Our home is our family haven, but sometimes making some changes to it is necessary. Hence, when your house no longer satisfies your demands, it’s time to do some renovations! However, when it comes to young families, this project might turn out to be quite a challenge. Whether you decide to do remodelling on your own or hire professionals, it will take a lot of time, money, and patience to get the job done. Having a big family with kids can make the job twice as hard if you don’t have anywhere else to go during the renovation. In addition, routine is everything in children’s lives, and any significant change could trigger stress or trauma. Be prepared for possible tantrums, sleep-cycle issues, headaches, or any other behavioural or emotional symptoms of anxiety. Therefore, finding ways to provide them comfort and help them survive home remodelling with kids is crucial for your own sake and the sake of your family.
If anyone tells you this is going to be easy, they are lying!
Money is always an issue, but if you plan to do an extensive renovation on your house, forget about DIY projects and bodge ideas! Having your kids around during demolitions and renovations and keeping them safe will take even more time than usual. We believe you are a supermum, but stay away from false ideas and remodelling myths. It will be challenging, time-consuming, and stressful, no matter how well organised you are. To survive home remodelling with kids, you will need all the help you can get.
Communication is the key to a happy family.
When it comes to any change in your family life, the best way to start preparing for it is to talk about it. No matter how old your children are, preparing them for what’s coming is one of the most important things to help them adjust to different situations. Home remodelling is not that big of a change for older kids, but younger kids might experience stress during the process. Children think differently from grown-ups, and therefore, giving them time to prepare for a change in the environment is necessary. Still, keep up with their routine and consistency as much as possible during the process. For them, routine means safety, so keeping up with everyday habits will help.
Improvise when it comes to food preparation.
What are the essentials every child needs? Food, water, safety, and happiness. Hence, it’s imperative to satisfy those needs while they cope with any change. When it comes to the first two, you will have to provide a place to prepare meals tucked away from any renovation dust and potentially hazardous substances used in construction. For example, a garage or basement could be a good option. There are some great ideas on how to set up a temporary kitchen and storage area. You might not always have the opportunity to make your usual home-cooked meal. Therefore, we use what you have in the best way you can. Most likely, you will have to use the microwave, toasters, or slow-cookers a lot, and therefore, make sure to get the food your kids love. Treating them with their favourite fast food will make the stressful change much easier for them.
The second option is to call in favours with friends and family. You might not have the time to prepare every meal, but your neighbours and cousins can. You shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help when it comes to the wellbeing of your family. Organising a plan for meal preparation and assigning everyone in advance can make things much more manageable. “It takes a village to raise a child”, and in this case, to feed them. If everyone pitches in, this could take a lot of worries off your back.
Keep your kids safe!
When doing home remodelling with kids, you have to put in some extra work in everyday cleaning. Many potentially dangerous substances are around during extensive renovation, like asbestos and lead exposure; therefore, you need to be extra careful. Clean and vacuum places where your children spend most of their time daily, and have enough water supply, since you might need to have your water turned off during work. If there’s a vacuum excavation going on in the garden after you’ve finished an extension project on the kitchen, make sure the whole area has been cordoned off. Also, sealing the vents in the rooms where you and the kids will be sleeping is very important.
You will have to get creative.
With the change of routine and environment, your children will need two crucial things: distraction and purpose. Therefore, use their willingness to participate in the process by giving them smaller assignments and chores. For example, assigning your older kids to watch over their younger siblings will provide them with the purpose they need. If your kids are closer to teenagers, they might fuss, but don’t worry, it’s their job to give you a hard time. They will be glad to help if you explain to them how much your help means to you.
If things start getting out of hand, you might need to improvise. One of the best ways to do this during home remodelling with kids is to go on a camping trip, even if the camping area is your garden! Still, if the renovation process doesn’t require your presence, there are ways to easily plan a family camping trip without spending a penny!
Keeping it together during home remodelling with kids
Home renovation can take a while. It all depends on the size of your remodelling project, your budget, and hired staffing at your disposal. Therefore, being exposed to hard work, lack of sleep, loud noises, and different overwhelming situations can also take its toll on your wellbeing. Make sure your whole family is in with you together, and if it gets too much, you can count on their helping hand. Still, learning to be a calm parent in stressful situations will not only help you during home remodelling with kids but also through life in general.
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