Moving with a new baby, or one on the way

Many families move because a baby is coming: an extra bedroom, a yard, a better commute to family. The timing is rarely ideal. Late pregnancy and the first months with a newborn are when lifting boxes and long days are hardest. Here are the practical parts to plan. For moves with older children and pets, see moving with kids and pets.

If you can, move well before the due date rather than in the last weeks; babies do not follow schedules. Once you have a date, booking is simple and there is no deposit on local moves. We ask for a final confirmation 3 days before. If the date has to change, moving it is usually not a problem when the new day is open. We cannot hold a date without a confirmation, so book as soon as you know.

Packing is the most tiring part of a move, and the part you can hand off. A move can be split into two days: our crew packs on day one and moves on day two. The Golden Package adds $70 per hour to the move and includes full packing with all supplies and labor; with it, the only thing we ask you to pack yourself is valuables and important documents. If you only want help with the kitchen or fragile items, the crew can pack those and materials are charged as used.

We can take a crib apart at the old home. For liability reasons we are not permitted to reassemble a crib, because its safety depends on every part being installed correctly. If you are present during reassembly and inspect it afterward, the team can help put it back together under your supervision. Many parents simply rebuild the crib themselves using the manufacturer's instructions. Changing tables, gliders and dressers move like any other furniture; dresser drawers should be emptied.

Morning arrival is 8 to 10 AM in the South Bay and Peninsula and 9 to 11 AM in San Francisco and the East Bay, and the crew calls 30 minutes before arriving. If someone else will meet the crew, give us their number. Keep a separate bag for the baby, with diapers, formula, a change of clothes and medications, in your car, not on the truck. Set up the nursery first at the new home; tell the foreman that is the priority room.

• Book early and leave margin before the due date.
• Consider a packing day the day before.
• Keep a baby bag and a first-night box with you.
• Plan who reassembles the crib.
• Ask the foreman to set up the nursery first.
• Arrange childcare for move day if you can.