Moving and Sleep
Moving can be one of the most stressful things a family can go through. Packing up a whole house and moving its contents to a new one is enough to worry about, you shouldn't have to worry about your child's sleep too. There are a few ways you can ensure that moving is a smooth transition for your little ones.
1. Unpack children's rooms first. Try to set them up as close as you can to their room in your old house. Place furniture, stuffed animals, and books in relation to the previous room. By unpacking children's rooms first, they can play in them during the day and start to feel comfortable with their new surroundings. Not introducing the new room until night when you expect them to sleep can be a little scary. If at all possible, do not wash your child's bedding from the previous house right away. A familiar smell at night will also make them feel more at "home". Also, you want to make sure that room darkening shades are in place. If you do not yet have enough shades to cover the windows in your child's new room, black construction trash bags and some duct tape is a great temporary fix! Don't forget the white noise too.
2. Do not deviate from your schedule. If you are up late unpacking, this can throw your whole routine off. Continue to do all of the steps in your night time and nap routines. This will also be something familiar for your child and help ease them to sleep. If you have to order takeout for a couple of days to keep your meals on schedule, that’s ok too! Ask a trusted relative to come watch the kids for a little to keep them on schedule while you do some unpacking/decorating.
3. Sometimes a new room is still a little overwhelming for a child, even if you have followed all of the previous tips. Try not to introduce any sleep crutches that you don't want to turn into habits. If you child wakes in the middle of the night crying for you, do not resort to taking them into your bed, letting them out of their crib to get a drink of water, ect. You may think that this will only be temporary until the child gets use to his/her room, but these new habits may stick. You can always revisit the sleep training method that you originally used. This should be a quick fix, and your little one should be back on track in a couple of days.
Hopefully after following these tips, your little one will be feeling comfortable in their new room in no time. Enjoy this exciting time as a family, and have fun decorating and organizing your new home!
