My Tips for Moving House with a Toddler...

So we recently found our 'forever home', and in January of this year we moved. If I thought all of my previous house moves were hard work (and I've moved a lot... I used to like the change for some unknown reason), they weren't. They were walks in the park compared to what it's like to move with a toddler!

We loved our first house, and made some very happy memories there, but at the end of last year a house came up in the area that we really wanted to move to, at a price we really couldn't resist. We practically jumped for joy when we were lucky enough to have our offer accepted (sorry to the other 6 people who put offers in... but, really, I'm not sorry at all!) It all went pretty smoothly to be honest, and we completed on 22nd January 2016 :) Saying goodbye to our Lime Tree house was more emotional than I thought it would be, but understandably, I guess. It was our first house together, we hosted our first Christmas and Easter there, we got engaged there, we had Poppy while we lived there, and we got married while we lived there. But it was time to pass the house on to a new couple to make their memories in, and the people who bought our house couldn't be lovelier! I hope their time there is as happy as our was.

Packing up the house didn't start until after Christmas, because I'm Christmas crazy and I didn't want anything getting in the way of the festivities; but that didn't really give me a very big window to pack up everything we own. Never has packing given me as much anxiety as it did this time did. I was a nightmare (sorry, guys and thanks for putting up with me). I had lists everywhere, colour coded labels, and more boxes than I knew what to do with (don't worry, I managed to fill them all!!) But all of that (however anal and annoying it may have been) actually let to a fairly organised move, and to be able to say that when we had Poppy running around, is pretty good!

On move day, Steve worked, while I had Poppy and the movers loaded the house into the van. Some people thought it was unusual that Steve didn't take the day off, but since I don't work on Fridays anyway, it was a waste of a day off for him, since so much of the day is waiting around. So he took the following Monday off instead, so we could get cracking with decorating.

I did learn a few things about moving with a toddler, and since I don't plan to move again (ever) I thought what I've learned may be useful to someone else, or may be not, but I'm going to share my tips anyway!

1. Pack a First Night Box / Last Minute Box
Seriously, this was a godsend. I saw this on a blog I read in December, and immediately knew it would be useful. I packed two different boxes, one with things I knew we would need straight away, such as tools, iPod dock, etc, and a second box with things like toiletries, nappies, wipes, a few of Poppy's favourite toys and a couple of items of clothing for each of us. Had we been moving into the house straight away, the contents of these boxes would have probably been different, but we actually moved in with my parents for 5 weeks, while we renovated the house.

2. Get your toddler involved!
I had mixed feelings about having Poppy help with packing / unpacking boxes; it could have gone either way, but she was actually great. She loved helping me and was (mostly) an angel, although packing her things was harder than packing everything else. She liked to unpack her boxes as I packed them, but thankfully that game only lasted an hour or so.

3. Snacks, snacks, snacks.
This one isn't rocket science...A week before we moved, I stocked up on lots of quick and easy snacks, so I knew I would have lots at hand for move day, with minimal time and effort used on my part. I was pinching every penny possible, so I didn't spend a fortune, but I had lots of fruit, biscuits, juice etc on hand through out the day. I made sure that I had disposable bibs and nothing that needed washing up (except her cup) so it was suuuuuper easy.

4. One of my biggest tips... Use your Family and Friends!
In hindsight, I don't know what we would have done without our family and friends, especially my Mum when it came to Poppy. She was so amazing, and looked after her so much for us. She was able to focus 100% on Poppy, while the rest of us ran around like headless chickens, from during manic packing, to the first evening we were in the house, and throughout the renovations. So much so, that Poppy didn't kick off once during the whole process. My Mum is a complete and utter star and for that I am forever grateful! Don't be afraid to ask a friend or family member to look after your little one for a few hours if you need it, and if any of my friends reading this are moving and they need a babysitter... just call! I am more than happy to help.

5. What about a moving day treat?
Poppy was a little young to understand why she was allowed to watch Sofia the First on the iPad and play with new toys, but it was a treat, and it kept her busy and happy on moving day, and that's a win!

6. Leave your little ones room until last (if you can)
When packing, I left the majority of Poppy's room until the day before we moved, when she was staying overnight at my parent's house, so that she would have as little disruption as possible. Her cot was one of the first things to go up in the new house, and even though it was in a different room, the cot and everything in it was the same, and thankfully her sleep wasn't disrupted at all... which, if you know Poppy, you will know is a miracle!

7. Babywearing...
I love babywearing anyway, but instead of wrapping Poppy, I borrowed a buckled carrier from my cousin for moving day. This way, when I needed her out of the way of the movers, I could pop her up on my back or my front, I had my hands free to help, and she was happy because she could see what was happening. Babywearing isn't for everyone, but it is for us, so it was never a question that I would wear Poppy during the move!

Somethings worth looking at:
If you are interested in babywearing, Coventry Slings are amazing, and they hold regular meets, where you can try different carriers and find what's right for you... check them out: http://coventryslingmeet.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/Covslings

If you're in Coventry and need a decent mover, Fletcher Removals are amazing, and I can't recommend them enough... Contact them here: https://www.facebook.com/FletcherRemovals

Xx

Saying (an emotional) goodbye to Breastfeeding...

Last week, just one day after my baby girl turned one, she decided she was done with breast feeding.

I won't lie, I was more than a little heart broken. A whole year she's needed me for and it was almost like a switch flipped and she realised she didn't need me in that way any more. She has been having most of her milk from a bottle since we went on our honeymoon... which is so crazy since we spent months and months and a lot of money trying out every bottle on the market (well, almost) but she wouldn't take anything at all, then we go away and it's like something clicked. Now she only has to see the bottle and she's flapping with excitement! So, I've been feeding her from the bottle while we have a story after bath time, then I always offer her a feed from me, and she usually latched straight away, although sometimes I think it was more for comfort than actual milk. 

Last Tuesday, however, she finished her bottle and I offered her a feed from me, but she was happy to just fall asleep. I was heart broken, but proud of her all at the same time. We spent so long in the early days fighting with Poppy over sleep, and for her to finish her bottle and just fall asleep and let me put her in her cot was massive, but I was so upset that we were done with breastfeeding.

I'd always wanted to leave it up to her as to when we stopped. When she decided she was done, that would be it. I didn't want to force her to stop breast feeding before she was ready and I didn't want to force her to keep going just because I wasn't ready for it to stop. The choice to breastfeed has always been about her, so the choice to stop (we felt) should be hers too. That approach doesn't work for everyone, and I'm not judging anyone who has done it a different way, or anyone who's bottle fed their baby; I am simply saying what worked for us. You do what you have to to provide for your child.

I will really miss that special time Poppy and I had. It was like we had special cuddles that were scheduled in every day, and no matter what, they always happened. 

In the early days, it was hard. Hard to spend so much time feeding her, hard when she wouldn't latch properly and I thought I was doing it all wrong, and hard to feel the weight of responsibility for providing all of her food. But it was everything. It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I know that despite the struggles we experienced, I had it easy compared to the struggles some people go through. Instead of feeling burdened by it all, I tried to focus on the positive, and I found it so incredibly lovely to have her so close by all the time. Some of my favourite times were those special middle of the night moments, when all was still and quiet, Steve was asleep next to us and I would sit in bed feeding Poppy. Those perfect little moments when everything just clicks and it feels right. That would be my time to reflect and think how lucky we were and how grateful I was for my little family. That breastfeeding bond is something I will forever cherish the memories of. 

We've been really lucky that I was able to breastfeed for so long, and I'm super proud that we made it past her first birthday and did a whole year. As she got older, and started to drop feeds, I started to realise that the end (of breastfeeding) would come at some point soon. For the last week or two at least, I have made an effort to take in every moment of her feeds, just in case it was her last one, and I'm so glad I did. For now at least the memory of her last feed is fresh, but I hope I can retain it for a long time.

I almost feel like she grew up while I wasn't looking, even if it was only by a teeny bit. She doesn't need me in that way any more, and it's the first real time she hasn't needed me. Which, as any Mum will probably agree, is really hard to comprehend. And although she still needs me in so many other ways and probably in ways I'm sure we're yet to discover, I am a little sad that we have passed this stage in her life.

My little baby girl is becoming a little toddler... And though I'm a little sad, I'm so excited to see what life has in store for us...