How-To GuidesMoving with pets and kids
How to plan a move around animals and young children, what to prepare before the truck arrives, and how to settle everyone into the new home.
By Elijah Canfield, Founder, Hire Best Pros · Updated August 26, 2026
Elijah Canfield is the founder of Hire Best Pros. He writes and edits the site's consumer guides, with a focus on how home service and moving projects are priced, scoped and compared.
The most reliable approach is separation on the day itself. Arrange care off site for young children and pets, or set aside one closed room that is packed last and unpacked first. Keep food, medication, comfort items and vet or school records with you rather than on the truck, and re-establish familiar routines in the new home as quickly as possible.
Key points
- Open doors and a busy crew are the two real risks. Plan around both.
- Update microchip and tag details before the move, not after.
- Set up one familiar room first so there is somewhere calm to retreat to.
Before the day
- Book off site care, or designate a closed room with a sign on the door
- Refill medication and pack a clearly marked bag you keep in your own vehicle
- Update microchip records, ID tags and vet contact details for the new address
- Introduce a crate or carrier well ahead so it is familiar, not a surprise
- Talk children through the sequence of the day so nothing feels sudden
On moving day
Doors stay open for hours during a load. That is when animals slip out and small children wander toward a ramp. Whoever is supervising should have no other job that day.
Feed pets lightly before travel, keep water available at stops, and never leave an animal in a parked vehicle. For long drives, plan breaks in advance rather than improvising.
Settling into the new home
Unpack one room completely before spreading out. For a child, that means the bedroom with familiar bedding. For a pet, it means a quiet space with the old bed, bowls and a toy that already smells like home.
Expect a few unsettled days. Feeding times, walk routes and bedtime routines that match the old house shorten that window more than anything else you can buy.
Planning a move with a full household?
Compare moving helpCommon questions
- Should pets ride with the movers?
- No. Pets should travel with you or through a service intended for animal transport. Household goods trailers are not climate controlled and are not safe for living animals.