In a recent post, I wrote about including your child in the process of decorating their room when moving into a new house. There may be other times you want to have your child help decorate her new room: when moving from a crib to a twin bed; if your child is changing rooms; or you are celebrating your child growing up. Whatever the reason, I have some tips on how to make it a successful project. Please read this guest post I wrote for Mission Decorate (my go-to home decorating blog. http://www.missiondecorate.com/2012/10/decorating-your-childs-room-with-their.html
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The moment has come....you have arrived in your new house. It is time to make it your home.
Unpack your children's rooms first. This will help them feel settled and will give them a place to sleep at naptime and bedtime. Include your child in the unpacking process (as much as is practically possible). Your child will enjoy pulling out their toys from the boxes and can help put his toys and clothes away.Consider having your child help decorate the room with room decals or picking out paint colors. Having some control and ownership over their new space will help him adjust more quickly to his new environment. If your child is too young or makes more of a mess than you can handle there are a few other options. You can send your child out with another caretaker to explore the neighborhood or if you have extra space, allow your child to unpack his toy boxes - this will definitely keep him very occupied while you unpack! Mix the old with the new. Make sure you keep some of the same furniture, pictures, decorations from your old house to create a familiar environment. When possible, include your child when purchasing or finding a place for new items. The more a child is involved, the easier it will be to adjust to their new surroundings. Explore! Take a break from unpacking to explore your new neighborhood and meet your neighbors. It will be good for both you and your children to have some fun and get acclimated to your new surroundings. As, I mentioned in the previous blogs, try and maintain some of your routines. Sleep and good nutrition will be helpful for getting everyone through this period. Finally, I know there are a lot of design blogs out there, but if you have children and like DIY projects, then Mission Decorate (www.missiondecorate.com) is the place to get ideas for your new home. I enjoy reading Jill's posts because she is creative, yet practical and gives tips on making your house beautiful and kid-friendly (on a budget!). Jill also inspires me as the seasons change, to decorate my home for the holidays and gives me ideas of projects to do with the kids. "Greater is our terror of the uknown" Titus Livius. Transitions are often the hardest part of change. It is the unpredictability and fear about how things will turn out that can be most unsettling about any change. For children, this can trigger some feelings of anxiety. As you know, children thrive on routine and structure and may have some trouble when things are less predictable (let's
face it - so do adults!). It is in this transition that we can learn from our children to live in the moment. As distracted as you may be worrying about the next step, keep in mind that your children are focused on the present. Create as much predictability, routine and familiarity as possible during the transition. Try not to stray too far from your normal eating and sleeping schedules. And more importantaly, maintain some familiarity during eating and sleeping. You can do this by making sure your child can eat from his favorite plate or by reading the same familiar books at bedtime. Don't pack everything away. Your child may not understand here her toys and favorite possessions will end up after packing them away in a box (and unfortunately sometimes things get lost or misplaced during a move). Give your child a small backpack or suitcase and let her pick out her lovey and most prized possessions with her to ease the transition and lessen her anxiety. If you will be staying elsewhere before moving into your new home, bring your child's sheets, blanket and/or pillow with you so he/she has something familiar at bedtime (don't wash them to maintain that familiar scent from your old home - and save you time!). Schedule in time to have fun with your children, perhaps visiting your new neighborhood before you move in. If you are unable to spend much time playing, try and spend extra time at mealtimes or bedtimes so that your child is getting extra attention she will need during this transition. And don't forget about yourself! Try and rest, eat well and if possible, exercise or take some time for yourself. You need as much energy as you can get (trust me I know from personal experience!) Moving is one of life's major stressors. Add a child or children to the mix and the move becomes more complex. As someone who has recently moved with children, I am writing this from both a professional and a personal perspective. I will write a series of blog posts about how to prepare for the move, manage the transition, and adjust to your new environment.
1. PREPARE Preparing for the move can be quite a process in itself. There are the practical things to do: plan where you are moving to, find a school and pediatrician for the children and PACK! There is also the emotional aspect of moving for both you and the children. Talk to your child about moving. Acknowledge their feelings of sadness about leaving and give them something to look forward to in their new home. Moving is so busy and hectic that it can be really hard to find time to deal with the emotional aspect of moving. An important part of processing any major change is to acknowledge what you are leaving behind and look forward to the excitement ahead. It is especially important for children to have time to process their feelings about saying goodbye. You can help them do this by taking pictures of your old house (preferably before it is filled with boxes), create a memory book with pictures of friends and favorite local neighborhood spots, go for a walk around the neighborhood and say goodbye to all the special places you will miss. Have a potluck party at the park (make it easy and get out of the house full of boxes) to say goodbye to all the people you will miss. It is equally as important to help them prepare for what lies ahead. Talk about the move as an adventure. Tell your child about your new house, new neighborhood and new town. Visit the new house or neighborhood if possible. If not, show them pictures on google maps. Plan a few fun outings in the new neighborhood once you move. Another way to help prepare your child for moving is to allow your child to participate in the moving process. Even if your child is too young to be helpful, allow him to ceremoniously pack a box. Let your child pack a small backpack of her most prized possessions to keep with her during the move. This will help the child transition between the two houses and will give him some comfort and sense of control. If you've read my blog before you know that I love books. There are a lot of great children's books on moving. I like: *We're Moving (First-Time Stories) by Heather Maisner and Kristina Stephenson *Saying Good-Bye, Saying Hello...: When Your Family Is Moving (Elf-Help Books for Kids) by Michaelene Mundy and R. W. Alley Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst, Ray Cruz and Robin Preiss Glasser There is also a good parent's guide to moving: Moving with Kids: 25 Ways to Ease Your Family's Transition to a New Home by Lori Collins Burgan |
AuthorKerrie LaRosa is a parent coach and a mother of two children. She draws on her professional expertise and personal experience to provide tired parents with some quick tips, resources and fun anecdotes. Archives
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