How to Make Moving to a New Home a Healthy Process

By Guest Author, Claire Hastings

When you’re about to leave an entire universe of memories behind, you cannot help but feel nostalgic, sad, even anxious. That stretch of the floor where your baby girl made her first steps? No way to pack it up in a box. What about the time you and your spouse planted your first batch of cherry tomatoes in the garden and some time later used them to make a family salad?

Let’s not even get started on the romantic dinners, late-night movies, every time you had the flu and stayed inside for a binge session of your favorite show with a cup of cocoa in your hand.

To an extent, it’s healthy to allow all of those emotions to wash over you as you pack your things, collect your thoughts, and lock the door one last time. However, there should be a healthy balance of looking forward to a new start, making fresh memories in that new place you’ll call home. And your kids ought to share those positive feelings, too. So, here are a few tips to help you balance your emotions and turn the move into an exciting adventure that it already is!

Make it a Green Fresh Start

Now that you have a chance to start it all from scratch, you can use this opportunity to choose an eco-friendly, minimalist approach that will imbue your new home with joy and health.

It’s a great way to instill the right values in your kids, lead them by example, and also make a few thrifty choices while you’re at it. Using sustainable materials combined with pre-loved items will add character to your home and help you stay green.

You can even peruse the artisan shops in your new neighborhood and ask around to find people who make unique, authentic items that are eco-friendly. That way, you’ll get to know your new place of residence, contribute to the local economy, and add a charming touch of hand-made crafts to your new home.

Pro tip: Take the kids on the hunt with you!

Organize a Housewarming Party

There’s no better way to get to know your neighbors and their kids than by inviting them over once your new home is ready, and you’ve settled in. Not only will this occasion serve you as a mingling opportunity to meet and greet people, but it will help you make an excellent impression, give your kids time to meet other kids in the street, and make it feel like home for all of you.

To actually have the time to mingle and chitchat, you can look into catering companies to take care of the menu and the drinks, so that there is not a single empty glass or plate in the house, and you’ll have your peace of mind. (If you are in the New York City area, you may want to consider Alchemiq Catering) Nothing impresses guests quite like unique cocktails and delicious canapes during an immersive conversation!

Keep the decorations to a minimum, since your house will be in the spotlight, but do set up a few tours to take your neighbors around the house and make them feel welcome.

Let Your Youngsters Design Their Rooms

Since it can be quite stressful for your kids to leave their first memories and move to a new neighborhood, it’s important to help them connect to the new place you’re about to call home. One of the simplest, most effective ways to do just that would be to spend some time in decorating and designing their bedrooms!

Take them to the new home to check out the space. Then, go back and bring out all of your most colorful pens and pencils, magazines, and other items available. Let them take part in organizing the furniture, where they’d like to have their play nook, go to the local store to choose the colors for the walls together, and finally, before you do move in, you can decorate the walls together.

Scout for Local Activities in the New Hood

Integrating into a new neighborhood can be a challenge even for the most extroverted of kids as well as parents. You’ll be surrounded by new people, it will take time to find your bearings, and to discover the heartbeat of your new residence. However, if you already have certain hobbies and interests, you can ask the neighbors and look into your options there to join an existing group.

Whether you’d like to join a book club, a fitness class, or take up self-defense, it doesn’t matter, as long as you find a way to connect with the people there. The same approach can benefit your kids, in addition to setting up play-dates for younger kids, you can try to find fun activities for them to make new friends.

Although moving is indeed a stressful, complex process, you can make it significantly easier on you and the entire family with a little creativity. Using these tips can help add some excitement and positivity into the process, and have fun starting that new chapter of your life in your new home!