Moving Made Easy with Smart Home Tech

My husband and I always seem to combine big life events. When we got engaged, we moved apartments. When we got married, I changed jobs. Now we're expecting a baby —so of course we opted to buy our first house. I was a little concerned about the physical labor of packing and moving all of our belongings, considering I'm not supposed to lift anything over 25 pounds.

Smart home technology — and some helpful resources — made moving during this busy time simple. Here's how we did it:

When I found out my husband was being relocated for work, I was a bit nervous. We tackled many life changes together in the past, but with a baby on the way, everything felt like an unknown. That's why we used a moving checklist to get organized — it includes information on downsizing and packing, and tips to make the experience less stressful on your pet.

Once we got our boxes into the new house, I wanted to start unpacking and get settled. To ensure that our home could run smoothly, we needed to have a strong and reliable Wifi signal. It's super easy with Cox to transfer service from one home to the next. There's even a helpful question and answer checklist that tells you how to stay connected while you move and what to do with your equipment.

As soon as I plugged in, I was able to access our Wifi network with all our previous settings. There was no complicated installation or unfamiliar equipment. Now I was ready to start setting up our new home.

When most people move into a new home, they want to settle in and make it their own. During pregnancy, this impulse is known as “nesting"— the overwhelming urge to clean, organize and get the space ready for your new addition. It only makes sense that one of the first rooms I wanted to set up was the nursery.

I was lucky enough to be gifted a smart bassinet that helps infants learn to self-soothe. Next we installed a smart baby monitor. This device not only provides live video footage of your little one, it also takes note of sleep patterns, breathing motion and overall development so you can make sure your baby is right on track.

The next room I wanted to tackle was my "happy place" — the kitchen. We invested in a smart fridge, which allows me to check our supplies even when I'm out of the house. I can also access recipes, play music and check the weather, all from the refrigerator!

Being six months pregnant, I wanted to make life as convenient as possible, so I outfitted all of our kitchen appliances with smart plugs. Now I can control everything from my smart phone or tablet. I can even start the coffee maker from bed — crucial for all those sleepless nights and early mornings in my future.

Now that we've got everything set up, we're starting to settle in to life in our new home. After a long day, we like to relax on the couch. We can create the perfect ambience by setting the smart thermostat and dimming the lights from our tablet. Then we order pizza using our smart phones. When we turn on the TV, we use our voice remote and Contour Stream Player to easily play our latest bingeworthy series.

Even our dog is getting accustomed to our new surroundings. The unique tag on his collar unlocks the smart doggy door, and when I hear him come in, I can activate his smart feeder with the touch of a button on my smart phone. Supper time!

Best of all, this smart tech may is easy to navigate. You can even integrate all of your appliances and devices using a smart home touchscreen panel. It's nice knowing that I can control nearly every aspect of my home from one place.

After only a short time in our new house, we're already feeling right at home.