3 Moving And Packing Tips For When Your Child Has OCD

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OCD is very prevalent among American children – affecting approximately one in 100 children at the average age onset of 10.2 years of age. If your child has been struggling with OCD, they are probably less adaptive to change and possess some obsessions and compulsions that affect their daily lives. Even minor disruptions in your child's daily life can have a huge affect on their mental stability throughout the day. Needless to say, moving to another home will be a major milestone and event for your child. To make sure that the moving and packing process goes through smoothly, consider implementing these 3 tips.

Sort Through and Purge Unnecessary Items

For a long time, compulsive hoarding was considered as a type of OCD. While there is a clear distinction now in the medical field, compulsive hoarding and OCD are still closely linked, with 1 in 4 patients with OCD also struggling with compulsive hoarding. When moving to a new home, take this opportunity to sort through your child's belongings with them to determine what is needed and what may not be needed. Do keep in mind that children with OCD tend to develop attachments to tangible items. You should keep sentimental items that they come in contact with on a regular basis.

Sit down days ahead of time to pack your child's belongings with them in order to avoid any stresses that may come with packing last minute. Sort through items slowly and determine whether each item is frequently used or important to your child. Encourage your child to donate or toss out as many used items as possible. This will help them get a new start at their new home.

Provide Lots of the Same Boxes and Labels Way Ahead of Time

For children with OCD, staying organized may be key to staying anxiety-free. Being able to offer the necessary tools needed to keep all of their belongings in their right position can help keep anxiety symptoms at bay. Instead of having the movers pack and move your child's belongings, give them the opportunity to organize and sort through everything themselves, as there's a good chance that they'll have a much better idea as to where everything should go.

To help your child organize their belongings when packing, provide them with lots of the same boxes and labels ahead of time. You might be able to get specially-designed labels from the moving company. Don't badger your child to pack, and give them plenty of time. Allow them to organize their belongings based on what they're most comfortable with. For example, some children may organize items into boxes based on where they should go whereas others may organize items based on similarity. Labels will help them keep track of where each item is. This will also be helpful when unpacking. Let the movers know ahead of time to pack your child's items together and near the back of the moving truck, so that the packed boxes will be easily accessible to them when the final destination has been reached.

Have Them Pack a Bag Filled with Essential Day-to-Day Items

As minor disruptions to their day-to-day routines can be a big cause of stress and anxiety, have your child pack a bag filled with essential items they'll need. There's a good chance that everything won't be unpacked on the first day. Your child needs to be aware of this fact and prepare for important routines ahead of time. For example, if your child absolutely needs to wash their face with a certain liquid facial soap every morning, have them place the liquid facial soap in a bag that they can carry with them during the move.

It'll help if you go through your child's day with them in order to determine the type of essentials they'll need. This way, you'll be able to avoid a frenzy when they can't find an item that is essential to their daily routine. Having this bag will also give your child a sense of control during this hectic and chaotic time. In general, it's best to have them carry this bag with them during the move instead of loading it into the moving truck.

Conclusion

For a child with OCD, packing up and moving to someplace new can be a huge source of stress – especially since their daily routines will be significantly disrupted. It's important as a parent that you keep their condition in mind when packing and moving. Keep as much structure as possible to avoid the anxiety and stress that comes with the chaos. 

For more moving tips, contact a local moving company like Wheaton World Wide Moving. 

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16 June 2016