Moving house with pets and children: a dated plan

Children

The school or nursery is the task with the earliest date. Contact the new one as soon as the move is decided: ask what paperwork is needed, when the term starts and whether the place is confirmed in writing. Then ask the current school for records and agree a leaving date.

• Eight weeks before: contact the new school or nursery.
• Six weeks before: ask the current school for records and a leaving date.
• Four weeks before: arrange childcare for moving day. A grandparent, a friend or a nursery day keeps everyone safe and the move moving.
• The week before: show the children the new place or photos, and let each child pack a bag of favourite things to carry themselves.
• The first week after: start at the new school with the records, proof of address, emergency contacts and allergy information ready.
• Unpack the children’s rooms right after the kitchen. A familiar bedroom makes the house feel like home fastest.

Pets

Pets need records, a plan for the day, and a quiet first evening. Moving abroad adds vaccinations, a microchip, a health certificate and sometimes quarantine, all of which take time, so the vet is one of the first calls.

• Eight weeks before, if moving abroad: check the pet travel rules for the destination and ask the vet to start the paperwork.
• Six weeks before: ask the vet for vaccination records and prescriptions, and find a vet near the new home.
• Four weeks before: decide where the pet spends moving day. A quiet room with the door closed, a friend’s house or a kennel. Decide now, not on the day.
• The week before: get the carrier out and let the animal get used to it.
• Moving day: settle the pet in one quiet room at the new home with food, water, a bed or litter and the door closed until the house is quiet.
• The first week after: update the microchip and tag address. Keep cats in and walk dogs on a lead until they know the way home.

Moving day with both

The day works best when children and pets are somewhere else. If that is not possible, give them one room that is packed first and left alone, with a door that closes, and make sure the first-night box has their things in it: a familiar blanket, the favourite cup, the food.

What the planner does with this

Tick “children” and “pets” on the first step and these tasks join the timeline on the right days. Add the school, the nursery and the vet under “Who to tell” and the calls are dated too.

Questions