I have a net on my pool. It's really not hard or time consuming to take it on and off.

The reason I decided on a net was because with a fence, a child can and will get over it some how. Either by climbing or putting a chair up to the fence and jumping over it. Once they're over the fence, there's nothing stopping them from getting into the water.

With the net, they' guarded from the water.

Just my $.02

Our fence is 5 feet high and would be too hard to get over even if the kids dragged a chair over. We have a removable fence that also makes it hard to climb over. I am obsessive about pool safety. I work with kids with disabilities - several of whom are post near-drowning. The disabilities they have are catastrophic. I have 5 and 3 year old girls and would never be without my pool fence. I would be concerned about taking the net off, then the kids go inside to eat and are going to go back in after. Are you really going to put the net back on each and every time you get out of the pool, even when they are going back in the pool after lunch? What if the 3 year gets outside while you are fixing lunch. At least that is the scenario that plays out in my head.

In Phoenix they used to air a public service announcement called 2 Seconds is Too Long. It is a good reminder that in 2 seconds a child can slip away into the backyard.

OK, I will get off my soapbox now.

My co worker has an automaitc retracting pool cover on her rectangular shaped pool. It was pricey (I think $10k) but is fast. She also has a fence.