🏡👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Moving and adapting with children: the first 90 days

⚠️ The following are general recommendations, not legal or medical advice. Procedures (registration, appointments with doctors/kindergarten) and deadlines may vary from municipality to municipality. Please check the official websites of your city and your service provider for details.

🩺 Step 1. Everyday life and healthcare

📑 Registration and ‘reference points’

• Address and basic documents in order.
• Choose a fastlege (family doctor) for each family member and a helsestasjon for children aged 0–5.
• Nearest locations: pharmacy, emergency room/legevakt, 24-hour numbers (save in your contacts).
• Cards/key apps — installed, access confirmed.

🗺️ ‘Rescue’ routes

• Rehearse short routes: home → garden/school → work → doctor/pharmacy.
• Mark ‘shelter from rain’ on the map (libraries/malls near transport hubs).
• Come up with a backup plan in case of disruptions: who will pick up your child if you are stuck on the way.

📚 Step 2. Education and leisure

🏫 Kindergarten/school/AKS (SFO)

• Submit applications and select priorities by location.
• Check after-school hours, ‘morning windows’ and holiday options.
• Set up school/kindergarten accounts and notifications.

🎨 Clubs and libraries

• Start with local clubs: school gym, neighbourhood playground, kulturskole.
• Get library cards; mark branches with meråpent hours for ‘quiet’ evenings.
• Make a ‘short list’ of free/discounted activities in the area.

⏱️ Step 3. Routine and habits

🕰️ Daily rhythm

• A shared family calendar: lessons/nursery, after-school activities, clubs, bedtime.
• Two ‘anchors’: breakfast together and a screen-free evening 60–90 minutes before bedtime.

🚶‍♂️ Evening mini-walks

• A 45–60 minute loop from home/station: the embankment, a green corridor, a courtyard with a canopy.
• ‘Family backpack’ by the door: water, snacks, napkins, dry socks, raincoats.

🗣️ Communication and language

💬 Quick start to communication

• Mini-dictionary for parents: ‘drop off/pick up’, “allergies”, ‘missing class’, ‘change of clothes’.
• Join group/class chats and section channels; save the contact details of the person in charge.

🌍 Language without barriers

• Many teachers/parents speak conversational English — use it.
• If necessary, ask for help from a translator at the school/medical facility.
• Keep templates for short messages in EN/NO (about illness, being late, requesting a meeting).

🌦️ Weather and safety

👀 Visibility and warmth

• Reflectors on jackets/backpacks; in autumn/winter, headlamps for evening walks.
• Raincoats/membranes in the right sizes; at home, a place for quick drying of shoes/gloves.

🚸 Road and water

• Stay behind railings near water; avoid slippery surfaces with a pram.
• When changing transport, choose stations with lifts/ramps; stick to a route without stairs.

✅ Checklist for the first 90 days

• Fastlege and helsestasjon selected, contacts saved.
• Garden/school/AKS: applications submitted, offices and notifications set up.
• Family calendar: holiday plan and deadlines marked.
• Routes home ↔ nursery/school ↔ work worked out + plan B.
• Rain/wind/twilight kit ready: reflectors, torch, dry socks, raincoats.
• Family backpack by the door, message templates (EN/NO) in notes.