A move is a lot for grown-ups. For a six-year-old, or a dog who has lived in the same house her whole life, it can feel like the world just got packed into boxes. The good news is that most of the stress kids and pets feel on moving day comes from a few predictable things: noise, strangers, open doors and not knowing where their stuff went.
We move a lot of families across Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Lehigh counties, and the households that have the calmest days tend to plan for the kids and pets on purpose, not as an afterthought. Here’s the plan we’d give a friend.
Start with the paperwork that has a clock on it
Two things in Pennsylvania come with real timelines, and both are easier to handle before the boxes come out.
School enrollment. Under Pennsylvania’s school code, a district should normally enroll your child the next business day after you apply, and no later than five business days. The catch is that the district doesn’t have to enroll until you’ve shown proof of your child’s age, your residence and immunizations. Pull the birth certificate, shot records and something with your new address (a lease, settlement papers or a utility bill) into one folder now. Once the new school asks for records, the old school has ten business days to send them, so make that request early if you want a teacher to have your child’s file on day one.
Your dog’s license. If you’re crossing county lines, say Bucks to Montgomery or Chester to Lehigh, your dog’s license moves with you through the county treasurers. For a lifetime license, state rules ask you to notify both the old and new county before the move or within ten days after it. Annual licenses are transferred the same way, through the county that issued it. A quick call or the transfer form on your county treasurer’s website takes care of it.
The deadlines and the move-week plan, in one picture
Here’s what the state rules look like side by side, plus the simple week-by-week plan we suggest for households with kids and pets.
Two or three weeks out: set up help for move day
The single best thing you can do for little kids and nervous pets is give them somewhere else to be for the busiest hours. A grandparent’s house, a friend’s playroom, a doggie daycare or a boarding kennel all work. If that’s not possible, plan a quiet room at the house that stays closed all day.
While you’re at it, call your vet. Ask for a copy of records to take to a new vet, refill any medications so you’re not hunting for a pharmacy the first week, and ask about anything that helps an anxious pet travel. For cats especially, a carrier that’s been sitting open in the living room for a week is a lot less scary than one that appears on moving morning.
The week of the move: pack the kids’ rooms last
Kids’ rooms are their home base. Leave them mostly intact until the last day or two, so bedtime still feels normal while the rest of the house turns into stacks of boxes. Our crews can handle the bulk of the packing elsewhere so you’re not boxing up the toy bins on a Tuesday night.
Give each child an “open first” box with their name on it in big letters: favorite stuffed animal, nightlight, a couple of books, pajamas, a toothbrush and whatever they sleep with. Let them pack it themselves. That box rides in your car, not the truck.
Do the same for pets. Food, bowls, a leash, medications, litter, a favorite blanket and a few days of whatever they eat all stay out of the truck. If you’re between homes for a few nights, that bag is what keeps everyone on their routine.
Move day: closed doors and small jobs
Movers keep doors open, carry big pieces through narrow spaces and move fast. That’s exactly when a dog slips out the front door or a toddler wanders under a dolly. A few simple rules keep everyone safe:
- Pets go in a closed room, a crate or out of the house. Put a sign on the door (“Dog inside, please keep closed”) and tell the crew lead when they arrive. We’ll leave that room for last.
- Little kids get a safe spot and a grown-up. A tablet, snacks and a designated adult who isn’t also directing the movers.
- Older kids get a real job. Carrying their own bags, labeling their boxes, or checking that their room is empty at the end. It gives them some control over a day that otherwise happens to them.
- Keep the walkway clear. Toys, pet beds and water bowls in the path are trip hazards for everyone carrying a dresser.
Our crews lay runners and pad stairs and doorways before anything moves. If you’d like to know what that looks like, our guide on protecting floors and stairs walks through it.
The first night: beds first, then everything else
Ask the crew to set up the kids’ beds first at the new house. We take beds apart and put them back together as part of the move (our furniture assembly page explains how), and a made bed in a familiar spot does more for a tired kid than any unpacked kitchen. Hang a curtain or tack up a sheet on their window if blinds aren’t up yet.
For pets, set up one quiet room first with their bed, food, water and litter. Cats usually do better staying in that one room for a day or two before exploring. Walk dogs around the new block on a leash so they learn the smells before they’re ever let loose in the yard, and double-check the fence. Update the address on their tags and microchip record that first week.
When the closing dates don’t line up
Plenty of families have a gap between selling one home and getting the keys to the next. That’s hard with kids and pets, because the last thing you want is your whole household living out of a car. Our move-and-store service picks up your things, holds them in vault storage at our Quakertown warehouse, and delivers when the new house is ready, so you only have to pack a suitcase for the in-between. Our closing-date gap guide explains how it works.
For the full week-by-week plan beyond the kids and pets, see our how to prepare for your move guide and the 8-week moving checklist.
We’re here when you’re ready
We’re a family-owned, licensed and insured mover based in Hatfield, with our own storage warehouse in Quakertown, and we move families with kids, dogs, cats and the occasional fish tank all over Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Lehigh counties. Tell us about your crew, two-legged and four-legged, when you book, and we’ll plan the day around them. Call us at (215) 622-8140 or visit betterchoicemoving.com. When you’re ready, you can schedule an estimate or book your move online.
About the chart: school enrollment and records timing come from 22 Pa. Code § 11.11(b). The lifetime dog license notice comes from 7 Pa. Code § 21.53, and annual license transfers follow 3 P.S. § 459-205(b). Check with your school district and county treasurer for their exact forms. The move-week plan is our own planning guide, not survey data.