Preparing your child for a move. (Part 2 of 2: Settling in.)

Tuesday

Preparing your child for a move. (Part 2 of 2: Settling in.)

We’ve been here a week now & only have a few (granted, giant) boxes left to unpack!Hooray!It feels a lot better than where we were 3 weeks ago.Or even a week & a halfВ ago:

Now that we really are settling in, I thought now would be a good time to post part 2 of my «preparing your child for a move» series.Part 1, before the move, is right here.

The Munchkin playing in the boxes before the move...Recognize the beer boxes I talked about in the last post?

Here some ideas about how to help your kids adjust to your new home & neighborhood:

When you & your stuff first get to your new place, let your child help unpack &В decide whereВ something should go in her room.В This can give her a sense of control when things are crazy.
Set your kids’ rooms up (the furniture, at least) right away.Especially if you’ve been driving a few days, it’ll feel good to be reunited with your stuff.Plus, sleeping in a new, big, empty room is creepy.
Try to get pictures back up on the walls again as soon as possible to make it start feeling like home.
As you unpack, talk about what’s better about your new place: «There are so many shelves in your new room for all of your toys!» etc.(The Munchkin’s new room is so cavernous we need two nightlights just to see at night!Whereas ours is barely big enough for our bed & dressers.How is that fair?)
Even though things are hectic, try to get involved in your new community as quickly as possible to make new friends.Congregations in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as wards,В are organized geographically.So as soon as we knew our new address, we were able to find out which ward we would belong to!If you’re not LDS, find a church or temple to attend.Involve your children in lessons, Gymboree,В or after-school groups to meet the other parents & help your kids make friends.
Speaking of making friends, teach your child how to introduce herself to new people.
Just like before you moved, try to take a little while off from unpacking to give your children attention.Take an hour or two to drive around your new town.Find a new neighborhood pizza place to call «yours» (we just found ours!).Locate the library & get a library card.Go play on the playground nearby!
Once you get more settled in, if you feel up to it, hold a housewarming party & invite people from your new community!
Even with all the craziness, try to stick to naptime & bedtime routines as much as you can.With everything else changing, it’s helpful to have a familiar routine to hold onto.
Understand that certain milestones like potty training &В sleeping through the night may regress or suffer setbacks for a little while during this transition.Your kids might start acting out a little more than usual (ours sure did) too.It’s normal.
Lastly & most importantly, emphasize that no matter where you live, your family will be together, & that’s what matters!

Comfort Food