KCH Nursery's

[flyawayblue]

Anybody use mapother house nursery? My daugter is set to start there shortly but wasn't impressed with the baby / toddler room on my last visit. Now worried i've made the wrong choice.

[CathyE]

I used the KCH nursery a few years ago, so may not be relevant now, but found them to be truly fantastic. I was also using the nursery at another hospital as I worked in 2 places, and my initial impression (and reason for posting) was to be uncertain about Kings when she first started. However, this was completely unfounded. They looked after my daughter and all the children so well, she really enjoyed going there. They always kept me informed about what they were doing, and they had fun! She came out very confident and had no problem at all starting primary school. We used the WEC site. When daughter started, she had a tendency to cry when I left her, but was never crying when I went to get her, and indeed didn't usually want to go home! I'd let your daughter start there and give her time to bed in. May be worth seeing if you can speak to other parents whose children are there via the nursery (you could just hang around outside about 5pm!). Good luck, hope it goes well.

[buggie]

I used Mapother House nursery for my then 14mth old daughter until she was 2yrs old. I found the staff there very caring, but that paperwork etc was haphazard.

Having booked a meeting with my child's keyworker for the nursery equivilant of a parents evening & ensured I was free to attend (pretty tricky being nursing staff), i got there to find the key worker off for the day & her folder which should (I now understand better with the nursery she went to from 2yr onwards) have had observations and other details about her activities/developments, was empty.

Also, having been called over as she had a temperature I got there to find her laid infront of a radiator on full blast (it was December).

Due to the nature of clinical careers, the intake is much more transient than at a regular nursery, plus, there isn't as much chance for play dates etc as often the kids live further away. We used it as an interim as the nursery DD now goes to doesn't take until 2yrs. Think lots do move their kids to more local nursery as they get older as numbers in the older rooms drop considerable compared to the baby room.

[MummaB]

My son was at Mapother House Nursery from 7.5 months till the week before he started school, with an October birthday means he was almost 5!

He loved it and we got on well with all the workers there - he was clearly adored by quite a few of them and build up a close relationship with several of his key workers. We know colleagues with children at the nursery now who is regularly asking about my son which I think is nice.

There were little things here and there but nothing of concern that couldn't be discussed with staff. I am quite laid back and so is he which helps when you have no choice but to work full time (as a single mum) and leave your child in nursery. I wanted him to be safe, well cared for and stimulated and he was, even if things weren't always as I might have done them but that's ok.

He has turned out a very flexible, sociable, caring and tolerant boy and surely I can't take all the credit!

He has always been a good eater - I just let them blend up all the meals (when he was a baby) which I think really helped him get loads of different taste and flavours (more variety than I was offering at dinner time after a long day at work that's for sure)!

He has always been great at sharing (despite being an only child) which I think comes from being around other children all the time. He had a lots of fun with the other kids and produced loads of art work which I have kept in a big box! That's several years worth!

He was well prepared for school and is doing great.

I think it is true that a work linked nursery is different than a near home nursery when it comes to making long lasting friendships. We live near King's but none of his nursery friends were going to his school. However when he finished nursery I did a party for nursery friends - 14 kids and parents so he definitely made friends. Of course we haven't kept up with everyone but one child from nursery is still one of his best friend (and his mum is one of mine)!

I hope it works out for your little one I really do and don't worry!

All I can say is that my son will regularly ask if he can visit his old nursery....he is now 8! :-)

[Gooders79]

We have 2 children at the WEC and are happy with them being there, they are happy and sociable and well looked after. For us having somewhere so convenient for pick up and drop off does make a big difference, the hours of the kings nurseries are good and the fees are reasonable too. The salary sacrifice scheme is worth doing financially.

I don't know much about mapother, I have colleagues with children there who are happy, also have colleagues who weren't happy there. Their concerns have mostly been around the staff:children ratios which are to always at the level they should be, staff from the WEC occasionally go over to cover mapother/belgrave.

I think it will depend on your feeling, it's always difficult when leaving your child somewhere, are you able to put a finger on what you weren't happy with?