Moving With Kids and Pets

Children and pets are a common addition to many American families, and both require a certain level of coaxing and acclimation when you move to a new house, city, or state. A variety of factors can go into how comfortable your children or pets adapt to a new residence. While the two are undoubtedly different, the fact that they require assistance from you is undeniable. The Knoxville movers want to help you make the move easier on everyone, including yourself!

Children, depending on age, may or may not realize what is going on. If they haven't started school yet, leaving friends and familiarity behind aren't usually an issue. However, if they have already formed attachments to people and places, it's tough to reasonably explain why they have to leave all of that behind. Change is an unfamiliar concept to young children. Teenagers and pre-teens can grow quite full of angst at the idea of a move, whether it's something that is in your control or not. Open communication and informative discussions can help children prepare for the concept of a new place to live. You can also arrange to fly their best friend to come visit one weekend, or other ways to keep the contact open between your child's old life and their new one. By enrolling your child in group activities, making trips to your new city before moving, and checking out events unique to the area, you can ease the resentment of moving and lighten the mood for everyone.

Often, pets intuitive nature drives them to go home (ahem, Homeward Bound). This can be troubling if you have recently moved and the pet feels that it still belongs to the old residence. Doggie doors should be not accessible until a pet gets used to a new house--or they are at a risk to head out the back and seek out familiarity. As we all know, pets are family members, so the thought of them hitting the road and heading back to the old place is quite unsettling. Be sure to update pertinent contact information on your dog's collar and to take them for plenty of trips outside during the day so that they realize that where they are is home.

Soon your children and pets will learn to love your new place and to see it as home. Little tricks like decorating the new house similar to the old is a way to utilize children & pets subconscious judgment to associate your recent move-in as home.