Dive Into Family Peace Of Mind When It Comes To Your Family Pond

If you’ve got young kids, the chances are that you’re used to adapting your home to keep things safe. You likely even started nailing things down the moment you found out you were expecting!

Kid-proofing especially comes into play in our gardens, where most parents opt to get rid of every potential danger in place of a blank lawn. And, that’s undoubtedly the best option up until around the ages of five or six. 

Sadly, past that point, many parents find that a blank canvas lawn starts to do more harm than good. For one thing, it’s not exactly an inspiring space to encourage youngsters outside. What’s more, a blank garden doesn’t hold half as many rich and nature-led lessons for those curious young minds. 

That’s why you should consider ways to add interest, and few options do that better than a garden pond. Rich in marine life, insects, and even fascinating plants, ponds offer endless year-round exploration for the youngsters in our lives. The question is, how can you incorporate a pond and still ensure outdoor safety at all times?

Consider visibility

First and foremost, you’ll want to consider visibility when placing your pond. Even as kids get older, supervision near any body of water is non-negotiable. You can achieve this with a pond around the corner, of course, but that requires you forever to be outside when your children are. 

By instead making sure you can always see that pond from windows at the back of your house, you guarantee these same supervision levels without the time commitment you’d have to put in otherwise. Without having to worry, you’ll be able to let kids loose while you cook the dinner, and still watch with a keen eye from the kitchen window throughout their outdoor play. 

Incorporate sloping edges

Sloping pond edges are fantastic for avoiding a sudden drop into that water and are, therefore, another consideration worth making during the planning stages. The simple fact is that sudden, straight pond sides are far more likely to lead to the falls and accidents you’re attempting to avoid. What’s more, sudden pond edges make it much harder for children to get back out of even shallow water. By comparison, sloping sides make it much clearer where that pond boundary lies, as well as being fantastic assists in getting out if a child does happen to fall in. What’s more, a sloping entry pond is more likely to have shallow water that leads into deep, meaning increased safety even if the worst does happen. 

[Credit]

Install a fence

Once your pond is in place, you’re going to want to consider general safety precautions like fencing. Many parents opt for mesh instead, but this poses safety risks of its own, as well as preventing many of wildlife benefits you’re looking for here. 

Instead, fencing provides a picturesque and pretty foolproof way to keep your kids clear from that immediate pond edge. Rustic or white panel fencing can look fantastic, and, when installed the right distance apart at a height of at least 1.1m high, it also incorporates safety like little else. 

Do note that a fence immediately surrounding your pond could increase the risk of accidents if your child begins to climb for any reason. Instead, install this at least a little way back from the pond edge, and enjoy pond-based peace of mind that you’d struggle to find any other way. 

Consider water feature safety

If you’re incorporating water features within your pond, you’ll also want to think long and hard about their safety. Done right, a waterfall can add both interest and fun for your kids, but the addition of electrical components can also pose significant risks if youngsters come into contact with that water. 

Each of the above pointers can help you prevent that from happening, but you may also want to consider the types of pond pumps with which you power that central feature. Solar pumps, for instance, are not electrically powered, and so always offer a safe solution. Equally, submersible pumps ensure little hands can never fiddle with that wiring, and thus are less likely to malfunction unexpectedly. 

A final word

Ponds can make a real splash in your family garden, but there’s no denying that they do pose some risks if you aren’t careful. While this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t enjoy the benefits this addition can bring to your outside space, you do at least need to consider safety pointers like those mentioned above before you dive in.