Moving day is loud, full of strangers, and every familiar object disappears out of the front door. Adults find that stressful. Children and animals find it genuinely frightening, and a frightened child or a bolting cat makes the day slower and less safe for everybody.
The single most useful thing
Arrange for children and pets to be somewhere else while the truck is being loaded and unloaded. A grandparent, a friend, a daycare, a boarding kennel for the day. Not because they are in the way, but because the front door stands open for hours with heavy items moving through it. That is the one arrangement that makes the biggest difference.
If that is not possible, set aside one room, ideally an empty one with a door that closes, and put a sign on it. Load that room last and unload it first.
Younger children
Small children mostly need routine and a job. Let them pack a box of their own toys and decorate it. Keep naps and meals at the usual times even if nothing else is normal. Pack their bedding and a few familiar toys where you can reach them, and set their room up first at the new house — a familiar bed on the first night is worth more than any other unpacking you could do.
Older children and teenagers
Be straightforward about what is happening and when. Give them real decisions where you can: how their new room is arranged, what stays and what goes. If the move changes schools, the loss of friendships is the real issue rather than the house, and it helps to have a concrete plan for staying in touch before the move rather than after.
Dogs
Dogs read your stress accurately. Keep walks and feeding on schedule. On the day, a boarding kennel or a friend’s house is much better than a closed room. At the new home, walk the same route at the same times for the first week — territory is how a dog settles.
Cats
Cats bond to places more than people, so a move is harder on them than on dogs, and they are far more likely to bolt. Confine your cat in a closed room or a carrier well before the crew arrives, not once the door is already open. At the new home, keep them in one room with a litter tray, food and a hiding spot for several days before letting them explore. Do not let an indoor cat outside for at least two weeks.
The paperwork
Update your microchip registration and pet tags with the new address in the first week. It is the thing everyone forgets, and it matters most in exactly the period when a pet is most likely to get lost.
Sunshine Movers works with families across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Call (847) 812-5848 or email sunshinemovers2@gmail.com.