https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:53:17 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2699283 Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:10:41 +0000 newlypregnantlady 2699283@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: I totally understand. I've moved probably 20x in my life (though only twice with kids), so I've gotten used to things being temporary for awhile. And I can literally see his impending meltdown because he'll just stand there and stare at the boxes. I also had a super chaotic upbringing so I think chaos is easier for me to handle. </p> <p>I'd love for things to be permanent immediately but I just get so much anxiety when I have a million boxes everywhere. So I just like things to get put away asap and then reorganized once we know the space. It means we're probably unpacking twice so it may take longer but it helps me feel like we're functioning and not drowning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2699133 Fri, 17 Feb 2017 08:05:13 +0000 Foodnerd81 2699133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh and as for visitors, it's kind of nice right away, because you have a built in excuse for it being a mess. Five months in I think we have outlived that excuse but it still feels like a mess... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2699132 Fri, 17 Feb 2017 08:03:39 +0000 Foodnerd81 2699132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It sucks! (Though I'm not sure it's worse tha. Packing, that sucks too). The one thing that saved me was my older one went to preschool two mornings a week and the baby took long naps then so I could get a couple of hours in then. </p> <p>We focused on the kids rooms then the kitchen first. We moved in September and still have a couple boxes I haven't unpacked in the basement or corner of the master bedroom, things I just don't know where to put. And have only hung art in the kids rooms, everything else is stacked and wrapped in the basement still. </p> <p>@newlypregnantlady: DH and I are both like your husband- overwhelmed because we want to put everything in exactly the right spot like it's the forever spot. I had put the drinking glasses in one cabinet, and wehavebeen talking about moving them to another cabinet for months and just haven't taken the fifteen minutes to do it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2699128 Fri, 17 Feb 2017 07:37:38 +0000 KayKay 2699128@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Unpacking is WAY harder, but I also love it -- clearing out, cleaning out, and finding a place for everything is my jam. Well, before kids it was anyways! ;) the last 2 times we moved, we had our parents come for a week so they could entertain the kids while we (I...) unpacked. I'm also way obsessive about it and just do it all, like, immediately. Super-crazy over here, though.</p> <p>If it's a good friend, I'd just let her come. It would be less stressful to me because YOU JUST MOVED! so you have a built in excuse for why there are boxes, not the right furniture, etc etc. It would be more stressful to me to put her off for a couple weeks because I'd be in that awful inbetween of "I didn't JUST move", "But I'm still unpacking...", and "Yes, I know that doesn't really fit there/we need an X/etc" So I'd offer to have her for a quick visit now, and then plan to visit her after the baby comes. Then you should get some breathing room to make some progress and she will be wow-ed when she comes back :)</p> <p>ETA: or too tired from newborn/lack of sleep to comment! haha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2699123 Fri, 17 Feb 2017 07:28:41 +0000 BSB 2699123@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yup, unpacking sucks. We moved into our house in Dec and I still have a bunch of boxes to unpack. All the essentials are out but still gotta unpack. I didn't have a ton of time to purge when we moved (twin mom life) so I'm having unpack crap. It was a relocation so I didn't have to pay. </p> <p>A friend of mine suggested to try to unpack one box a day. </p> <p>We are hoping to buy the house we are renting so we don't have to move again. It might be the death of me if we have to pack and move again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698980 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:34:56 +0000 newlypregnantlady 2698980@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We also moved on saturday! I only have the one DD right now (18 months) but I am 24 weeks pregnant. </p> <p>Right now my method is just get things away and clear the boxes. Then I've been slowly rearranging things as I use them. My husband gets really overwhelmed while unpacking because he thinks everything needs to be in it's final spot immediately. My method is just to do an approximation and then slowly reorganize. In any house I'm going to be doing things differently, and I'll need time to figure out the best way to use this space. </p> <p>We also discovered we need more furniture. Another bookcase, a few new rugs, and some furniture for DD. So I'm going to have some boxes laying around for awhile until we find some more furniture. </p> <p>My basic strategy was not to do room-by-room but instead to unpack what we needed. So first thing was set up DD's room enough that she had a place to sleep and nap, and I could get to her diaper stuff. Next came the kitchen. Unpack enough that we could eat and drink and clean. Next bathroom. Unpack enough so we could bathe. </p> <p>Basically everything was half-finished for a long time because I just needed to live in addition to unpacking. I still don't have anything on the walls and don't have our entertainment stuff set up. And I need to reorganize all the closets. But there aren't a million boxes lying around which helps a LOT with my anxiety. </p> <p>We also ate nothing but pizza and bagels for two days straight because there was just no time to get groceries. </p> <p>Good luck! We moved from one small apartment to another small apartment so we don't even have a lot of stuff and I was going nuts for awhile. </p> <p>One thing that really helped me A LOT was leaving DD with DH for an hour and just going to Starbucks with a book and sitting in peace and drinking my iced chai. It helped me so much to just take an hour where I wasn't shopping or cleaning or packing or cooking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698976 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:31:48 +0000 Mrsbells 2698976@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: we moved with DD who is 4 and I was 8 months pregnant. It is stressful but I find unpacking to be better than packing because I am no longer under the time crunch... We do have another move coming up this year though :bummed: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698955 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:12:35 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2698955@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: It does suck. </p> <p>We've moved so often (about every year!) since having our first kid (were going to move out of town, so vacated our place, then to a nicer place three times!) that we have a decent routine and tend to ask MIL to babysit the day of the move and are unpacked for the most part within a day. But we have a small place and like I said it's because we've done it a lot. I usually plan out where I want things once we sign the lease. Our next move will hopefully be over the summer because we are planning on buying. I can't wait to be more settled.</p> <p>Oh, and the thing that doesn't always get done and if it does takes weeks is hanging stuff up. I hate that task. So many 3m strips (rentals.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698953 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:10:03 +0000 brownepiano 2698953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We moved last when DS was 18 months. We had some help unpacking and setting up furniture the first day and the rest I did during his nap or with his "help". I'd find a box that I knew he couldn't destroy anything in and let him explore it while I put other stuff away. But yeah, it stinks. Especially when they want to take out everything that you just organized. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698945 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:00:56 +0000 lamariniere 2698945@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just plow through it. I loathe living with boxes and I'm a weirdo who enjoys unpacking. The last time we moved, I had everything unpacked in 3 days. Art was hung within 2 weeks and we definitely had visitors within that time frame. My kids were 3.5 yo and 5 months at the time but the older one was at daycare and the younger one had a morning babysitter. Can you unpack their rooms first? Or set up a play area somewhere where you can keep an eye on them while you work? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698835 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 12:28:02 +0000 MrsRoo 2698835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We moved a year ago with a 3 year old while I was hugely pregnant. We still have one room that is completely non furnished with paint samples on the wall, and a closet still full of uhaul boxes. I obviously can't offer good advise, but I can commiserate. Moving with little ones is so hard! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698800 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 12:10:35 +0000 wrkbrk 2698800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: Commiseration here. We are moving in two months with our (to be) 16 month old and oh. my. god. Dreading the packing and unpacking ..... :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698719 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 10:53:34 +0000 psw27 2698719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've moved probably 20 times in my life. My advice is to focus on the "easy" areas first. So if you know that your master closet has plenty of room and where you want to put everything - you do that first. I always start in the kitchen because usually I can figure out where to put most things and it gets rid of a ton of boxes. Just start with the easy stuff that clears boxes the most. Also, start a fresh box of miscellaneous or don't want to deal with this right now items - that way you can still clear out boxes with out getting hung up on 1-2 items that you don't know what to do with. </p> <p>As for doing it with kids... yeah. It stinks. I did a lot while he was napping and sleeping. Lots of late nights to just push ahead and get it done. Moving stinks, I feel your pain! Also, remember, it doesn't have to be done in a day and it doesn't have to be perfect! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698664 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 09:34:12 +0000 cat620 2698664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: I asked her if we can reschedule for next week. I really want her to visit, but I know she's going to want to see the whole house, and the idea of someone walking through and seeing the huge mess right now gives me anxiety. I'm usually someone who is very organized and clean, so I would rather wait just a little bit until I can unpack some more. </p> <p>@bhbee: My MIL watched the boys for the day when the movers moved all the boxes and furniture and she watched them a few hours the next day, so DH and I could do some unpacking. But there's still so much to do! I think having small kids means we have way more stuff than the last time we moved, which was a few years ago. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698650 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 09:21:59 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2698650@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It is the worst, especially because you're exhausted from the lead up to the move and the actual move! My in laws took DS overnight for move day and my parents came from out of town for moving day and the day after. We did kitchen, our room, bathroom, and DS room. The rest went into the basement workshop and I'll be honest, we haven't touched much of anything in there and we moved in May 2016 :O We did most of it during weekend naps after that, and I'm pretty sure we had friends and family over within the first 2-4 weeks. They knew we moved so I didn't feel any pressure. Now, I feel bad there's still stuff unpacked but it's hidden ha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698638 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 09:03:08 +0000 bhbee 2698638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's hard! Any way you can get help for a couple days or even hours? That's the only way I got it done. Even if you have a short time you can try to be strategic about what gets opened and where the boxes go so that some spaces feel organized. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698636 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 09:00:50 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2698636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Unpacking &amp; putting away is the worse!</p> <p>When we moved I came up to meet the movers by myself. I enlisted my dad's help for a day. Having him unpack was great and we knocked out the kitchen in a day. The next day I tackled the bathrooms and putting more things in the correct rooms. There was still so much to do the following weekend when we brought the baby home. DH and I took turns doing stuff while the other watched the baby. He napped, but was still in the 5 week old I'll nap on you phase. Tearing down and getting rid of the boxes was another chore that my dad helped with. There were still a few full boxes that lingered in the hallway until we had visitors about a month after we moved in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698614 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 08:24:28 +0000 erinbaderin 2698614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just wanted to offer sympathy, unpacking is so much harder than unpacking! Standing in the middle of all the boxes and not knowing where to start is the worst. </p> <p>That being said, I would say yes to your friend. She knows you just moved, she's not going to expect you to have everything organized, she just wants to see you before she's all caught up with her new baby. It might be a nice break for you from the unpacking chaos. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unpacking-is-hard-work#post-2698612 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 08:20:28 +0000 cat620 2698612@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just need to vent a little about how hard unpacking is. I personally think it's harder than packing, because I have to figure out where I want everything to go and be organized. Plus, I have a 1 and 3-year-old who are constantly getting into everything and want my attention when I am trying to unpack, so I feel like I don't get time to just focus on the unpacking. It's taking me longer than I thought it would, and it's stressful, because I don't like living in a mess. </p> <p>One of my friends texted me and asked if she could stop by for a visit to see my new house. We just moved in on Saturday, and she wanted to come by today (Thursday). She's having a baby soon, so I think she wants to come by before then, and I really wanted to say yes, but the idea of having a visitor already is overwhelming! I want to at least have most of the boxes and clutter cleared away before I start having people stop by.</p> <p>If you moved with small children, how did you find time to unpack? How long did it take you before you felt settled in and ready to have visitors drop by? </p>