Moving House With Children Using Self Storage For What You Cant Sort Mid Move

Moving with children and no time to sort what goes where?

It is the week before completion. Three rooms are still unpacked. One child thinks the move means leaving the cat behind; another is upset because you put their Lego in a box labelled “misc.” The removal firm is booked for eight o’clock Thursday morning, and somewhere between now and then you are supposed to have decided what to do with the spare-room furniture, the boxed keepsakes from your parents’ house, and approximately six bags of children’s clothing that might fit next year or might not.

Nobody tells you that a family move is not a single event with a clean end. It is a sequence of decisions, most of which are impossible to make in the middle of the chaos. The things you cannot sort right now are not a failure. They are just things that need somewhere calm to wait while you do the most important job first: get the children settled into the new house.

That is what this page is for. Not a list of box sizes. Not a monthly price comparison. Just a plain answer to the question parents actually ask mid-move: can I store what I cannot sort, and how does that actually work?

Three things to know before you read on:

• Find your nearest Wigwam: our UK market-town locations
• Get a quote in two minutes: quote.wigwamstorage.co.uk
• Minimum stay: two weeks. Unused days refunded if you finish early.

Why a family move never sorts itself neatly

Family moves do not end on moving day. The sorting, the deciding, the things the children are not ready to lose: these take longer than the removal van, longer than the keys, longer than anyone plans for.

The “decide later” pile and why it always grows

The pile starts small. A few things from the spare room that you are not sure about. Your mother’s writing desk. The bunk beds your youngest has outgrown but your eldest is not ready to part with yet.

Then life keeps moving while the move is still underway. Work deadlines do not pause for packing. The children still need feeding, bathing, reassuring. And every time you open the spare-room door, you close it again because deciding what to do with its contents is a whole afternoon you do not have.

This is not disorganisation. It is just the reality of moving a family. The pile grows because the decisions inside it are real ones, and real decisions take time. The point of a storage unit is not to put your failures in it. It is to give the pile somewhere safe to sit while you buy yourself the time to think.

When the chain slips or completion moves

Even the best-planned moves face delays. A buyer’s survey comes back with a query. A solicitor needs another week. The completion date shifts by a fortnight and suddenly your removal slot no longer fits.

When that happens, a storage unit converts a crisis into a buffer. Instead of negotiating desperately with the removal firm or leaving everything in the van, you can move what you have packed to a local unit and pick up the rest when the chain is ready. Selina and the teams at our local sites are used to this. They have helped families time their start date around exactly these kinds of slips, more times than they can count.

If you are moving in England or Wales, the conveyancing chain works differently from Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you are moving to or from either, speak to your solicitor about how timings may vary.

How storage takes the pressure off

Store the overflow now. Move the children into the new house first. Come back for the rest when you are ready. That is the sequence, and it works because it turns moving day into one job instead of three.

Move in first, sort after

The job on moving day is getting the children into the new house with what they need: their beds, their school bags, the things that make the new place feel like home by bedtime. Everything else is secondary.

A storage unit near your old address or your new one means the secondary pile does not have to be resolved on the same day. The unit holds what cannot be decided. The house holds what the children need tonight. That sequencing is the whole point. You are not avoiding the decisions; you are giving them the right conditions.

The first-night box, and the boxes that can wait in storage

There is a practical habit that experienced movers swear by: pack a first-night box for every person in the house and keep it out of the removal van entirely.

For the children, that means their bedding, their current favourite toy or comfort item, their pyjamas, their school uniform for Monday. For adults: kettle, mugs, tea, phone chargers, medications, a change of clothes, the broadband router. Anything that would mean a crisis if it ended up buried under a mattress in a van.

Everything that does not make that list is a candidate for the storage unit. The children’s things they are not ready to sort. The kitchen boxes that can wait until the new kitchen is actually ready. The spare-room furniture that has no obvious home yet. These are not clutter. They are the second wave, and they can arrive when the dust has settled.

What to put in storage, and what to keep with you

A simple rule: if you do not need it in the first two weeks of the new house, it can go in the unit. Apply that filter to every room and the decisions get much easier.

Furniture and the spare-room overflow

Spare-room furniture is almost always a candidate. The double bed that was a guest bed but no longer has a room. The chest of drawers that might go into a child’s room eventually, once you have worked out whose room is whose. The seasonal items, the third sofa, the garden furniture that does not fit the new garden.

These are not problems. They are things that have not found their moment yet. A unit holds them cleanly and gives you the room to make the decision properly, without half a removal van parked outside.

Keepsakes and the things the children are not ready to lose

This is where the emotional weight of a family move tends to sit. The things that belong to your parents. The children’s artwork from infant school. The outgrown baby equipment that you are not quite ready to part with. The boxes labelled in your own handwriting from the last move, still sealed.

These are not clutter to be thrown away in the chaos. They are your family’s continuity. They deserve care, not a bin bag in a hurry.

Each Wigwam unit is clean, dry and individually alarmed. These things are not abandoned in storage. They are looked after while you get the house straight. The honest description of our units is exactly that: clean, dry and secure. We do not offer climate-controlled storage, and we will not pretend otherwise. For most household keepsakes stored over the course of a move, clean, dry and secure is what matters.

What we cannot store

Wigwam stores household goods. We do not offer storage for vehicles, caravans, motorhomes or boats. There are no climate-controlled units. If you are unsure whether something qualifies, the straightforward answer is: if it lives in your house, it almost certainly does.

How much space and how long you will need it

Most families moving from a two or three-bedroom house need less space than they expect. And they usually need it for less time than they fear.

Rough sizing by property

A rough guide: a one-bedroom flat overflow might need a small unit of around 25 to 50 square feet. A two or three-bedroom house partial move often needs somewhere between 50 and 100 square feet, depending on how much furniture is involved. A four-bedroom house with a full spare-room overflow can run higher.

These are starting points, not quotations. Our pricing page gives you a clearer picture of costs by unit size. When you request a quote, we can help you work out what you actually need. Property size is a reasonable proxy to start with; we will refine it from there.

Two-week minimum, and unused days refunded if you finish early

The minimum stay is two weeks. That is it. There is no pressure to commit to months of billing when you only need a fortnight’s buffer.

If you finish earlier than expected and give 14 days’ notice, unused days are refunded. The deposit is refundable too: it comes back to you once you have vacated the unit and the account is settled, less anything owed. These are the terms as they stand, and they are there in full on our terms and conditions page.

This matters because the national storage chains tend to bill monthly, whether you use the month or not. The two-week minimum and refund of unused days are the honest alternative for a family who might finish the move faster than they expected.

Ready to get a quote? Tell us your town and roughly how much you need to store. We will come back with a number.
quote.wigwamstorage.co.uk

How it works at your local Wigwam

There are no complicated sign-ups. You book a unit, you access it on your own timetable, and the terms are written in plain English. Here is what to expect.

Smart entry, 6am to 10pm, seven days

Access is by smart entry, seven days a week, from 6am to 10pm. Our sites are unmanned: you use your own secure access to reach your own unit. Nobody is waiting to let you in, and nobody is waiting to lock up after you.

If you are using a removals firm, or a friend with a van, they can drive to the site and help you move things in. But someone from your side needs to be present. Wigwam does not sign for deliveries, and we do not accept goods on your behalf. Plan for a person from your household or team to be there when goods arrive.

Access runs until 10pm, not midnight, not around the clock. If you need an early-morning start on moving day, 6am is available. But please do not plan around 24-hour access; it is not available.

Refundable deposit and 14-day notice, in plain terms

When you book, a deposit is taken. It is refundable: once you give 14 days’ notice, vacate the unit and settle the account, the deposit is returned to you less anything outstanding.

The 14-day notice period and the deposit refund are separate things. The notice is what you give to end your contract. The deposit is what comes back when everything is clear. Both are covered in full on our terms and conditions page.

Individually alarmed units, clean, dry and secure

Each unit at every Wigwam site has its own individual alarm. The site itself is clean, dry and secure. These are the conditions your furniture, your keepsakes and your children’s things will be kept in. We describe them exactly as they are. No temperature-controlled marketing, no humidity claims. Clean. Dry. Secure. That is the honest promise.

Contents cover

Contents cover is mandatory at Wigwam. You can take our RSA Self Storage Customers’ Goods policy, or you can provide evidence of your own sufficient cover.

If you take the Wigwam policy, it is important to declare your goods at full replacement value. If you under-declare, any claim is settled in proportion to what you declared. For your keepsakes, your furniture and your children’s things, declare the full cost of replacing them as new.

If you are relying on a home-contents policy, check with your insurer that it extends to goods in commercial storage. Not all do.

We will not advise you on which option to choose: that is for you and your insurer to work through. What we will do is make sure you have access to the right information. Full details are on our contents protection page.

Packing for a family move when not everything is going at once

Pack in two rounds, not one. The first round is everything going directly into the new house. The second round is everything going into the unit. If you try to pack both at once, you will spend three days repacking boxes that went into the wrong van.

Labelling for a two-destination move

A simple system works better than a complex one. Use two colours of label, or two consistent written tags: one for “new house” and one for “Wigwam unit.” Apply the label to the top and one side of each box, so it is visible however the box is stacked.

Room labels matter too. “Kids’ room, Wigwam” tells the removal team exactly where a box is going even before it leaves the old house. Keep the labelling brief and consistent. The chaos of moving day is not the moment to introduce a colour-coded spreadsheet.

What goes in last, and comes out first

The children’s rooms are usually the hardest to pack. Not because there is more there, but because the decisions are the most loaded. What goes with them on day one, what waits in the unit, what they are ready to say goodbye to: these are questions that cannot always be answered quickly, and certainly not in the last week before completion.

Give yourself permission to put the undecided children’s things in the unit. They are not lost. They are nearby, accessible from 6am, and you can go through them properly once the new house has its own rhythm. The unit is the pause button. The new house is where the children land first.

Find your nearest Wigwam

Wigwam has market-town locations across the UK. Find the one nearest to your new or old address, and you can use that site for as long as the move takes.

Our UK market-town locations

We are in market towns across England. Wigwam Self Storage Bath in Somerset and Wigwam Self Storage Lincoln in Lincolnshire are two of our verified locations. For the full list of our UK market-town locations, the locations hub is the right place to start. Search by town or postcode and it will show you what is nearest.

We do not operate in every town, but our market-town network is designed to put local, accessible storage within reach of the kinds of communities where family moves actually happen.

If your move is between two of our towns

Some families find they need storage at both ends: one unit near the old house while they clear it, and another near the new house while they settle in. Both sites can be used independently, with their own contracts, their own access and their own terms. The locations hub will show you what is available at each end of your move.

Get a quote for your family move

You do not need to have everything figured out. Tell us your town and roughly what you need to store. We will come back with a quote. That is genuinely all it takes to get started.

What to have ready when you request a quote

Three things are enough: the town where you need storage, a rough sense of how much you need to store (property size works as a starting point), and when you need to begin. You do not need to have sorted the boxes, labelled every item or made every decision. The quote is the first step, not the last.

Pricing and terms

Costs depend on unit size and location. Our pricing page gives you the full picture without the need to speak to anyone first. The terms and conditions page covers the deposit, the notice period, and everything else in plain language.

The short version: two-week minimum, refundable deposit, unused days refunded if you leave early. No hidden traps. No months-long commitments if you do not need them.

Ready when you are. Tell us your town and we will sort the rest.
quote.wigwamstorage.co.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my children come into the storage unit with me?

Yes, your children can come into the unit with you, as long as you keep them close and supervised at all times. The sites are unmanned, which means there is no staff member on hand and no separate play area or waiting room. You let yourself in by smart entry and access your own unit directly, so anyone with you, including children, is your responsibility throughout the visit.

A few practical notes for a family visit. Storage corridors can have trolleys, other customers moving heavy items, and roller doors that are not toddler-friendly, so it is sensible to hold little ones close rather than let them roam. If you are doing a proper load-in or sorting session, it is often calmer to bring another adult so one of you can keep an eye on the children while the other shifts boxes. For older children, the unit can actually be useful, letting them help carry their own things and see that their belongings are safe and nearby rather than gone, which is reassuring during a move.

Access runs from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, so you can pick a time that suits the family rhythm, an early start before nursery, or a calmer evening visit. There is no need to book a slot. Just bear in mind that because the site is self-access and unmanned, supervision is entirely down to you, and a working site is not a playground. Plan the visit around that and bringing the children along is perfectly fine.

How do I explain storage to a child who thinks we’re getting rid of their things?

Tell them plainly that their things are not gone, they are being kept safe nearby, and where possible, show them. The fear under “are we throwing my things away” is usually about losing something that matters and not being consulted. The fix is honesty and a little involvement. Explain that the unit is a room with a door that only your family opens, that their things are clean, dry and safe inside, and that you can go and get them whenever you need to.

Concrete reassurance works better than words alone. Let the child choose which of their things go in the first-night box and which can wait in the unit. Label a box with their name in their own handwriting. If they are old enough and it suits the day, take them along on a visit so they can see their things sitting safely in the unit rather than imagining them gone. Because the unit is close to home and access runs 6am to 10pm, that visit is easy to arrange.

It also helps to give a rough timeline a child can hold onto: “your bunk bed is in the unit for a few weeks while we sort your new room, then we will bring it through.” That turns storage from a loss into a plan with their things at the end of it. The emotional weight of a family move often sits exactly here, in the children’s sense of control. Involving them in what stays close and what waits nearby is usually enough to turn the worry into cooperation.

What if we finish the move faster than two weeks? Do we still pay the full two weeks?

Yes, the two-week minimum is the floor you commit to, but if you finish faster you are not penalised beyond that, because unused days beyond the period you use are refunded. The minimum stay means you are booking at least a fortnight. For a family move that is usually a comfortable fit anyway, since settling children into a new home and sorting the overflow rarely wraps up in a few days. But moves do sometimes resolve quickly, and the terms are built so a fast finish does not cost you.

Here is how it fits together, because two separate things often get confused:

Term	What it means
Two-week minimum	The shortest period you can book; you commit to at least this.
14-day notice	What you give when you decide to leave, to close the account.
Unused days refunded	Once you have vacated and the account is settled, days paid but not used come back.
Refundable deposit	Returned after you vacate and settle, less anything owed.

The key point for a family worried about over-committing: the minimum does not compound with the notice. They are not stacked on top of each other into a long lock-in. You book your fortnight, give your notice when ready, clear the unit, and what you did not use is refunded. Full detail is on the terms and conditions page. For a move that might finish ahead of schedule, this is the honest alternative to a national chain billing you a full month regardless.

Should I use one unit near the old house or one near the new one?

Pick the end of the move where you will be doing the most lifting and visiting, which for most families is the new house. The job on moving day is getting the children settled into the new home, and the overflow you store is usually what could not go in yet, things you will bring through over the following weeks as rooms get sorted. If that is the pattern, a unit near the new house means short, easy trips to fetch the next thing rather than a drive back to the old town every time.

There are sensible exceptions. If you are clearing the old house gradually, perhaps it is being prepared for sale, or completion on the new place is delayed, a unit near the old address can make more sense while that end is the active one. And some families genuinely need both: one unit near the old house while they clear it, another near the new one while they settle. Both sites run as independent contracts with their own access and terms, so that is entirely workable.

Because the sites are in market towns rather than ring-road industrial estates, a local unit is usually a genuinely short hop from home, which is what makes the “store the overflow, fetch it as you go” approach practical. Use the locations hub to see what is nearest each end of your move, then choose the site closest to where the day-to-day sorting will actually happen. For most families, that is the new home.

How do I keep track of what’s in storage versus what came to the new house?

Use a simple two-destination labelling system and a written list, and you will avoid the most common mid-move headache: not knowing where something is. During a family move things get split across two places, the new house and the unit, and the boxes that vanish are always the ones nobody labelled clearly. A little structure at packing time saves hours of searching later.

The method that works under moving-day pressure is deliberately basic:

• Two clear destinations only: “new house” or “Wigwam unit.” Mark every box with one or the other.
• Add the room and, for children’s things, the child’s name: “Ellie’s room, Wigwam unit.”
• Put the label on the top and one side of each box so it is readable however boxes end up stacked.
• Keep one master list, even just notes on your phone, of roughly what is in the unit so you know what to come back for.

Because the unit is local and access runs 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, retrieving something you find you need is a quick errand, not a crisis, but only if you know it is in the unit and roughly where. The children’s things especially benefit from this: when a child asks where a particular toy or item is, being able to say “it is safe in the unit, we will fetch it this weekend” turns a potential upset into a plan. Keep the system simple and consistent, resist the urge to over-engineer it on the day, and the split between house and unit stays manageable from start to finish.