room was the last thing to be packed up and the first to be assembled. We didn't do enough of this, but completely agree with the post that said to baby proof before you move in if you can. She'll want to explore, and if you keep having to say no, she may get frustrated with being there.

Good luck!
Jen

We moved from DC to Minnesota just a week after my daughter's first birthday. We were amazed at how well she handled the transition, even sleeping in a pack-n-play in the spare bedroom while we waited for our furniture to arrive and for me to finish painting her room. I would suggest having loveys available and unpacking some familiar objects right away so she feels at home. Talk in exciting, happy tones and it will feel like an adventure for her. Seeing you react positively will make it a more positive experience for her. For toddlers, having loved ones nearby is the most important thing to feel safe.

We bought our first home when our son was 2 1/2 yrs. old. Mostly he saw how we were excited and he was too. Transitioning wasn't bad....it's all new, house sounds, it was much bigger than our rental and we were toilet training as well. He often told us he liked the old one and didn't understand why we had to move. I told him I understood how he felt and I knew it was all different, but pointed out the perks, like living near the fitness center where we were members and could go swimming. Nighttime took longer as he heard new sounds and all of a sudden was talking about "monsters", which we never had issues with before. I reassured him there were none in our new home as it passed the "monster inspection". Children are very resillient...if you keep ALL her other routines the same it will work out well, however not without its bumps. My suggestion is not to make too many other changes at once, ie weaning off bottle, toilet training, changing to a big girl bed, etc...Good luck!

We have moved 5 times in the last 6 years with our kids being many different ages for each move. They did just fine moving and adjusting to the new place without any problems. As long as they have something familiar (their bed, toys, pictures, etc) they're going to feel like they're at home no matter where it is. We always would unpack and get their room ready before working on any of the other rooms so that they could be settled in immediately. Good luck with the move and enjoy your new home!