The 31-year-old mum, from East Yorkshire, had uploaded two photos to Facebook and taken a call from her boyfriend while her 2-year-old son, Joshua, was left unattended.
According to BBC News, Claire Barnett had been warned by her family about the dangers of having an uncovered pond (in parts 50cm deep) in her back garden.
They had told her that she would need to get it filled in, or covered with a mesh netting, but she did nothing.
The lawyer for the prosecution told the court: "The defendant had been warned by other members of her family about the pond.
"Claire Barnett said she would have to fence it off or that there was a mesh over it. None of that was put in place.
"The defendant was well aware of the risk and had taken no steps to have it fenced off."
When Claire Barnett realised what had happened, she pulled her son from the ornamental pond and gave him CPR while she waited for an ambulance.
He died later in hospital, just days before his third birthday.
Barnett pleaded guilty to four charges of child neglect and will be in jail for the next five years.
As he passed his sentence, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC slammed the mother for her “appalling” parenting skills.
He added: "If you should have any further children, they will almost certainly be removed from you.
"You pose very serious risks to any child for whom you have responsibility."