Garden pond and new baby

[pondwoman]

I moved into a new house last year. There’s a large pond in the back garden (about six feet wide by four feet deep) which I loved when we bought the place, despite the fact that it does need a lot of TLC and I have no clue how to look after it!

However, I’m now pregnant with my first child, due this spring, and am wondering what to do about the pond.

I’m really loathe to remove it, mainly due to the frogs that use it in the summer. I know ponds are very valuable to wildlife, especially as we live in a city. On the other hand, I’m nervous about the danger it could pose to my child once they start walking and playing in the garden, especially as it’s so deep. Obviously that won’t be for a while yet but I’m just thinking ahead.

WWYD?

I would fill it in or get a rock solid, child-proof fence built around it.

I’d get a pond safety grid. Still enjoy your pond but it stops anyone falling in.

I would get rid of it. No ifs, no buts, just get rid.

I would not want to take the slightest chance of anything happening to my DC.

Just make sure the doors to the garden have childproof locks and don't leave your child in the garden on their own and you'll be fine.

As they grow up your child will love having a pond to watch the fish and hunt for frogs, don't get rid of it!

Can you fence it off?

That way it’s safe for baby, and the wildlife keeps their home

You can get a grid to place just under the surface , with adjustable legs. Gaps large enough for wildlife to fit through.

Can you face having years of worry about the pond, not only for your own children but also visiting children?

We had a huge pond which dp loved and it was filled with huge fish... when I had dd there was no question... the pond went and we built a play area!
Not worth the worry when baby starts walking and your turn your back.. even with a grid on it!

You can get a grid type thing ( very heavy metal) put over the pond - I’ve seen this but needs to be installed properly plus you could fence it off too? Part of me thinks you should fill it in to prevent anything but if you really want to keep it properly protecting the pond and supervising an6 children in the garden is the only way.

There are grids you can buy as other PP have said that are used in care homes, schools, etc that would withstand adult weights.

We had this OP. We fenced off the pond area with locked gate (simple sliding bolt). We also kept a very close eye on DC when outside, particularly when they got to an age where there was a possibility of fence-scaling activity seeming appealing!

Worked well for us - DC now adult, but they still remember helping their dad feed the fish in the pond and looking and listening for the frog!

I grew up with a garden pond, my parents still have it. It’s a risk, yes, but a manageable one. We were never in the garden unsupervised, same for my DCs now.

My son's grandparents have a very strong grid across the top. Strong enough to take 4 adults weight. My son is never playing in any outdoor space alone anyway. You could get a fence too if needed. Seems a shame to fill it in.

don't leave your child in the garden on their own and you'll be fine.

I’m just not sure that’s realistic, that’s the problem - it only takes a second and all that.

We have quite a large pond and have done since we moved into our house when DD was 18mo. We just fenced it off. There's really no need to get rid of it entirely if you don't want to. There are plenty of childproof pond covers and metal grids on the market, just make sure they're fitted properly.
Now DD is 6yo and she loves the pond as we have fish, Water Lillie's and frogs in there. I'm glad we didn't just fill it in despite lots of people telling us we'd 'have to' when we first bought the house.

We had a really deep pond/scenic rockery with steep sides which we fenced off. It was fine for a few years. One day my adventurous younger child, aged 3, decided to climb over it and went in head first. We found her clinging onto the fence on the inside. THANK GOD she didn't bang her head going in, she would have drowned for sure. This was over 30 years ago but I still feel sick remembering the scene.

Thanks for the suggestions - a grid is something I could look into.

We knocked our pond down when our DS was toddling because he was into everything. Even though it was in a gated part of the garden we couldn’t risk it.
You can buy safety grids though, so I would either get rid of it or put a hard safety grid over it. A fence won’t cut it as children are resourceful and will find a way.

Are you confident that the pond doesn't contain any protected species (Great crested newt, common toad, grass snakes etc)?

When my dd was small we had Mesh similar to this placed across the pond surface and a foot beyond onto the surrounding garden. We then placed big boulder type rocks around the edge to ensure the grid could not be moved. We left small gaps between the rocks to enable hedgehogs, birds and frogs to come and drink. There was no way on earth that dd could have fallen in the pond but she loved watching the fish and learning about the wildlife.

Definitely make it safe rather than get rid, ponds are amazing for wildlife and such a source of wonder for children.

We didn't fence off our pond or use a cover. Dont think either of the kids ever ended up in it

We fenced ours off. It cost a bit to do it properly and securely but it worked and the DC love it now they're older.

@pondwoman I’ve sent you a dm!

Definitely agree with keeping it and making it safe. My grandparents had a pond and some of my fondest memories from childhood involved trying to count the tadpoles, going out at twilight to listen to the toads, watching dragonflies, and also finding baby frogs around the place.