Moving House With Children in Melbourne: Timeline & Tips by Age
By Move Near Me team ·
Short answer: Moving house with children goes best when you tell each child at a time that suits their age, keep sleep and meal routines normal, and pack the kids’ rooms last so they come off the truck and get set up first. Plan who minds the children on moving day, and keep car seats and medicines in your car.
Below: what changes by age, a family timeline, a moving-day plan, Victorian family admin and real costs.
Moving house with children: what changes by age
Babies need their routine protected, toddlers need short, simple warnings, and older children and teenagers need time and a say. The timing below is general guidance, not a rule.
| Age band | When to tell them | Common worries | What helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babies (0–12 months) | No talk needed; protect the routine | Disrupted sleep and feeds | Same cot, bedding and bedtime; a familiar carer on moving day |
| Toddlers and preschoolers (1–5) | 1–2 weeks before, in simple words | “Are my toys coming?” “Is my bed coming?” | Picture books, packing a box together, visiting the new street |
| Primary school (5–12) | 4–6 weeks before | Friends, a new school, their room | Choices about their room, a farewell plan, swapping addresses with friends |
| Teenagers (13+) | As soon as the move is likely | Friends, school, sport, privacy | Honest reasons, a say in their room and in decisions, keeping old clubs going where possible |
When and how should you tell your kids you’re moving?
Tell older children as soon as the move is fairly certain, and younger children closer to the date. Whatever their age, tell them before they overhear it.
How to say it:
- Give the honest reason in a sentence: a bigger house, a new job, closer to grandparents.
- Don’t promise “you’ll love it”. Say what you know: “Your bed, your toys and your books are all coming with us.”
- Let them ask questions, and check in again a few days later.
- Give older kids real choices: paint colour, where the bed goes.
For school-age children, Raising Children Network suggests involving them in the move, sharing the new address with close friends, planning a farewell and visiting the new school early.
How do you manage moving house with a toddler or baby?
Keep their day as normal as you can: the same cot, sleeping bag and bedtime. The house is changing, so the routine shouldn’t.
Moving with a baby or toddler: checklist
- Bring the cot, don’t replace it, and have a travel cot as backup for the first night.
- Hold off on big changes. Raising Children Network lists moving house among the times to avoid starting toilet training, and its cot-to-bed guide says to wait until your child is ready. Wait until things feel settled.
- Make a safe zone: one baby-gated room in each house, away from boxes and the truck path.
- Keep car seats in the car. Victorian road rules require children to travel in a suitable, properly fastened restraint. Make sure the seats are fitted in the car you’ll drive that day, not packed into the truck.
An 8-week moving timeline for families
Start eight weeks out by telling older children and booking removalists, and tell the youngest children last. This checklist covers the kid-specific jobs. For utilities, mail redirection and the rest, use our moving house checklist for Melbourne.
8 weeks before
- Tell older children and teenagers
- Book removalists, and include cot and bed disassembly in the quote
6 weeks before
- Contact your new council about kinder registration and the Maternal and Child Health service
- Let primary-age kids choose their room colour or layout
4 weeks before
- Tell preschoolers; read a moving picture book together
- Declutter outgrown toys and clothes with older kids
2 weeks before
- Tell toddlers in simple words
- Book a carer or play-date for moving day
- Plan a farewell with friends
1 week before
- Pack everything except the kids’ rooms
- Check the car seats are in the right car
- Pack the first-night bag
Moving day
- Kids’ rooms packed last, unloaded and set up first
What should you do with the kids on moving day?
If you can, have the kids somewhere else while the truck is loaded. A grandparent, friend or play-date keeps them away from heavy furniture and frees you to answer the crew’s questions.
- Kids’ rooms last on, first off. Ask the crew to load them last so the beds come off first and go together straight away.
- Pack a first-night bag for your car: medicines, comforters, nappies and wipes, a change of clothes, snacks, water bottles, chargers and the bedtime book.
- Keep children and pets off the truck path: pets in a closed room or with a friend, little ones behind a gate with an adult.
Move Near Me’s crew moves the furniture and boxes. We don’t mind children or move pets, so plan those separately.
Victorian family admin when you change address
A new address affects your child’s health services, kinder and government payments. Most of it takes minutes.
- Maternal and Child Health (MCH): the MCH service is free for all Victorian families with children from birth to school age, and councils run it locally. Contact your new council’s MCH service (for example, City of Whitehorse).
- Kinder: many councils run a central registration for kinder places. Check with your new council how kinder enrolment works there; dates vary by council (see Bayside’s kinder registration for an example).
- Services Australia: if you get Child Care Subsidy or Family Tax Benefit, update your address through myGov, your Centrelink online account or Medicare online. Services Australia asks you to do this within 14 days, even if you don’t get a payment, and you can give a future address.
- Medicare: a Medicare postal address change applies to everyone on the card.
- Childcare: give your current centre your last day, and ask new centres about waitlists early.
- School: for school zones, enrolment and changing schools, see our guide to moving house in the school holidays.
How much does moving house with kids in Melbourne cost?
Move Near Me’s quote form estimates $882.50–$1,137.50 + GST for a weekday 3-bed family house move from Reservoir to Mernda with 3 removalists and an 8 t truck, including taking apart and reassembling a cot and two kids’ beds. Every job has a 2-hour labour minimum plus a fixed 30-minute call-out, and time after that is billed in 15-minute blocks at the team rate. All prices exclude GST.
The team rate for 3 removalists and an 8 t truck is $105 + $45 (third mover) + $20 (8 t truck) = $170/hour on a weekday, or $180/hour on a Saturday. Disassembly and reassembly is $25 per item, on top of labour.
| Scenario | Billable hours (incl. call-out) | Labour (ex GST) | Extras (ex GST) | Quote form estimate (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-bed, Reservoir to Mernda, Wed 13 Jan 2027 | 4.75–6.25 | $807.50–$1,062.50 | Cot + 2 beds: $75 | $882.50–$1,137.50 |
| Same move with packing | 4.75–6.25 | $807.50–$1,062.50 | $75 + packing 6–8 packer-hours: $330–$440 | $1,212.50–$1,577.50 |
| Same move on Sat 16 Jan 2027 | 4.75–6.25 | $855–$1,125 | Cot + 2 beds: $75 | $930–$1,200 |
| 4-bed, Narre Warren to Clyde North, Wed 13 Jan 2027, packing and unpacking | 6–7.25 | $1,020–$1,232.50 | Pack and unpack 13–17.75 packer-hours: $715–$976.25 | $1,735–$2,208.75 |
Worked example: Reservoir to Mernda on a Wednesday
Say the crew takes 5 hours from arrival in Reservoir to the last item unloaded in Mernda. With the 30-minute call-out, that’s 5.5 billable hours, inside the form’s range.
| Item | Calculation | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Removalists and truck (incl. call-out) | 5.5 hrs × $170 | $935.00 |
| Disassembly and reassembly (cot, 2 kids’ beds) | 3 × $25 | $75.00 |
| Subtotal (ex GST) | $1,010.00 | |
| GST (10%) | $101.00 | |
| Total | $1,111.00 |
The same 5.5 hours on Saturday 16 January costs $990 in labour, $55 + GST more.
- For cots, bunks and re-anchoring furniture, see furniture disassembly and reassembly.
- If you want the kids’ rooms unpacked as well, our packing services Melbourne page explains packing and unpacking.
- For what drives the price of any move, see how much removalists cost in Melbourne, or read about our house removals Melbourne service.
How do I help my child settle into a new house?
Set up their bedroom on day one and keep the bedtime routine exactly the same.
- Bedroom first: bed made with their own bedding, night light on, favourite toys out.
- Same routine: the same bath, book and bedtime as the old house.
- Explore together: find the local park and library in the first week, and walk the route to school or kinder.
- Keep old friendships going: video calls or a play-date in the new house.
How long children take to settle varies from child to child. If you’re worried about a child under school age, call the 24-hour MCH Line on 13 22 29. For older children, talk to your GP or the school.
FAQ
Q: Should the kids’ rooms be packed first or last? Pack the kids’ rooms last. They’re then loaded last, come off the truck first, and the beds can be reassembled before anything else.
Q: Should I start toilet training or move my toddler from a cot to a bed around a move? It’s usually better to wait. Raising Children Network lists moving house among the times to avoid starting toilet training, and its cot-to-bed guide says to wait until your child is ready, so hold off until things feel settled.
Q: Will the removalists look after the kids or move our pets on moving day? No. Move Near Me’s crew moves the furniture and boxes, but doesn’t mind children or move pets. Arrange a grandparent, friend or play-date for the kids, and keep pets in a closed room or with a friend.
Q: Do I need to tell the Maternal and Child Health nurse or kinder when we move? Yes. Maternal and Child Health services are run by local councils in Victoria, and many councils also run a central kinder registration, so contact the MCH service and ask about kinder enrolment at your new council.
Q: Who do I need to tell about a new address if we get Child Care Subsidy or Family Tax Benefit? Tell Services Australia through myGov, your Centrelink online account or Medicare online. Services Australia asks for address changes within 14 days, and a Medicare postal address change covers everyone on the card.
Q: How much does Move Near Me charge to take apart and reassemble a cot or kids’ bed? Move Near Me charges $25 per item for disassembly and reassembly, on top of labour, excluding GST. A cot and two kids’ beds add $75 + GST to the move.
Planning a family move? Get an instant moving quote for your home, with cot and bed disassembly added, or see our house removals Melbourne service.