Tips to Reduce Your Child’s Stress When Moving to a New Home

Children will often have mixed feelings about moving house, especially if the move is going to take them to a different part of town or another area of the country. Adults are often excited at the prospect of moving home because they have planned the experience and have had plenty of time to prepare for it. Also adults deal with moving house better than children do because they have a lot of life experience behind them and know that although change is difficult, things will usually have a way of working out in the end.

Preparing your child for their move is a crucial part of the process and it is important that this does not get pushed aside because you are too busy packing boxes and organising the electric supply for your new home. The best form of preparation is to involve your child, wherever possible in the viewing of houses and having conversations with them about their preferences.

Share books and stories with your child about moving home so that the discussion has a context and ask them how they are feeling about it. It is vital that you encourage them to share their feelings and where possible give them honest answers to their questions in order to alleviate any anxiety. If you haven’t got a book or story, try acting out a puppet show and encourage your child to join in. Sometimes it is easier for children to express their thoughts and feelings through the medium of play because they do not feel directly under pressure to talk about things.

Change, however exciting it may seem as an adult, is incredibly difficult to deal with for a lot of children. Many young ones find the change in a daily routine hard to get to grips with, so moving from the house that they know and feel safe in is understandably less exciting and potentially traumatic.

Involve your child in packing up their belongings. Give them a small box and encourage them to place some important items that they want to have available on their first night in their new home. Transitional items are so important and will really aid their emotional well being. Remember the kinds of things that you like to have around you in a strange and unfamiliar place – a photograph, a special book or even a cuddly toy can make all the difference to the move. You and your child can be sure that even if nothing else is unpacked on the first night at least these special items will be on hand. Make sure you mark the box and keep your eye on it when the van arrives at the other end of the journey.

Do some research about the kind of education and care that is available in your new area and contact the appropriate professionals in advance to arrange a visit with your child so that they can become familiar with how other parts of their life will change.

If you have been tempted to go and buy new furniture and bedding, the first night is probably not the time to give it an airing. Let the child be surrounded by familiar items like their duvet and pillows because their senses will be heightened by the smell of their new house and they will need familiar smells and materials around them in order to feel a sense of comfort.

Make sure that you have a nightlight plugged in at key points in the house. Children will need time to understand the new layout and remember where important places are like their bedroom and the bathroom. If they wake in the night, they may be anxious in unfamiliar surroundings and get upset if it is too dark.

A new beginning also heralds the end of an era and this must be acknowledged to nurture your child’s personal, social and emotional well-being. With every hello, there is a goodbye that must be acknowledged and children should be fully involved in this process.

During the settling in period, watch out for tantrums, bedwetting and other incidents as they may recur, even if you thought that these behaviours had gone for good. Such behaviours are related to anxiety and the transition process – they are often nothing to worry about but if you understand why they are occurring, you will be able to support your child in the best way possible.