Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Local

Find conversations happening in your area in our local chat rooms.

Original poster

?Childminder ?nursery - south cambridge - HELP!!!!!

26 replies

crabby · 01/08/2009 15:43

I was wondering what experiences and advice peole have about childminders or nurseries in South Cambs.

We live in a village south of Cambridge and I work at Addenbrookes. DD is at KU on site at the moment and although not unhappy, things could be better I expect.

Are there any suggestions of good childminders or expereice of other nurseries? Anyone been to Rainbow Day nursery?

All help really gratefully recieved!!

Thanks,

C
x

OP posts:
Claire2301 · 01/08/2009 15:48

I think First Steps in Great Wilbraham is meant to be good. As is the one on site in Fulbourn (at Ida Darwin?)

Original poster
crabby · 01/08/2009 17:25

Thanks for that advice, we really are due south and those ones are a bit out the way for us!

OP posts:
coolma · 01/08/2009 19:09

All I can say is good luck!! We are struggling to find any childcare for Septmeber at the moment. Our dd is at Homerton in the mornings but we can't find a childminder or nursery to take her full time anywhere! It's ridiculous..

Original poster
crabby · 01/08/2009 20:11

Where have you tried coolma? 5t does seem to be v busy. Also not being able to link the childminders to their ofsted reports is very frustrating...

OP posts:
jumpjockey · 01/08/2009 20:14

we're looking at the moment as well, all the nurseries we've tried (town centre ones at least, otherwise it would be hugely out of our way) say no availability til Sept 2010...

I got the list of childminders from opportunity links, if you ask them they have to give their ofsted number so you can look up their reports.

Original poster
crabby · 01/08/2009 20:54

It just seems so labourious! There must be some better way. Maybe we are better off with the devil we know (although if you look at the ofsted report, I'm not sure that you will agree... )

OP posts:
coolma · 01/08/2009 21:12

Been through opp links ans the childminding co-ordinator at Homerton, who I felt was quite rude actually; asked on here; asked on netmums (sorry...!) and word of mouth. It looks like one of us will be giving up our job for a while tbh

Carmel206 · 05/08/2009 13:01

HI there
I can only tell you my experience with my first child who went to a nursery ( university one -madingly raod ) now changed I beleive) but basically I really felt something was wrong - he was very unhappy came home and would cry for ages - -first question in the moring was is it a nursery day to day followed by tears - we met with them time and time again and I (three years on) still feel guilty about not taking him out sooner. I think it has taken this length of time to undo the bad experience he had there. My advice is if you can find a good childminder without too many other charges(word of mouth from other mums and children best) it's a less harsh environemnt for a child.

I have learned two things from my expereince go with your instinct if you think something isn't right do something about it.
Go with your child's reaction no matter what they say it is NOT normal for a child to be upset and unsettled over a period of time in any care situation.
Sorry not consturctive Iknow..from a still massively guilty mum!

Honneybunny · 28/10/2009 20:34

my ds2 goes to babraham nursery.
has outstanding ofsted, and we have been extremely happy with the care.
the only downside is the fees.

cazzybabs · 29/10/2009 10:33

We send our daughter to baby unicorns and it is fab. We have also used JCN and it is very good too.

hedgepig · 30/10/2009 13:50

I can recommend Bumpkins at Whaddon, but they do have long waiting list for babies not sure how old your LO but they may be better for oldr children.

hickers33 · 31/10/2009 21:45

Our DD is at Sunshine Day Nursery in Hilton, think they can start there from 1yr. Would definately recommend having a look as its small & friendly, and very flexible. Also easy access to the A14 if you need to travel into Cambridge.
Good luck :-)

Pam888 · 09/02/2010 09:12

Our DD goes to baby unicorn (on brookside) and is happy enough but we are moving to hills ave and wanted to move him to another nursery further south closer to home? from the mum's comments here it looks like a childminder would be a better option...

CambridgePhotographer · 10/02/2010 20:14

Have to say, my 22 month old LOVES KU and gets on well there (Science Park one).

bluepearl · 10/02/2010 21:15

I definately recommand Bumpkins Day nursery in Whaddon, the staff are great and take good care of the little ones. My son doesn't want to come home at night. He first went to Kids Unlimited on Long Road and he hated it and often cried. After a few complaints nothing was changing so we took him out. His now very Happy. They do have a waiting list but it can always change. My second one is due to start at Bumpkins in March.

BoffinMum · 12/02/2010 21:41

Joint Colleges Nursery on Chaucer Road is good.

I recently interviewed for a nanny and a couple of former KU staff applied - it is not as it seems, apparently, and staff to child ratios can be very poor when parents' backs are turned, they said to me. They apparently resigned over the matter.

hase7 · 14/02/2010 16:00

Anyone here has something to say about Harvey road DN?
How long is their waitinglist?

coolma · 14/02/2010 19:23

I would back up all the negative stuff about KU - no through personal experience but a colleague took her son out as she said he cried a lot when he got home, never seemed to have had his nose wiped etc and seemed pretty listless. He's now at Cambridge day nursery with my dd. which I absoutely love. A gorgeous, loving, friendly little place - dd is laready writing and reading short words - she just 4.

BoffinMum · 15/02/2010 13:02

We are talking one or two relatively junior staff left in charge of the entire nursery on occasion, for example. No wonder they haven't got time to wipe noses.

coolma · 15/02/2010 13:24

Just passing on some information which may or may not be useful to prospective parents..

NorkilyChallenged · 18/02/2010 10:39

I have 3 friends who have used the Rainbow Day nursery in Trumpington and are very happy with it.

No idea about avaiability though.

This is making me quite nervous about next year when DC1 starts school and we may need a childminder to do pick ups until the end of the work day, yikes!

silverswan · 19/02/2010 21:38

BoffinMum, which KU nursery had your nanny applicants left do you know?

BoffinMum · 20/02/2010 12:21

The one where one or two relatively junior people were allegedly left in charge of a helluvalot of kids may have been the Addenbrookes one, but I may be remembering wrongly. I haven't got her CV any more to check. The other one was a different KU nursery. I was quite shocked as if I had to rank brands I would have put them at the top for chain nursery providers. Not now though.

silverswan · 20/02/2010 21:26

Thanks. That's a bit worrying. I've seen ratios sometimes stretched in the mornings for the first hour but have also seen management coming in to help/rejigging between rooms to manage. DD is happy there.

MamaChris · 30/04/2010 16:09

We weren't happy with KU @ Addenbrookes when we were looking for a nursery for ds - the adults all seemed to be standing up talking to each other while the kids were lower down being ignored.

ds is at Rainbow Day Nursery. It's relatively small, not fancily decorated, but he's happy and the difference with KU was striking: it is normal to see the adults at child level, often with children sitting on them.

Swipe left for the next trending thread