to think this nursery is the very embodiment of gentrification in London?

[roundaboutsroundabouts]

I won't name the group of nurseries as I don't know if that's allowed (is it?) but I've just seen them referenced on instagram by a scandi toy brand. They are all in vair gentrified hipster parts of London and the fees are fcking EXTORTIONATE - £90 a day for the under-threes. I know that isn't unusual in London (although in my much cheaper part of London I only pay £55 a day). It holds a "curated" "programme" of monthly "events" (including pilates). The children get a daily smoothie - tomorrow's is beetroot, banana, ginger, berry, lemon and hemp. It describes itself as "design-led" and it's all vair tasteful scandi wooden toys in neutral colours. Design led?! Why does a NURSERY need to be "design-led"?!

You just know that everyone who sends their child there is going to have an ombre "lob", wear clothes from Arket, carry a fjallraven kanken backpack, own a bugaboo or a babyzen yoyo, dress said children in varying sludge colours from Mini Rodini, and have linen bedding in their Victorian Terraced house with white painted floorboards and scandi style planters.

I am BVU I know. But it is so irritating. I grew up in London, the child of an immigrant, and I feel like it's just an endless line of artisan coffee shops and overpriced farmers' markets these days.

Why does a NURSERY need to be "design-led"?!
Start them young. Instil good taste from the beginning. I’d love to be able to send my DC to a nursery with nice wooden toys and nutritious fresh smoothies. I don’t see why it has to be so expensive though.

That smoothie is no more nutritious than simply eating an apple.

YABVU in your repeated use of 'vair', it makes you sound as much of a knob as you clearly think this nursery is - and, to be fair, it does sound especially knobbish.

CassianAndor

Accepted.

£90 a day doesn't seem that extortionate. Is that 8 hours?

That's £11 an hour. We pay £10 an hour for pre-school here in Guernsey and I'd imagine London to be more expensive. Presumably the cost includes lunch, snacks and that smoothie?

Sounds utterly wonderful! And very similar to the Kindergarden department of the prep my DD was at.

That was not-London though and 10 years ago.

The nursery sounds about right for London prices tbh. I think I’m a part of this nob head group, I prefer wooden toys and the smoothies sound great . Also have lots of house plants, a bugaboo, white painted floorboards upstairs... Argh, I must be a hipster.

I bet you’d love to send your child there but can’t afford to

Really can’t understand getting upset by a nursery offering wooden toys and smoothies while advertising to a particular demographic.

I literally feel the world wants to hate at the moment. There is not a subject I can think of where people don’t find a reason to entrench is extreme positions and criticise, criticise, criticise another group of people.

It is such a waste of time and energy and ultimately this type of discourse is so damaging. Yet here I am joining in. It’s like none of us can stop. Moths to a flame.

It doesn’t sound extortionate co side ring it’s london either

Considering

Sounds lovely tbh!

Yes it does!

I bet you’d love to send your child there but can’t afford to

We could. I would not feel able to spend that amount on a nursery when I get an excellent one for much less.

I grew up with no money and am endlessly grateful for the fact that we are financially comfortable, but I am not easy in my mind about it, because I know what it is not to have any.

Wow - would love to know what the chain is. Design led! We live in a pretty well to do part of London - thankfully our DC go to a nursery that is run by the LA and it's great value but all the others are £80-95 a day. They are definitely not design led though, unless you think that Little Tikes is the height of chic.

I mean my son's nursery has wooden toys but I wouldn't call it design led 🤷‍♀️ maybe they are missing a trick with their marketing strategy.

It seems a bit odd to go off on one and list attributes / stereotypes you think might be associated with parents using that nursery though

Yabvu. Why does it bother you. You are essentially picking on a bunch of kids who attend as they are making use of it all. My ds goes to a very expensive nursery although its a Montessori. We have a similar type dietician based menu and the activities offered are amazing.

YANBU OP.

They probably don't do that round our way as every single nursery has a 12-24+ month waiting list so they don't need a marketing strategy. And most of London has been gentrified for a really long time.

Ha ha. Found it just by googling “nursery” and “curated programme“.

The nursery is certainly targeting a particular group, and yes it’s gentrification, but I expect those that go make lots of like minded friends to support them through the early years and therefore I still I can’t get worked up about it.

My God over £50 a day, how much money must parents earn to afford this.
having had three I've saved us thousands

you sound a bit bitter.

When DTs were going to nursery it was £95 for the baby room, 5% discount for second child, and that was eight years ago. It's not particularly expensive for London.

Nurseries are a business at the end of the day, they need a USP.

Meh. Who cares. I've never heard of most of the things you list OP.

You sound quite, erm, bitter?

Ds did yoga at his nursery, was very cute