CENTRAL COAST — As June marks the unofficial start of summer, more families are looking at how to help their children handle the stress and uncertainty of packing, moving and relocating to a new home. To help during the summer time surge of family moves, local PODS moving and storage offers a number of tips and things to watch for when moving with children:
- Plan ahead. Talk to children about moving plans, develop a graphic of their new room and home, and make a map of new schools, parks, playgrounds, and other features.
- Make it fun. Make a map of the route to the new home, showing sights along the way. Plan a “family camp” the first night in the new home. Make unpacking a scavenger hunt, by having kids look for hidden items among the belongings. Try making a puzzle out of rearranging the new home.
- Keep it safe. Especially for very young children, having dangerous items like knives, saws, cleaning fluids or even electronics loose and unprotected can be hazardous, but can also be unavoidable during packing or unpacking. Make sure these items are secure as possible. Also, follow children for about half an hour as they explore new surroundings, making note of what attracts them.
How PODS unique containers and services can help.
PODS moving and storage methods provide unique and effective ways to help ease the disruption and anxiety of moving with children.
- Pack and unpack on schedule. This makes it easier to arrange moving around children’s activities, and can provide more time for planning and family discussions. When ready to unpack, help children adjust to their new home.
- Storage to match priorities. If the new home isn’t ready yet, store the PODS containers at one of the secure Storage Centers nationwide. This may allow for a mini-vacation with the children, and more time to prepare for new surroundings.
- Load and unload without high ramps. PODS containers are at ground level so it’s easier to get the kids to help with packing and unpacking too.
- Get just the right container. Every move is different, and different houses require different containers. Having the right sizes will make packing and unpacking easier and faster, giving more time for the kids.
- Get in touch with Customer Service. Moving consultants are experts at the challenges of relocating. Advice just a phone call away, for nearly every situation.
“At PODS, we want a family’s move with PODS a seamless experience and that means making the process of moving as easy as possible for them,” said Steve Yapp, owner of local PODS moving and storage. “The transition between houses can be stressful especially when a family has to find a way to store their belongings for an extended amount of time. A PODS container allows the flexibility that a family needs to make the moving process easier.”
About PODS: Steve Yapp is the owner of three Tri-Counties PODS franchises that serve residents and businesses in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Dedicated to the local community, Yapp’s franchises have donated hundreds of PODS containers to nonprofit and charitable organizations throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and Los Angeles counties since opening their doors in 2005.
A partial list of recipients include: Boys & Girls Clubs, FOOD Share of Ventura County, Casa Pacifica, Toys 4 Tots, California Strawberry Festival, Ojai Music Festival, Relay for Life, C.H.P. Holiday Toy Drive, Salvation Army, Santa Maria Good Samaritan, Oxnard Downtown Management District, Boy Scouts of Ventura County, California Visitors Center, Simi Valley Days, the Oxnard Salsa Festival, and Catholic Charities. PODS is a leader in the moving and storage industry providing both residential and commercial services in 46 U.S. states, Canada, Australia and the UK. Founded in 1998, PODS pioneered the portable moving and storage industry now preferred by many customers’ increasingly active and mobile lifestyles. To date, the PODS network has completed more than 700,000 long-distance moves, exceeded 3 million deliveries and has more than 165,000 PODS containers in service.
For more information, go to: www.mylocalpods.com.