First Day bags

Following on from my recent post about moving house here's another useful idea:

With small children it's a good idea to pack a couple of 'first day bags' for when you move house. With boxes and bags everywhere it probably won't be easy to find things in the first days after moving house, whilse you're settling in and organising things. For this reason it's a good idea to make a list of the things you're likely to need.

Here's my first days list to must haves:
- Changes of clothes including socks and underwear.
- Pj's
- Nappies
- Wet wipes
- A towel
- A small selection of toys (a colouring book and crayons is a good idea as is a sticker book. They will help keep the child busy and quietly sitting, while you're busy cleaning and unpacking).
- A couple of the childs favourite books (Good idea especially if you read the regularly as a bedtime story. Having his usual routines and favourite toys to play with will make it easier to adjust to being in a new place).
- Food and drink basics (sugar, tea bags, biscuits, milk, some fruit or juice. You can eat meals out in the first days while your kitchen is being sorted out but it's a good idea to have something for snack time).

These are just a few ideas of things that I think make it easier. What would you put in your first days bag? Share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

How to move house with small children

Moving house is time consuming and stressful at the best of times, but throw in a small child and things get even more difficult.

I recently moved house and due to special circumstances, my husband needed to work on the new place doing repairs while I packed up all our stuff and got things ready. Packing up an entire house and all our fmaily possessions was a huge task on my own, especially with a two year old 'helping out'. I did, in fact, end up pakcing the smae boxes several times over, as the second I turned my back, my son was playing unpack and pulling everythign out again. Needless to say, not an ideal situation with a moving out date to meet.

I decided I had to come up with ways of keeping him busy so i could get things done.

I managed to clear some shelves and pack smaller items while he was distracted watching cartoons or drawing pictures. I also found that taking him to the park or for a long walk in the morning tired him out and meant that he napped in the afternoon giving me an hour or two to get some serious packing done.

Out of the house playtime was a good idea once most stuff was packed too as the house was no longer 'play friendly'.

When it came to packing up our clothes, I gave him his own bag and a few pieces so he could play pack whilst I did the real packing.

You'd also be surprised at just how long a two year old with happily play with a box. My son spent hours sitting in one, pushing it along and putting toys in and out of it.

Have you moved house with a small child? Any tips of your own to share? What about with a baby or old children? Share your experiences in the comments section.

blogging and moving house

Apologises for the lack of posting recently but I'm currently in the middle of an unexpected house move (Small children and house moves are not simple. More posting on this subject coming soon) and haven't been able to get online. Normal posting should be resumed next week all being well.

Thank you for your patience and you're continued interest in this site.

Notes:

• Guest posts are welcome on this site. Please contact via the facebok fanpage if interested.
• Please feel free to add your comments to posts on this site. Children and motherhood are not the same for everyone. Share you're expereinces and thoughts on what you read here.
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