Having the space in your house to provide your mother-in-law with her own suite offers the ideal solution for helping her out when she can no longer live alone. However, you also know that having her move into your home will change the family dynamics. While you will all have more opportunities to bond, living together also generates a new level of stress. Unfortunately, moving often escalates tensions, and any spats you have on moving day can cast a negative tone on your first days of living together. Fortunately, you can avoid many issues by using these three tips to plan a perfect moving day that gets your new living situation off on the right foot.

Plan the Overall Layout Beforehand

Moving companies do a great job of trying to put things in the right place as they unload them off of the truck and bring them into the house. However, your mother-in-law may have distinct preferences for where she wants her things. Make sure to have her visit the mother-in-law suite before moving day so that she can point out where she wants to have major pieces of furniture, such as her bed or reading chair, placed. This helps her to feel more in control of the move, and she won't be able to get upset at you if things are out of place.

Have Professionals Handle Her Belongings

Your mother-in-law has already undergone a significant amount of stress by deciding to move to your house and preparing for her move. She may have even had to downsize, which means that the things that she still owns are special enough for her to choose to keep. During this delicate time, the last thing you need is to be responsible for breaking one of her cherished heirlooms or losing mementos such as photographs. Local moving companies hire crews that are trained to use proper packing and loading techniques to protect items from breakage and loss. Having someone else handle this part of the move frees you from the stress of being responsible for your mother-in-law's belongings.

Treat Her to a Special Meal 

Everyone has different preferences for how they handle residential moves. Talk to your mother-in-law about her overall feelings to determine if she should be there when her items are moved. In some cases, people prefer not to deal with the emotional weight of watching their belongings be transported in and out of their home. If this is the case, then have your spouse take her out for a meal so that she can come back to everything already being in place. If she prefers to be present during the move, then take her out to eat afterward so that you can all relax and enjoy your first meal as a family living together.