Getting toddlers settled once moved to Australia

Hi all

Now the visa has been granted we are planning on heading off early November but I am worried about how the move will affect the kids (Andrea will be 3 later that month and Alex will be 22 months when we fly out).

I left Adelaide 7 years ago and have not been back with the kids nor done any travelling with them since they were born so I am a little new at this whole international travel with kids thing and trying to get them resettled in new locations.

I am after some advice on how to deal with getting the kids to settle in a new location in the first few days/weeks.

We will be staying with my mum (who has my 4 year old nephew with her 4 days a week). We will have our own room and will share with my son, while my daughter will probably have her own room (most likely sharing with my nephew - although he has a tendency to co sleep with my mum most nights).

We have always had all 4 of us in the one room (1 bed flat so we didnt have a choice) so it will be a new experience for our daughter to sleep in her own room, not to mention she is likely to move into a bed as opposed to a cot (again, we couldnt move her to a bed earlier as we just didnt have the room).

There are going to be sooooo many new things/changes for the kids that I am worried they wont react well to it at all and there will be A LOT of tears and tantrums and sleepless nights because of them being unsettled (and not just because of jet lag in the initial days). They have seen my mum and nephew on FaceTime and my daughter adores her cousin and loves to talk to him on FT constantly, but its not the same as actually being there in person.

There wont be a lot of their own stuff at my mum's and it probably wont arrive until well after things have settled down (the movecube probably wont be shipped until just before we leave so it will be about 3 months before it arrives in Adelaide) and while I plan to take a couple of their favourite bedtime blankets and a few small items in the luggage (such as their favourite plates and the knives/forks they use at dinner/lunch just to try and keep some normalcy for them), most everything else (their toys etc) will be sent in the movecube.

I guess I am just after some advice from parents about how to help the kids settle in and what I should/should not be doing to make this all a lot easier on them (and in turn, easier on us).

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

Amanda

Bumping for you :smile:

Perfect ages to make he move in my opinion. So wish I'd done it when mine were that age. You are over thinking it. Have you ever taken them on holiday? To them itwill be the same. They are merely going on holiday. After a few days I'll bet they will be fine. Take them to Target and choose some new toys. Take them to the many parks and the beach. Exciting times. Enjoy :wubclub:

I have made a move twice with my now 4 year old and have been lucky to have travelled a lot with her and her little brother internationally too. Jetlag is always tough, so don't expect too much of you or them for the first week or so. It generally takes a day to adjust for every hour time difference. I let any routines we have go out of the window, and I try to just gradually get them and me back on track.

Make it an adventure and they will pick up on your spirit. See the travel as a fun trip to take together and you'll get through it just fine. My kids love airports and planes. Similarly when you get there make it fun and interesting but also allow some decent downtime. Don't rush about too much in the first few days and allow them time to adjust to their Aussie family too. If they have any favourite toys or bedtime comforts, be sure to use those. I find kids are a bit like cats and dogs in a new house for the first time. Let them explore and spend time in their new room and trying out the bed before you expect them to sleep there, they will feel more comfortable at nap and bedtimes.

There are probably some good books you can find about moving house too. I'm not quite there yet as we plan to move early next year, but I had a quick search on Amazon recently and found some suitable for Toddlers. I found a good link on Pinterest to moving with toddlers but I believe its against the forum rules to post links, but you can PM me or google it for yourself.

Good luck with it all! Relax and take everything at a slower pace. Kids are very adaptable generally!

I, too, think you are overthinking it. They'll be fine, kids are very adaptable. The jet lag may linger and you may have a few sleepless nights but it'll go. Just stay calm and get on with it. Living in close proximity with family is likely to be stressful but it's probably going to be more about adult egos than kids TBH.

I worried too, my youngest was just 3 when we moved and in the end i found as long as mum and dad are around they are fine.

Cal x

I think at those ages they'll be fine. Kids that young are really adaptable and moving doesn't seem to phase them like it can older kids (or adults). Their world is their nearest and dearest and so long as they have familiar people in Mum, Dad and sibling(s) I'd think they'd be fine. Some younger kids can miss grandparents and other people but they tend not to hold on to that like older kids might and adapt better. Sure there is the odd exception but most seem settle well.

I remember we moved a few times when our son was small and honestly, he just sailed through it. So long as he had his PJ's, little blue blanket for when he was tired and a few much loved toys he didn't bat an eyelid.

Our son was 5 when we moved over to Adelaide and he loved staying at his Nanna's house and having a room there. I packed his duvet cover also to have with us so it was at least one thing he was familiar with in a new room. He didn't really care though. Its almost like when you go on holiday and they have a change of routine and things are different, kids love it and of course get cranky or upset but kids do that, regardless of where they are.

Don't forget you'll also have places to explore with them, beaches to visit, paddling pools in some parks and so on, all those things young kids love to do. Treat it like a bit of an adventure, go with the flow the first week or so till jet lag is over and don't try and do too much till then. Just chill out, relax and let them explore and find their feet.

Thanks everyone. I wasnt sure if I was making too much out of it or not as we have never travelled with them or taken them on holiday so it will be a new experience for all of us. I figure they will enjoy the change of scenery for a while and will love the fact that we are across the road from the park and down the road from the beach so it will be lots of new experiences for them.

We will take it easy for the first week and I wont stress their routine too much, but will definitely try and help them settle into a new one fairly quickly as it makes life so much easier for them and us.

Cheers all

Thanks for sharing the information.