Views Please

[Mike 3.2 GSI]

I have 2 small boys under the age of 2, they spend time with their grandparents at their home which has a garden pond. My view is the pond should be made safe by some means ie a mesh guard or alternatively drain it job done area safe. My inlaws see it differently for some reason ie they will never let them out of their sight etc.They are also taking it as an attack on their supervision skills which its not, anyone can lose concentration for a minute. I feel it only takes one mistake and the consequences are fatal. Is it just plain common sense to make the pond safe ? or am I mad?

Honest answers please

Mike

[Duncan]

Not mad mate. Get some mesh on it - then they can still keep the pond. It takes no time at all for a toddler to drown in a pond (as past tragedies have shown). No matter how much they think they can keep an eye on them, they can't do it 100%.

Get it across to them that it is by no means a doubt on them and their supervision skills. It's just a safety/piece of mind thing for YOU as their PARENTS and THEM as their GRANDPARENTS!!

HTH

D

[Andy]

yep youre right to be concerned. Im sure around 5 years ago there was an awareness ad on TV with the very situation youre talking about.

A simple Net, over the pond is better than nothing. A small low level wire fence is actually a trip hazard and may make it worse.

[Jamie]

Only takes 30 second lapse in concentration.... can't say too much but we had a job at work the other day with a 3 yr old at his grandparents.... they leave him unsupervised for less than a minute and return to the garden and he'd vanished.

40 Police officers scrambled to the address, search and rescue dogs on standby etc etc etc (you've all seen 999 with Michael Buerke!). Anyway, happy ending, he was found safe and well 30 minutes later sleeping in a neighbours garage....... could have been so much worse.

[C19_CJB]

I have a 16month old daughter and we are having our back garden landscaped at the min... theres no way in the world that I would have a pond!

Anybody with kids knows that you only have to take your eyes off of them for a second and they are in places where they shouldn't be... only yesterday I was stood on the new patio looking at the garden with little Lucy in tow, looked down and she had a mouthfull of pebbles!!!

At the end of the day kids can drown in only 1 inch of water... tell the in-laws to stop being stupid and get that pond made safe!! I know it sounds harsh but in my book they wouldn't be going round till they sorted it out.

HTH....

Chris.

[Trel]

Can only concur with the others. It only takes a few seconds and.....your life changes forever. You can never be too careful, and for the cost of few peices of timber and some mesh.

[chunkster]

my mrs and i are expecting in november and ive already had the garden made tot friendly even though he/she wont be playing in it for a while, but my mates 2 year old fell into his pond while he was there and the littlun still manage to swallow enough water to need to go to hospital overnight- doesnt take long for something to go wron

[signumT]

Fill it with sand and make them a sand pit at least the kids can still have fun and just cover it if it rains

[vectra 2.0 t]

yep i fell in a pond when i was little only takes a few seconds.ild rather upset the inlaws than put the kids at risk

[AJA]

yep i fell in a pond when i was little only takes a few seconds.ild rather upset the inlaws than put the kids at risk

wise words