Moving house with a large family: Lessons I’ve learned along the way

 

Moving house with two kids is chaos. Moving house with seven is a full military operation, complete with casualties, missing socks and at least one dramatic meltdown (mine, usually). We've done it more times than I care to admit, and here's what I've picked up along the way, mistakes and all.

1. Planning Ahead: The Key to Sanity

With a big family, "winging it" simply isn't an option. Start early, colour-code everything, and give each child their own box to pack, however small their contribution ends up being. Involving them, even the toddlers, makes the whole thing feel less like something happening to them and more like something they're part of. If you're eyeing up new-build homes , factor in extra logistics too: larger removal vans, more time slots, and the very real possibility that someone will need the loo at the exact moment the sofa gets stuck in the doorway.

2. Packing, Sorting, and Letting Go

Seven children generate an alarming volume of stuff, and a move is the perfect excuse for a proper clear-out. We donated three van-loads to charity before our last move; nationally, the British Heart Foundation reuses over 71,000 tonnes of donations a year rather than sending them to landfill, so it really goes somewhere useful. Let each child choose a few sentimental items to keep and pack the rest away together, turning sorting into a game instead of a battle. New houses tend to mean starting with far less clutter, which, frankly, is reason enough to move.

3. Settling In: Making a New House Feel Like Home

Every child adjusts differently, and that's completely normal. As trauma expert Dr Jamie Howard explains via the Child Mind Institute, it's far easier for children to cope with a stressor they've been prepared for than one that catches them off guard, so talking through the move in advance really does help. Unpacking bedrooms first, keeping bedtime routines intact, and letting the little ones personalise their own space all helped enormously with our new-build home.

4. Lessons Learned Along the Way

The delivery van arrived a day early, while half our furniture was still in transit. The child who cried because we'd left "her" tree behind in the old garden. The absolute joy of seeing everyone's bedrooms finally sorted, weeks later than planned but sorted all the same. Every move teaches you something new, usually while you're covered in packing tape and running on far too little sleep.

5. Embracing Change as a Family

However many of you are moving, approach it with flexibility, humour, and low expectations for day one. Every move, however chaotic, brings new opportunities for growth and togetherness and a few good stories to tell at Christmas dinner for years to come.