By moving day, the boxes are (hopefully) done and the decisions are made. What’s left is logistics — and with children and pets in the mix, the day runs on two things you can’t pack the night before: keeping them safe and out from underfoot, and keeping the move on schedule anyway. When one slips, the other usually does too.
This is a plan for the day itself — from the early start to the final walk-through — built around the bits families actually trip over. The weeks leading up to it are a separate job; our Surrey moving house checklist covers those.
Before the Crew Arrives
Give yourself a head start on the quiet part of the morning, before the van and the noise arrive:
- Load the essentials box and anything going in the car first, while the house is calm.
- Get the kids and pets settled in their spot for the day (more on both below).
- Clear the loading route — hallway, path, driveway — and check any parking suspension or cones you arranged are actually in place.
- Have the kettle and mugs out for the crew, and your phone charged for meter photos and calls.
Kids on Moving Day: Safe, Occupied, Out of the Path
The calmest option, if you can manage it, is for young children to spend the day with a relative, friend or in childcare — collected before the crew arrives. A house with an open front door, a lorry on the drive and people carrying wardrobes is not somewhere small children should be wandering.
If they’re staying with you, give them a designated room away from the loading route — ideally one packed and cleared last — with their own bag of snacks, drinks, a comfort item and something to keep them occupied. Screens are fine; this isn’t the day for principles. Tell the crew which room that is so it’s the last one they touch.
Pets on Moving Day: Contained and Calm
Pets read the chaos and bolt, so containment is the whole game:
- Keep them in one closed room (with a sign on the door) or, better, off-site with someone for the day.
- Have the carrier, lead, water and a bit of food ready, and check their ID tag and microchip details are up to date with your new address.
- Transport them yourself, not in the removal van, and settle them at the new place first — one quiet room with their bed, water and a familiar blanket before the boxes come in.
The Essentials Box — Plus the Kids and Pets Version
This is the box (or two) that travels in the car and gets you through the first 24 hours without unpacking a thing:
- The basics: kettle, mugs, tea and coffee, phone chargers, loo roll, hand soap, snacks, a change of clothes.
- Medication and documents: everyone’s medicines, plus passports, completion paperwork and anything you’d hate to lose — kept with you, never on the van.
- Kids: nappies/wipes if relevant, spare clothes, a favourite toy, bedtime bits.
- Pets: food, bowls, lead, litter tray, and a familiar toy or blanket.
Your Moving Day, Hour by Hour
| Point in the day | What's happening | What you handle |
|---|---|---|
| Before the crew arrives | The calm before the van — house still quiet | Essentials in the car, kids and pets settled, loading route clear |
| Crew arrives | Walk-through: fragile items and the "do not pack" room pointed out | Confirm timings and access; put the kettle on |
| Loading | Crew wraps and loads room by room | Keep kids and pets contained; stay reachable, don't hover |
| Before you leave | House emptied and checked | Meter readings, walk every room/loft/garage/shed, hand over keys |
| Travel | Crew drives to the new address | You transport kids, pets and the essentials box yourself |
| Arrival | Crew unloads and places by room (labels earn their keep) | New-property meter readings; kids' room and pet corner set up first |
| Wind down | Crew does a final check and confirms the van's empty | Beds made, kitchen basics out, everyone fed |
Room Priority at the New House
You won’t unpack the house on day one, so don’t try. Set up in this order: the kids’ room and a quiet pet corner first, so both have somewhere settled while the rest goes in; then beds assembled across the house; then kitchen and bathroom basics so you can make a cup of tea and get everyone washed and fed. Everything else can wait for daylight and a clearer head.
If anything has to give on the day, let it be the unpacking — not the checks. Boxes will still be there tomorrow. Meter readings, keys and a headcount of children and pets won't wait.
Final Checks Before You Leave — and When You Arrive
Two sets of checks bookend the day, and both are easy to forget in the rush:
Leaving the old home: take and photograph meter readings (gas, electricity, water), do a walk-through of every room, the loft, garage and shed, shut windows, turn off lights and water where appropriate, and hand over the keys as agreed with your agent or solicitor.
Arriving at the new home: take meter readings straight away, do a quick headcount of kids and pets, check the crew has everything off the van, and confirm the access and parking are clear for unloading.
How a Surveyed Move Keeps the Day Calm
Most of what makes moving day calm is settled before it — at the survey. Because we’ve seen the property, the crew arrives already knowing the volume, the access and the timings, and which room is the “do not pack” base for the kids. Your written, itemised quote means there’s nothing to argue about while you’ve got a toddler on your hip. And because every house move is run by our own full-time, trained crew — not casual labour hired for the day — the people carrying your things know what they’re doing and answer to us. If you’ve booked packing it dovetails into the day, and if your dates don’t line up, storage bridges the gap — agreed up front, not improvised on the morning. It’s the same for families moving within Epsom or right across Surrey and the South East.
Moving Day Checklist — Kids & Pets
Tick these off on the day itself-
Essentials box in the car — kettle, mugs, chargers, snacks, loo roll, medication.
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Kids' bag packed — snacks, drinks, comfort item, spare clothes, something to do.
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Pet kit ready — carrier, lead, water, bowls, food, litter; ID tag and microchip details up to date.
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Medication and documents kept with you, not on the van.
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One room agreed as "do not pack" and flagged to the crew.
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Loading route and parking clear — suspension or cones in place if arranged.
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Crew arrival time confirmed the day before.
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Meter readings taken and photographed at the old property.
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Final walk-through — every room, loft, garage and shed; windows shut, lights and water off.
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Keys handed over as agreed with your agent or solicitor.
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Meter readings taken at the new property on arrival.
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Kids' room and pet corner set up first; beds assembled early.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best way to handle young children on moving day?
If you can, have them spend the day with a relative, friend or in childcare, collected before the crew arrives — it’s safer and calmer for everyone. If they’re with you, give them a room away from the loading route with their own bag of snacks, drinks and distractions, and tell the crew to leave that room until last.
How do I keep pets safe on moving day?
Contain them — one closed room with a sign on the door, or off-site with someone for the day. Keep a carrier, lead, water and food to hand, make sure their ID tag and microchip details are current, transport them in your car rather than the van, and settle them in one quiet room at the new house before the boxes arrive.
What should be in our essentials box?
Everything for the first 24 hours without unpacking: kettle, mugs, tea and coffee, phone chargers, loo roll, snacks and a change of clothes, plus all medication and important documents. Add a kids’ bag (spare clothes, comfort item, activities) and a pet kit (food, bowls, lead, litter). It travels in the car, not the van.
What time does moving day usually start?
An early start is normal — the earlier you begin, the more daylight and buffer you have if anything overruns. Confirm the crew’s arrival time the day before so nobody’s left waiting on a doorstep.
Which room should we set up first at the new house?
The children’s room and a quiet corner for pets, so both have somewhere settled while the rest goes in. Then assemble beds, then sort the kitchen and bathroom basics. Leave the wider unpacking for the following days.
Do we need to be there for the whole move?
Someone should be present at both ends — to walk the crew through at the start, direct where things go on arrival, and handle the final checks, meter readings and keys. With kids and pets, it’s worth having one adult on the move and another on child and pet duty if you can.