Babyland is now located in Bullhead City, AZ. All our stuff is here too, in 4+ locations, waiting for us to find a rental (we are being very picky about a house and haven’t found a good fit yet). And I have to say it: Moving would have been a lot easier WITHOUT a baby. Seriously, a 9 month old (he’s 10 months now!) makes for a lot more stuff, a lot more stops, and a lot more frustration. But he’s worth it.
Tips for Moving with a Baby or Small Child
1) Moving trucks can’t do car seats.
They aren’t equipped for it, there is no back seat to put them in. So, don’t plan on getting a car trailer and driving the truck, you can’t. Make new plans. Peter drove the Budget truck and I followed behind. I even got pulled over for following too close once (the nice officer was very understanding).
2) If driving two vehicles, get two way radios!
We got ours for $40 at walmart. They didn’t go the 23 miles they claimed too, they maybe reached a mile, but it was enough. Getting out a cell phone to call the other car is a hassle, not to mention dangerous. And the radios meant we could talk to each other anytime, even just to say little bits of nonsense to make the time go faster. And I could tell Peter when Micah was crying or needed to stop. Irreplaceable resource.
3) Have baby’s stuff accessible.
Diapers, wipes, toys, sleeping stuff, outfits. Everything you need for baby for the whole drive plus a day or two on each end needs to be easy to get to.
4) Have toys everywhere. Pacifiers too.
I love having things organized and all together. All the kitchen stuff in it’s own boxes, the bedroom stuff in it’s boxes, etc. But Micah’s stuff is everywhere. Because we needed toys at the old house, the new house, in the car, in the hotels, at grandma’s house. Everywhere. We even bought a whole bag full of cheap toys at a second hand store.
5) Driving alone with baby? Utilize the passenger seat.
Not for the baby, for everything else. I kept snacks, toys, my phone, the two-way radio, cds, and more in the passenger seat. Then, when Micah tossed his toys or pacifiers over the edge of the car seat, I could just grab another from beside me and pass it back without having to look away from the road.
6) Driving together? Passenger does everything.
The driver has one job: drive. The passenger gets to do everything else: handle food, open drinks, pass toys and pacifiers to the baby, look at the directions, make any phone calls. Everything.
7) Take a deep breath. Pray too.
Your patience will be tested. I had a baby and a cat and sometimes the noise was terrible. But we survived. The cat chilled out after a few hours, and Micah ended up sleeping most of the way. Which made for very short nights of sleep, but we survived.
8) Expect the unexpected
I know, it’s cliché. But weird things happen. A small propane tank hit my car. There are burro crossing galore down here. We went through a rain storm in the desert in New Mexico. Just don’t expect everything to go according to plan, especially with kids.
Parts of moving can be miserable. And so exciting. And it feels really weird to lock your keys in your house and drive away for good. It doesn’t feel real, still feels kind of like a long vacation. God is in control and everyday leads us further into His exciting plan for our future.
Babies and small childreen can be challenging but it is manageable with the suggestions you gave . I especially like the radios- much safer than using a phone!
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