Nurseries in Dulwich/Herne Hill - Advice appreciated

[alexjj80]

Good morning,

I am expecting my first and I've heard from some friends that you need to get your child/bump (!) registered for nursery schools asap as the waiting lists can be very long.

It's so confusing trying to find out which are the 'best' and by that I mean those that really care for your little ones and they come home to you well and happy.

Any advice on local nurseries in the North/East/West Dulwich or Herne Hill areas greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much :)

[esme]

You'll find various threads on nurseries. My personal favourites are the baby room at Bright Horizons, Mother Goose on Upland road and Little Jungle near Goose Green. Put name down after you've been around to visit and get a feel. Don't panic, after baby is born is fine!!

[Beaky]

Under the Willow in West Dulwich/Herne Hill is good - they are eco friendly too!!

[londonhypnobirthing]

Nelly's are FANTASTIC. Honestly couldn't rate them more highly. Very warm, nurturing and child-centred and with nice outside space. My son went to the Turney Road site but they have several: http://www.nellys.co.uk/

[bawdy-nan]

I think it depends what you want from the nursery and when. Are you expecting to return to work full-time and need full time childcare while your baby is under one? Are you looking for a more part-time arrangement? Is cost an important issue?

Are you thinking about a bit later down the line?

I ask because we used a range of options to fulfil a range of purposes and some of them worked better than others: we used a childminder for a short while (18 momth old) but I wasn't sure that felt right, then a lovely local nursery when my second child was born (eldest was about 2 then) part-time, then a mixture of nursery and nanny (ofsted registered and brought her own baby, so a kind of nannyshare). That was lovely but was down, in no small part, to the loveliness of the nanny. When she had her second child we tried it with another who was absolutely AWFUL.

We both work freelance so could be flexible about how and where we worked (very lucky in a way but other childcare issues around that flexibilty too). We didn't every use a school nursery.

What I mean to say is nursery isn't your only option.

[goldilocks]

Second the recommendation for Nellys. Both kids have been (ours went to Rosendale Rd) and we love it. Their waiting lists are very long though so go and visit and put your name down now if you like it.

[alexjj80]

Thank you so much to all of you for all the great and valuable advice! So sorry I've not replied sooner, but didn't receive notifications and wasn't aware people had replied.

It's all quite daunting getting it right with your first when you have no experience to fall back on, so thank you.

bawdy-nan that's really interesting feedback and a nanny would indeed be a great option but as you say it all depends on finding a really good one and I imagine that's not easy. Where is Mrs Doubtfire when you need her?! :)

[BernieG]

Nannies are great but generally the most expensive option. First Steps Montessori was a fab nursery for my first, they generally take little ones from 15/18 months, though my one didn't join until age 3. Childminders also good option. I hear YeeHaa on Friern Road v good. They're childminders but have staff so nice balance between childminder/ home environment and nursery for stimulation/socialising with other children.

[Elfy]

I'd absolutely recommend Nelly's too. My son attended a few nurseries (first one went bust and then we moved house), Nelly's was by far the best. Their facilities are good, the staff genuinely care and the staff retention was great. He had the same 'key worker' for his whole time there. Believe me, this is unusual. If you can get in to Nelly's, go for it.