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Moving With a Baby? Forward Your Mail for Less Stress
Moving soon? Get organized with our free moving checklist.
Even though most of your day-to-day communications likely take place electronically, remembering to forward your mail ahead of your move is important. From magazines and bills to legal documents, the postal service has a few best practices for ensuring your letters and packages can follow you to your new home. Here are the steps to take before making the move with your baby.
Forward your mail
You can forward your mail at your local post office, or online with a $1.05 fee for verifying your identity (it’s free if you have access to Updater). Because the forwarding process can take about 12 days, many post offices recommend filing your form two weeks before your move.
Many items like parenting magazines, newspapers, and first-class envelopes, as well as anything shipped with priority or premium mailing, will be rerouted for free. If you want media mail or USPS retail ground to get to your new home, you’ll have to pay the shipping charge. You can purchase additional months of forwarding services for a fee.
Notify everyone of your new address
Keep in mind that the post office’s forwarding service is a temporary solution. If you don’t notify others about your change of address, some pieces of mail — such as medical bills or insurance claims for your baby — may be delayed, or worse, lost. Be sure to update all of your accounts with your new address.
“Forwarding mail can seem like just one extra thing on a list of a million things you have to do before the baby gets here, but it’s so important,” says Laura Seguin. “I wouldn’t have received my child’s birth certificate, which meant I wouldn’t have been able to register him for daycare and other programs, if I hadn’t forwarded my mail properly before I moved. I also received formula coupons through the mail, which I ended up needing to use right after my son was born. I’m glad I took care of it before I got caught up with taking care of a newborn.”
Moving brings a big to-do list, especially if you have a baby or young child to care for. By planning ahead for your change of address, and not relying solely on forwarding your mail, you’ll ensure every important document arrives safely.
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