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.

I’m clearly a terrible mother as I’ve left my two year old outside with water table, albeit I’ve been in the kitchen right next to it and he’s almost three. I’m usually an anxious mum but even I can’t see the danger with this one.

I tend to keep an eye on my five year old in the garden whatever. The water table wouldn’t have worried me especially unless it held quite a lot of water. I worry more about the swing and the shed

It’s hard for me to imagine as neither kid ever wanted to be away from me at that age, instead they wanted constant interaction and play. But I would have left them alone with regular checks if I’d had the choice.

My kid is 3.5 and DH or I tag team the water activity table. I’m not sure how she be at 4 but I think I would still want to have eyes on her.

I'm trying to picture a 4 yo climbing up onto a water table (without turning the whole thing over) then suddenly falling face first into the water and being unable to get back up, but I'm getting nothing.

Yes, of course I would.

Yes

Yes, if in sight of a window. The biggest danger of a water table like that is they will splash and tip it everywhere and run out and keep asking for more! Four year olds are unlikely to get into too much trouble with a table like that. The biggest danger, age wise, with water, are 18mth-2.5 year olds. After this they are likely to be able to help themselves in small amounts of water. I wouldn't leave any child in a paddling pool though where they are immersed in the water and risk slipping and hitting their heads.

Yes. Though I’d be checking regularly and within hearing distance.

Yes I did because I have 6ft high fences, a locked garden gate and nothing in there that is anymore dangerous than the house.

They couldn't get out, sure somebody could have climbed over the fence and tried to kidnap them whilst I wasn't looking but it would be one hell of a high risk effort so I figured it wouldn't happen.

It's a great way to develop their independence skills and you get used to leaving them unsupervised in an age appropriate way.

In your case I am sure the water table is fine but if you are worried then only use it when you can supervise and leave your child to play just in the garden whilst you potter in earshot.

I can't imagine there would be enough water in it for long though based on how mine were!

Yes I would, at 4 my children had started school they were able to play outside unsupervised they needed to develop their independence.

Absolutely not, toddlers can drown in a few cm of water

I think it would depend on the risk of them falling and managing to fully immerse their face in the water table.

I'd definitely leave them to play with a mud kitchen though. Playing outside is so good for imagination etc.

(And all of the paranoia has just reminded me of the bust up when I was a kid. We had two bits to our garden - one was a quiet enclosed courtyard type area set up for adult sitting and had a fishpond. It was fully fenced in from the street and separated from our main garden by a full height (6 foot gate) which had a bolt at the top. Main access point was through the house. It wasn't somewhere child visitors to our house would have been but you could see the pond clearly from inside the house.

One of our neighbours kids (aged 7) broke in one day by climbing the six foot garden fence, we think from the street with the aim of seeing the fish, and then fell in the pond and couldn't get out. Fortunately my mother heard a kerfuffle, found him and fished him out. It was during term time (he was privately educated with longer school holidays) so he was lucky she was home. She then took him home dripping wet to explain.

His parents then went mad about the uncovered pond in our garden and were not remotely interested that he had scaled a six foot fence to get to it. They also tried to stir up trouble with the other neighbours. Most of whom were familiar with the set up and fairly non plussed. It caused bad feeling for years.

Yes my four year olds roamed the length and breadth of our land too, and all over our (modest) castle, although I always ensured there was chicken wire so they couldn’t fall off the top of the turrets

If I knew I couldn't supervise, it probably wouldn't be my first choice of activity, but if I needed to pop inside to check on baby sleeping or similar, I would feel reasonably comfortable with doing so at nearly 4.

I'd have no problem with a near 4 year old playing out in the garden on their own if they wanted to. Water table isn't a risk.

Yeah but only if someone was keeping half an eye out and regular checks. Foxes can come into the garden and might attack a young child.

The child is almost 4, not a toddler. Yes they can drown in shallow water, but how do you suppose that could happen at a water table?

I think it depends on the child. My son has additional needs and you’d be amazed how he can find a way to be dangerous with even the safest toys, so I wouldn’t leave him unsupervised with pretty much anything. But I know a lot of 4 year olds can be trusted to play sensibly with a water table.

I don't think that applies in all circumstances. It's mostly for bathtubs or paddling pools or water on ground level of thing where a child could slip, bang their head and land unconscious face first in the water. I don't see how that could happen with the water table the op has linked. Even if the child fell face first in it the table would mostly like topple over. The risk of drowning in a water table is so low that it falls in the category of things that are theoretically possible but so unlikely that you can't and shouldn't try to avoid them.

The 2cm is thing is not a blanket rule. Eg Would you not allow a toddler around a cup that has a few cm of water?

Yes. They rarely stop talking anyway so wouldn’t give you peace for long, enjoy the few moments of silence.

This child is not a toddler

Probably not unless I could see them. The likelihood of ending up face down in the water is pretty slim, but for some more curious children putting their head under the running water and looking up or pulling the table over onto themselves isn’t impossible. Choking is more likely than drowning, still unlikely, but I wouldn’t take the risk when there are loads of other things they can play with completely safely alone

I’d watch from inside. My 4yo is likely to climb on the table and jump splash in it, so risk of falling, she also likes to drink it by putting her face in.

Blimey I’m so glad mine are adults now … this is nuts!

How could a 4 year old drown in a water table!

I wouldn't in my garden but that's because my garden isn't particularly safe for unsupervised small children, nothing to do with the water table. If I had an enclosed garden all on one level that could be seen easily from the house then yes, I'd be fine with it.