I am sharing my experience because I believe other parents should know what happened before making such an important decision about who they trust with their child.
I first spoke with this childminder in November 2025 regarding childcare for my one-year-old son. At our initial discussion, we agreed a price of £40 per day / £4 per hour. Based on that agreement, we proceeded with the settling-in sessions and were expecting to receive the childcare contract.
However, several months later, just as we were about to receive the contract, I was informed that the hourly rate would instead be £13 per hour. I was told this was connected to what the Government pays for funded hours, and I was also told that she wanted approximately 7 weeks of paid annual leave. These were not the terms or prices discussed and agreed at our initial meeting in November.
My husband and I understandably decided that we could not agree to these completely different financial arrangements.
Unfortunately, the conversation then became very uncomfortable. I was told that I was selfish and that I should appreciate the effort she had made by accommodating our settling-in sessions. I chose not to argue and ended the conversation.
There were also concerns during the settling-in period itself.
My son only attended two settling-in sessions. During the second session, he was left for approximately two hours. When I returned, I found him asleep in the living room while being watched by a cleaner. This was extremely concerning to me because I had not agreed for someone who was not responsible for my child's care to be supervising him.
I also noticed that my son was wearing clothes belonging to someone else, including clothing that appeared to be girls' clothing. I had not been asked for permission to change him into somebody else's clothes.
Around a week later, my son became seriously unwell and we had to take him to A&E. He had difficulty swallowing and sleeping and was subsequently prescribed antibiotics. I cannot prove where or how he became ill, so I will not claim that the illness was caused by the childminder's home. However, as a parent, the experience understandably increased my concerns about the environment in which my child had been cared for.
Another extremely serious issue arose afterwards.
When we moved to a different childcare provider, I was informed that 30 funded hours had apparently been claimed for my son on 8 July, despite the fact that my son was not attending this childminder at that time. I had previously been asked to complete paperwork relating to funding.
This was extremely distressing and confusing for us. I strongly recommend that any parent in a similar situation carefully checks exactly what funding has been claimed in their child's name and for which dates. If there has been an incorrect or unauthorised claim, I believe it should be raised directly with the relevant local authority/Government funding team so that they can investigate.
There were also discussions about additional charges where I was told that the detailed calculations would only be explained towards the end of August. This made me uncomfortable because, as a parent, I believe I should know the complete financial terms before committing my child to childcare, not after I have already invested time into settling my child in.
During one conversation, when I asked when payment would be required for additional hours outside the funded hours, I was given one date, while her husband shouted another date in the background. I found the whole situation extremely unprofessional and confusing.
Finally, I was personally disappointed with the childcare environment. Based on what I observed during our visits, I did not see the level of childcare resources and facilities that I would have expected from someone advertising many years of childcare experience. There appeared to be very limited dedicated childcare equipment, with only a small kitchen toy visible in the room.
I am writing this review because choosing someone to look after your child is a decision that requires trust, transparency and professionalism.

My experience left me feeling that the financial terms changed substantially from what had originally been discussed, that communication became unpleasant when we questioned those changes, and that there were serious issues surrounding the funding claim which we are extremely concerned about.

Dear parents, please do your own research, ask for all fees and terms in writing before starting settling-in sessions, check funding arrangements carefully, and do not be afraid to walk away if something does not feel right.

I sincerely hope that sharing my experience helps another parent ask the right questions before making their decision.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication