5 Tips for the Pregnant Mover

I am about four months pregnant and my family is moving. I wasn’t thrilled to find out these two things were coinciding but after a little planning, I’ve found a few tips to make this move AND not kill myself while pregnant. Many of these tips are great even if you’re not expecting!

Tip 1: Label Everything

Remember when packing {or having friends help pack} to label everything. Do not just write on the box what room the stuff came out of. Ideally, you should write what the contents are and what room you would like it placed in the new house. When you are in search of a specific kitchen utensil while cooking that first night, you don’t want to dig through every box labeled “kitchen”, especially if you happened to have kept, say, office supplies in the old kitchen!

Tip 2: Move Small Loads of Essentials

I was blessed to be moving only about 30 minutes away. This allowed us to move small loads of essentials during the week so we could live in our new home until we could call the cavalry on the Big Move Saturday. Moving smaller loads lets you reuse boxes saving on moving expenses. It also allows you to unpack quickly, establishing logical places for those things before the other stuff comes into the house.

Tip 3: Enlist Help & Label Rooms

When you know your closing day, set a Big Move Day. Call up all those buddies of yours who have trucks, SUVs, and trailers. If you can do this it will save you tons of money on a moving truck, allow you to move all in one day, AND you get to hang out with your friends. The other kind of help you should enlist for that day would be a babysitter for your young children. I know there are lots of posts out there for “how to move with kids” but I would just recommend finding someone willing to help by keeping your kids at their house for the entire day, breakfast-dinner. It will make things move faster and will be one less stress for the pregnant mama during the move.

Before the Big Move day, label rooms with full pieces of construction paper. Ideally these will match the labels placed on boxes at the old house. This will help your friends locate where boxes go without you having to constantly direct as things come in. You can also have way more fun rearranging furniture in your new home. 😉

Tip 4: Unpack as it Comes in

Saving time by labeling rooms will also leave more time for unpacking as it comes in because no one likes living out of boxes for months or years. By unpacking sooner than later will help you make tough decisions rather than keeping random things around. Keep a donate and sale box readily available during the unpacking process. But don’t forget to deal with those sooner than later as well. Plan a trip to donate items as well as a yard sale/consignment run as soon after the move as possible.

Tip 5: Breathe and Take Breaks

I know it can be frustrating asking friends and family to get down off that counter where you were scrubbing out cabinets before unloading dishes or to sit down rather than pushing heavy boxes around the house! Take it easy. It will get done. Call in help, as awkward as it maybe to have friends helping you sort through stuff, it will get it done much faster and then you can get onto the fun stuff of decorating. Unpack a box, eat a snack. Organize the kitchen, take a nap. I know first hand how annoying this route can be but for you and that little blessing’s health, its worth it. *Always judge the amount of work you do based on your body and abilities. Everyone is capable of different levels of activity during pregnancy. Play it safe!

Happy Moving! The summer is a busy season for moving; are you in the process of packing, moving, or unpacking? Are you pregnant while doing it? Do you have helpful hints for moving?