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Parenting

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Original poster

garden pond worries

16 replies

shalaa · 28/09/2005 14:50

stories like this fill me with fear as my parents have a pond. Really want them to fill it in but daren't ask as my mum loves it!

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mumfor1sttime · 28/09/2005 15:27

That story is terrible. My FIL has a pond.

expatinscotland · 28/09/2005 15:29

I hate those things! I had one in my garden back in the States. It came w/the house and we had no kids. Bloody PITA! Stay cats and dogs kept coming into our year to drink out of it. It was a nightmare to keep clean, etc.

We filled it in.

PeachyClair · 28/09/2005 16:04

MIL has a pond. She won't lock the door, so she doesn't get the kids. Full stop.

Horrible, dangerous things.

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expatinscotland · 28/09/2005 16:05

Don't blame you at all, PC.

matnanplus · 28/09/2005 16:06

What about a grill over the pond, supported in the middle just under the water surface, shalaa? would your mum do that?

jenkel · 28/09/2005 16:38

My mum and dad had a pond when I was tiny and they made sure that I knew the dangers and I never fell in, it wasnt covered or anything. My Mum has a pond now and I am fairly relaxed about my 3 year old and 18 month old, the 3 year old goes up to the pond lies down on her tummy totally flat to look at it, this is the way she has been taught to look at it by my Mum. And the 18 month old doesnt go out into the garden without an adult, to be honest the 3 year old doesnt really go into the garden without an adult. The pond is about ankle deep, so not to deep, but admittdley still enough to drown in. I think its lovely as its attracts lots of wildlife to the garden which both my dd's are facisnated in. They just have to be treated with caution.

fqueenzebra · 28/09/2005 21:41

If you have a grill over the pond (we do) it needs to be a few inches above the water, so that wildlife can get in /out or so that fish can come up to the surface occasionally. You can get covers/grills made up very cheaply, really, not that much hassle & obviously worth it for safety.

MIL also has a pond & we haven't asked her to fill it in or even cover it, but we don't go to her house often -- I wouldn't worry about the older 2 kids around it anyway, they are almost 4 & almost 6.

Original poster

shalaa · 29/09/2005 14:45

Hi, will ask her about a grill. The pond is about 4ft deep and hidden from the house by a tree so you wouldn't be able to see if anything happened. They have big patio doors that open into the garden and the backdoor is always open (for dog) so it would be very easy for DS to slip out. They've had the pond for 14 years and it's well kept and full of newts/fish/frogs so I think a grill would be the best idea but they also have a fountain in the middle!

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cupcakes · 29/09/2005 15:12

I think ponds are very necessary for wildlife, you just have to be wary! We have a small one set in a flowerbed with picket fencing around.

kbaby · 29/09/2005 21:43

Stories like this are horrible. My mum and dad have a deep pond but as soon as I had DD my dad built a fence around the pond which DD cant climb on or over. Its about 3 foot tall. Im still nervous about it but she doesnt go in the garden alone and there is no way she could get to the pond.

monkeytrousers · 30/09/2005 09:34

That poor family.

harpsichordcarrier · 30/09/2005 09:52

I worry about this one as well. FIL put in a new pond when I was pregnant and said "don;t worry children don't go near ponds..."
they also have a pool with no bloody fence round it.
thank god they're moving.

morningpaper · 30/09/2005 09:57

Shalaa that's difficult isn't it? Last Bank Hol we were at a friend's house and dd (3) fell into their pond, literally ten minutes after they had been telling us how no one had ever fallen into it! She was walking by on the adjacent path and just lost her footing. She was fine but very upset. Luckily we were all sitting right by her, but it really made me realise how easily accidents happen.

monkeytrousers · 30/09/2005 10:03

My SIL who I get on with very well has a tiny pond but it is quite deep. She also has a quite large catflap. I've had nightmares.

PeachyClair · 30/09/2005 17:57

You could put read relay alarms (about a fiver from JML) on the door whenever you're there, it emits a siren when you open the door- it works on a magnet and when the magnetic force is broken (eg door opened), the alrms goes off. You can stick them on with stickt pads and they're wuite small (FIL had them on his doors until he left MIL, they were excellent)- they're great if your kids get in bathrooms, etc etc

Original poster

shalaa · 01/10/2005 16:14

PeachyClair thanks for that! Will have a look out for them, was seriously considering sneeking to my parents in the middle of the night and tipping a load of concrete powder in the pond

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