Would you let a 4 year old play unsupervised in the garden with water table?

[wishIwasonholiday10]

My husband and I had a disagreement about this. Would you let an almost 4 year old play unsupervised in the garden with a water table and mud kitchen? The garden is fully fenced with no access to the street.

We both agree no unsupervised play with a paddling pool but disagree on the water table.

No

This! Can’t believe most of the replies on here. Young children can drown in 2inches of water. Not a chance in hell I’d leave a just 4 year old with a water tray full of water. If it’s an inch deep then fair enough but I doubt that.

The size of the puddles around here, yes you do need to keep an eye on young children. There’s some down our lane around 6 inches deep.

I would but our garden isn’t huge and I wouldn’t go somewhere in the house where I couldn’t see them. I wouldn’t if we had a bigger garden and they were out of my general sight.

Yes I would, total different to a paddling pool. A small water table is a lot different.

I wouldn’t let them play unsupervised in the garden full stop

Yes. But I can see from my kitchen and would check regularly

They can if they can’t get out or are unconscious for some reason or unable to position their face so it’s not in the water or no one hears them shout for help but what on earth would lead to this in a presumably able-bodied vocal four year old playing with a water table?! Ever heard of a child drowning in a water table? How would they manage that?

Would you risk being the parent who did find out?

I probably still wouldn’t, but I think that kind of table (with less space to put their head in) is safer than a tuff tray or open table.

Could you fill it with play sand?

My 4yo used to get in her water table and sit in it like a paddling pool. I tended to stay in the kitchen where I could see/hear her or go and fold washing upstairs in her room so I could watch her out of the window.

I was more worried about her falling out of it and smashing her head on something rather than drowning though.

I would let my DS4 play unsupervised. I'm struggling to imagine how he could possibly drown himself in a water table.

By popping indoors and still being within earshot? Yeah. I would. Because unless they got attacked silently by a giant bird of prey who somehow then left them face down and unable to move in a water table while I made a coffee or put a wash on I’m really struggling to see where the danger would come from.

Yes, my daughter is 5 now but I let her play with it unsupervised when she was 3.

Yep at that age you have to weigh up the risk, it’s very very very unlikely unless they collapse and their face positions perfect in the water for them to drown? I’m a cautious parent but it wouldn’t even cross my mind

No

Yes, because there is always risk to everything but you have to weigh it against the benefit. In this case, tiny tiny risk of drowning (I can only see this happening if they suddenly fell unconscious and landed perfectly in the water) vs very real benefits of learning independence and unsupervised, self- guided free play

We don’t have one so I don’t know, but wouldn’t the table fall over if a child fell against it and ended up folded at the waist with their head in it?

Yes. Without a second thought.

Yes I would. The likelihood of drowning is tiny, they can't fall into it really, it would likely topple and the water come out. If they fell towards it, again it would topple. A fit or similar and they'd end up on the ground.

Obviously I'd check every few minutes but imo this is fine.

Mine did too - but that also meant by 5 min after I filled it there was less than 2!inches of water

Yes. Why not?

ALMOST 4 is very different to 4.

I would let my 4yo as long as he was in hearing distance, but he will be 5 in the summer. I can't remember back to this time last year to say whether I would have let him. Possibly. I think he was playing with small trays of water outside with older brother last year and I wasn't always 100% watching, whereas I absolutely did when we had the paddling pool up.

I wouldn’t leave a four year old out of eyesight in the garden whatever they were playing with, but I wouldn’t consider a water table any more of a risk than any other toy.