Steve Barton, Senior Sales Manager at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said, “It's commonly known that the most frequently-occurring accidents happen in the home, and the last thing we want is for them to happen part-way through your move!
We've decided to put together the following top tips, endorsed by CAPT, to help you avoid the most common causes of accidents when moving to a new home.”
1) Install safety gates
If you have a child under two, it is recommended that you install safety gates on the stairs as soon as you can, even before the child enters the house. This sounds drastic, but they will be very excited and keen to explore and you may be busy with the move and easily distracted from supervising them as closely as you would normally.
2) Pay close attention to windows
It's a good idea to check all the windows in your new home, even the ones on the ground floor. If they open wide enough for a child to climb out of, we recommend you fit a catch or window lock and if you've moved into a home with a balcony, you should consider fitting a lock here too.
3) Keep furniture at a safe distance
We all know toddlers love to climb, so although you may not have decided where you want your furniture to end up, we recommend that you keep it away from windows until you do. Then, once you've settled on a final position, it is advisable to secure it in place, especially if it's a cabinet or table.
4) Explore the garden
Gardens are a great place for children to play, but it's a good idea to have a walk around yourself to check whether your children might be able to find their way into neighbouring gardens or out onto the street, and secure the area if necessary. If the garden has a pond or a water butt it is also recommended that you make them safe as soon as you can as babies and young children can drown in as little as 5cm of water.
5) Get used to your surroundings
If you've moved to a new area or even just a new street, the roads and volume and speed of traffic will be unfamiliar. There may also be new or busier roads to cross on the way to school, so we recommend you practice the new school run if you can – even with older children.
Steve continued, “It's likely to be a stressful time, but just a few checks before and after your move will give you peace of mind and could help protect your child from a serious accident.”
