LIVE: Moving Tips For Families with Kids

Pro tip: Make sure you know where her beloved "Purple Baby" is packed.

Whether you’ve outgrown your old home as your family has expanded, you’re sending your college freshman off to the dorms in a couple of weeks, or you’re packing up Grandma and settling her in to her new assisted living community close by, this is the busiest time of the year for moving.

And there are ways to make the monumental chore a lot more bearable for you and your youngest family members.

Local moving company exec Josh Hutchins sat down live in-studio with the Morning Show’s Emily Welker to share some of his best tips for getting you and your kids packed and ready for the new place without too much trauma.

His tips are borne out of some real-life experience, since he and his family, including their two-year-old daughter, have moved twice in under a year.

First, the all-important favorite toys.

“Hers is her Purple Baby,” he said. “It doesn’t have a name, it’s just Purple Baby. We made sure she packed it and put it in a box that’s labeled so we always know where it is.”

Then, make it fun. Keep kids involved and make it into a game. Even little ones can participate in games like throwing soft toys into a packing box, basketball style.

Hutchins’ family played “I Spy” on the road, and got the kids excited about the adventure of seeing the new house they’d be moving to.

Keeping a sense of routine is important, too.

“Every night, we had dinner together as a family,” Hutchins said. “The dinner table may not be in the right place, but you can throw something over a packing box.”

Most important, keep kids looped in, Hutchins said.

Even small children pick up on your stress and discussions about all the work that goes into a move, so it’s best to let children in on the information about moving and where their belongings will go.

That way, they don’t think they’re being packed to be given or thrown away, Hutchins said.

And while you may be worried your kids will never adjust to the move, they may surprise you.

“Kids are resilient,” he said.