Moving to the Suburbs Too Early
When did you start thinking of moving to the suburbs? Chances are, you started thinking of moving to the suburbs when you had kids. When you could no longer stand the never-ending clutter of toys and wished you had more space. Or maybe it was when you got tired of dealing with the logistics of going anywhere and wished you can just hop in your car, load the kids and drive off. Or maybe you started thinking of moving to the suburbs when you were expecting your first child. You envision your family living the carefree suburban life. We certainly did. We started looking into moving to the suburbs when I was pregnant with our first child. This was a mistake. I wished we had waited until after our daughter was born before moving to the suburbs.
Pros to moving to the suburbs when you are expecting
Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of pros to moving to the suburbs when you are expecting. It is a lot easier to move to the suburbs when you don’t have kids in tow. I must admit, I took full advantage of it. House hunting in the suburbs was easier because I didn’t have to time our appointments around the baby’s nap schedule. I was also more efficient when it came time to pack and unpack from the move. I didn’t have to split my time between taking care of an infant or a toddler and moving. I could focus solely on my move. After settling down, it was also nice to be seen by a local Ob/Gyn, deliver at the local hospital and have the local pediatrician attend to my baby from day 1. I didn’t have to deal with transferring medical care from the city pediatrician to our new pediatrician in the suburbs. I was also immediately looped into the local Lamaze group where I met expecting moms. And after delivering, I joined a local New Mom’s group and started having playdates even when my daughter was still an infant. It was nice to belong to a support group from Day 1 especially during a vulnerable time of my life.
Why I regret moving to the suburbs too early
However despite all the advantages of moving to the suburbs without kids, I still regret moving to the suburbs too early. We made home buying mistakes because we didn’t know what we really needed. The major downside of moving when you are expecting is that you don’t really know what you need in a house. You don’t really know what it is like to have to deal with the daily clutter of toys or the increased frequency of visits from your parents and in-laws or the amount of baby stuff you will need on a daily basis. We mistakenly bought a house with insufficient storage space not knowing how much storage we really needed. Our very first home in the suburb was a little three bedroom ranch perched on top of a hill. Coming from a small 1 bedroom condo in the city, we thought our house was big enough for us to grow as a family. Little did we know we will outgrow our home within a year. We did not fully comprehend the amount of baby gear and toys required to raise a little child. We began to wish we had a playroom, more storage and a proper guest room (we were using one of the bedrooms as our “walk-in closet”). Not surprisingly, we were house hunting again. This time with a toddler in tow.
If I had known better, I wished we moved to the suburbs after having the baby. This would have saved us from moving twice in the suburbs with a toddler. It would have been better to buy a house that was suitable for a growing family from Day 1.
Final Thoughts: Why I Regret Moving to the Suburbs too Early
The timing of when you move to the suburbs is important. Even if you know you will eventually move to the suburbs, it’s important to consider the timing. Do you move to the suburbs before having your first child? Or do you move to the suburbs after living with kids in the city. You should consider the pros and cons of moving to the suburbs early. On one hand, the move is easier if you move to the suburbs without kids. However, you may make mistakes on the type of house you buy if you move to the suburbs without the experience of living with kids. For me personally, I wished I waited until I had my daughter before moving to the suburbs. I regret moving to the suburbs too early.
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You may also be interested in:
What You Need to Know When You Move to the Suburbs with Kids
$10,000 a Month to Live in Westchester: Cost of Living Calculator 2020
5 signs you are ready to move to the suburbs
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Suburbs 101 is an online lifestyle guide for the New York Suburbs of Westchester County, Long Island, Fairfield County and Northern New Jersey. Get the inside scoop on what it’s really like to live in the New York suburbs through our interviews with local suburbanites and features on Food, Fashion, Home, Travel, and Local Events. Be sure to Follow Us on Instagram, Like Us on Facebook and subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter.