Thoughts on a garden pond

[LaughingHyena]

When we moved here there was already a small pond in the garden. Initially we planed to remove it straight away, ponds and kids not being a great mix in our minds. However it was winter when we moved and we didn't get round to removing the pond.

By the time we got round to thinking about the garden the pond was full of frog spawn and we discovered goldfish! The pond also attracts loads of birds. The kids were fascinated so we've still not demolished the pond.

We're doing a fair amount of garden redesign this year and I'm starting to wonder if we can safely include a pond in our new layout. We would really miss watching the wildlife but I'd like to be able to let the kids out on their own. At the moment I only let them out if I'm in the garden or washing up since I can see the pond from the kitchen window.

anyone else have garden ponds and if so how do you keep them safe. Is mesh over the top enough (and is that still OK for wildlife) or do we need to keep it fenced off? 

[DahliaRW]

How old are your kids?

[LaughingHyena]

Kids are nearly 7 and 4.

[lookatreestar]

depending on the size of the pond and personality of my kids i would be keep the pond.

[**mom2one**]

We have a really big pond - actually two ponds with a bridge in between, the bigger one is about 4 feet deep.  We built them before we had kids and then wondered about safety when we did have kids.  We built a fence on one side - a short fence maybe up to an adult's waist level - and had a gate on the bridge. Our kids are fine with it, they are 5 & 2 and they know that they can't go on the bridge or close to the pond without and adult with them, and they play in the back yard right near the pond every day.  One other thing we did was build up flower beds on the side of the pond as well - so they would have to go through the plants to get into the pond.  They do love the pond and the frogs and fish etc but they just know not to go near it.  So I would say with your kids ages they should be fine

[Caneel]

I know two people who have had bad experiences with ponds.  One resulted in the death of a child and the other found their child before it was too late.  What will forever stick with me was the first couple telling the second about the danger, two years later the second couple found their child in their garden pond head down, feet up, unable to get out.  The child was about 5 yos.

One thing you need to evaluation is the depth versus width of the ponds.  A child capable of swimming or otherwise saving themselves from a large, shallow body of water may not be able to right themselves out of a small yet deep backyard garden pond, along the same risk and toddlers drowning in 5-gallo buckets, they might not be able to get their feet under themselves to stand.

[Caneel]

I can't edit my post but I wanted to clarrify I am talking about those small, landscaping garden ponds typically, not larger bodies of water

[marinak1977]

Can you put either a temporary or a pretty fence around it?