Moving house-how stressful for toddlers?

Question

My daughter is 26 months old and we plan to move from Ireland to England in January. We are going for approx 2-3 years, returning for her to go to school. I am worried the move will be too stressful for her. I have close family in England but she is very close to my family here in Ireland. Does anyone have any tips for moving with toddlers. Do you think it will have a bad affect on her that will last? Would appreciate any good advice. Thanks

Answer 1

Believe me, she will be fine. This is the best age for a change like this. It's wonderful that you are so concerned, but you needn't be. I moved when my boys were 5 and 2. Neither of them even remember the "old house". Once I returned after the new occupants had changed things and the youngest looked all around and started to cry. I thought that maybe he was disoriented seeing something he kind of remembered that looked very different. It'll be good for her to get to know the rest of her family too. The only thing constant in life is change, so your daughter will be adaptable because of it. Tell her about it all in advance, so she isn't in the dark. Good luck to you all!

Answer 2

Tell her all about it. She will understand. Let her watch you putting her things in boxes and taking them out again at the other end. Let her see both empty houses and participate fully in the whole move. I think the main problems with moving would come through her feeling she was out of control. As long as your social/family life at the other end is as rich as in Ireland those new contacts should fill the gaps pretty quickly as two year olds seem to be pretty flexible socially. The 2-3 years to her will be like a lifetime so what for you seems temporary will be permanent for her - although she will never forget the Ireland family as long as they visit every few months... No bad effects. (These are just quick impressions drawn from my very similar experience...)

Answer 3

For a child, the only important home they have is with their parents. She won't find it stressful if you don't make it stressful for her. Children don't have an in depth concept of time, so simply talk to your daughter about coming to a new home to live for a while, and in a while, she will see her relatives again. It sounds as though you have the means to travel if you are able to move back and forth, visit etc, so this will be good for her growing up.
Stay calm about it - that's what she will notice the most. If you are stressed and talk too much about her missing her gran and the like, then she will get stressed.

blessings with the move - what and exciting time!

Answer 4

One of the things that helped when we moved was to mark all of the boxes with her bedroom stuff in HUGE bold letters.
When we got to the new house, that was the first box we unpacked.
The walls were not the same color, neither was the carpet, but everything else was put up just like it was in our old home.
She had one room that she could go to that was familiar.
With kids (as you know) their world is constantly changing.
It doesn't matter where you live or where you move - things change.
Give her one room that doesn't change, and give her all of your love - that doesn't change, and the rest will sort its self out.
Good luck.

Answer 5

We made a scrap book of photos about our move, so that our two year old could see what was going to happen. It was great to sit down and look at the photos together and point out the windows of whose bedroom would be whose and, later pictures of inside-that's your bedroom. It also had photos of the family he hadn't seen in, so they became a bit more familiar. Great to add on as a book at bed time

Answer 6

My daughter was very weirded out by the whole experience. She wanted to know when we were "going home". But made her feel very loved and safe and she soon forgot that we ever lived anywhere else. Yes it's stressfull for everyone, but goodluck xx.

Answer 7

I think that your daughter will view it as more of an adventure than anything else.Kids are a lot more resilient than adults give them credit for.
Good luck with the move.

Answer 8

we had a very stressful year last year, my mum died and then we moved house our daughter was 2 years old but she was a star the only effect it had on her was her sleeping which lasted about a week, children adapt very quickly, i was more stressed then her lol

Answer 9

She will adjust ok as she is still prety young, we moved house when my daughter was 21/2 and she loved it and never looked back

Answer 10

Buy her something you know she'll love and she will be so excited about the gift she wont even think about the move or where she live before. Best of luck.