Water safety - family member with pond

[SOSWhen]

Hi, my sister and her partner have just bought a lovely new house with a garden pond. Pond is completely unsecured. They don’t have children so don’t have any intention of securing the pond however I have a 10 month old who will soon be moving.

im already nervous about the pond and plan to of course watch my child closely if we ever visit but also human nature is that if we are there and it’s a big group of people (often happens as they hosted alot of gatherings and bbq etc in their old house) that myself or DH might get distracted.

any tips for keeping child safe or what you would do in this situation? I was wondering if I should buy those child rein things For when we visit and literally tie the child to me.

they can’t have kids and are super excited about cultivating the pond and enjoying it as a feature for their guests so I know they wouldn’t fill it in or put A big security mesh over it for child safety.

This! Your child your absolute total responsibility at all times.

Even in your own home the constant attention to danger is high , keeping your doors locked with keys nearby but never in the lock so toddler can escape , making sure sure your window locks are working and connected . It is so incredible what toddlers can turn into danger to themselves . Even in a relatively 'safe' garden you wouldn't know if any of the plants are toxic .

If you're going to visit, you will have to watch your child at all times. It's that simple, really.

We had a beautiful pond when the babies came along we had a big metal mesh panel made to fit, fenced it off with a padlocked gate. We could still care for the fish, watch the frogs. Because it wasn't just our children but friends we worried about.

You can't be distracted it's the same if they had a swimming pool