Nurseries in Duddingston/Portobello

[rubyvonmonster27]

Hi, can anyone recommend a good nursery in Duddingston/Portobello? My ds will be 1 when he starts and I was particularly interested in hearing about the Cherry Trees or Rocking Horse nurseries. Any advice would be appreciated!

I know a couple of people who have children at Cherry Trees and they like it. The only thing they find slightly difficult is that they close at 5:30 which if you're travelling from a job in the town centre might be a bit tight.

The other one I've heard good things about is in Portobello and is called Seabeach nursery (almost right on the promenade). I think the location is the selling point for this one and that they spend a lot of time outside.

My DS goes to Forbes which is on Leith Links. We chose it because it's on the way to DH's work and he drops him off, but might not be in the right area for you. We love it and it has a fab walled garden. Great staff who have been there for ages.

Hi,

My LO goes to Rocking horse, has done since he was 16 months and he's now 2 and bit and loves it. Really like it, it's small and I've always felt that my LO gets personal attention. He's had feeding issues and they've been great with working with us and coming up with their own effective ideas. They have the same manager as the Seabeach nursery.

It's not a fancy nursery but the staff care well for the children which for me is the priority over whether music teachers visit or they have keep fit classes running.

Thanks so much for the advice! I think we're going for Cherrytrees as it's nearer and we like the outside space. The staff seem nice too. I agree about the closing time though, Mishy1234, and I can see I'll be dashing back from the centre (and relying on Lothian buses, argh!) to pick DS up in time.

I've also heard good things about Seabeach but it's just too far from home (and I think they're quite booked up for next year).

It's all a bit scary - the thought of handing DS over to strangers fills me with dread but I guess having playmates will be good for him?! That's what I'm telling myself anyway :-)

My son goes to Brighton Nursery and he really loves it. It is a fantastic nursery, tuck away from everything but right on Portobello center.

Hi there, my daughter goes to Little VIPs on Portobello High Street. She really likes it but she doesn't seem to get much sleep during the day so she's really cranky in the evening :-/ I'm thinking of changing to Brighton nursery because, although the staff are really nice, I don't think they listen to me...

Hi.

RubyVonMonster did you go to CherryTrees? How is / was it?

DB1 is there. l felt the toddler room was too small and dark for the 6/7 they have. Staff all know her name which is nice / to be expected. On a visit we did see the gate to the kitchen area left open, with 2 big pans on the hobs and only a staff member with their back turned which was alarming! On a second visit the gate was thankfully closed.

Hi BullyBeef,

Sorry for the late reply. No, my little one isn't there yet. Scary what you said about the gate being left open, yikes.

I think they mentioned that they would be changing the rooms around when we went to visit so hopefully the rooms might be better suited to the ages of the children in the future. It's nervewracking choosing a nursery, it really is. Hope you continue to have positive experiences with them too!

Gate has always been closed in future. Rooms for babies were swapped about with them in the smaller one for most activities and now the larger one for feeding / sleeping. Staff all good as far as l can tell, babies get plenty of sunshine, weather permitting and DD1 seems to be thriving.