Baby Fence

[Phillbo]

be sure to get swim lesson for the little ones as soon as possible. no matter what you do , accidents can and will happpen. being able to swim is the last / best defense.

[CarlD]

I designed and built my own fence, according to the BOCA and my town codes. It was approved in advance as a design, and approved when completed. I also designed the gate and used MagnaLatch for the latch and hinges.

Chain link will only meet code under certain conditions that make it tough to climb--small, flat cells. Here's the gate and fence I built that met code. The fence pickets are 3.5" apart (code is 4"). The fence is 4' high with no gap at the bottom, and nothing to climb on the outside of the pool. The gate is 1.75" gaps (code was unclear here so I met the most conservative. The space under the gate is about an inch. The pickets are flush to the top and bottom rails so it cannot be climbed. The latch is opened from the VERY top, and is 5' high.

Here it is, if this helps.

[sleater]

harpua
depending on what you are doing (eg: #of gates)
and of course what you're buying
anywhere from $17 - $22 / foot delivered to your door

our quote came in at $21 / foot

[sgtb1]

I have had good recomendations for the
Katch-a-kid safety net. It was going to be about the same cost for us as one of the black mesh net type fences.

we have one scheduled to be installed in about 3 weeks I'll have to let you know. It looks a lot better than a fence to me since it is more like a total barrier.

They also sell the mesh type fences that are suppose to be hard to climb.

http://www.advanced-pool-covers.com/
or
http://houston.babyzone.com/linkinfo...03761&prid=676

[sleater]

sgt post prompted me to add a post related to safety winter covers
we got something similar to the link below
safe for the dogs and for baby
these things are expensive but excellent

http://www.inyopools.com/category_covers_safety.aspx

[CarlD]

You absolutely do not want to cheat or cut corners on your fence or gate.

Pools are dangerous and, as Ben says, full of the deadliest pool chemical of all....water.

I am very leery of those netting fences--they can be cut easily and scissors are everywhere. Just my opinion.

[sb2323]

We got our first pool when our kids were 1, 3, and 6. We're on our second pool now and the kids are 3, 4, and 7. On both pools we had a 4' wrought iron fence installed around it, with a key lock. I don't think 3' is sufficient. We had them powder coated a dark brown color, as we find it not as harsh as the black. You can get them coated any color you want. The powder coating is much more durable than the paint, and doesn't chip/peel. The whole fence, around pool and spa, ran us about $5k. That included custom fitting it around the curves and hand-welding each individual picket. They bolt the fence sections directly into the concrete, and it would be simple to unbolt them and fill in the holes if you (or future owners) decide somewhere along the line that it's not needed anymore.

At some point your daughter and/or friends, siblings will want to play in the backyard and you will not want to supervise them every minute. You never know what kids (especially other people's kids!) will do, so pay the extra money now and get yourself a fence that they cannot sabotage!

IMO the pool needs to be secured as soon as your child is mobile. Definitely get something around that pool now, even the most diligent parents can get distracted (pulling a few weeds, winding up the hose, etc.) and it's just not worth the risk. "Just a second" can turn into a couple minutes before you know it, and that's all it takes. And swim lessons are important and good, but ask any lifeguard/EMT and they will tell you that even excellent swimmers, especially children, can panic in water over their heads, not to mention leg cramps, etc. My husband's cousin is a firefighter and he said children have drowned in water *where they could stand*. They just panicked and didn't have the presence of mind to stand up.

[CarlD]

A 3' fence is not code. 4' is code. AG pools don't have the same rules--if your steps/ladder is code (self-closing) then the fence ON TOP OF THE AG POOL can be 3'.

It's all about access. My pool is AG, but because you access it off the deck, I did it to IG code on the fencing and gate.

[sleater]

A 3' fence is not code. 4' is code.

again, we have a 4' fence around the yard
the baby fence is for inside the yard, to separate the pool from the rest of the yard

re: 3' not being sufficient --> please explain why 3 feet is insufficient.
my thinking is if they can climb a 3 ft fence they can climb a 4ft fence no?
also, by the time they can climb a fence they should be swimming like "fish" anyways?
also, we'd create a strict set of rules regarding the pool area and no fence climbing would be part of those rules.

ultimately, isn't conscious supervision is the most important thing?

[sleater]

sgt
just watched the catch a kid video
it looks cumbersome and i wouldn't trust it alone as displayed in the video
i'd bet it'd lose tension within a summer or two

guess ultimately, i don't like the solution to be something a kid can crawl on above the water -- inevitably it'll become a toy ...

i think that thing would scare me.

jmho