Hollie's Reviews
Nanny
Below are the parent reviews for Hollie. Back to Hollie's profile
Average Rating:
(5 from 13 reviews)
Hollie has been wonderful with our son, looking after him from the age of 18 months to almost 3 (and she's still with us now). Hollie is always a kind and calming presence, but is firm when needed with our boundary-pushing toddler! We really trust Hollie and it's clear how much our little boy loves his time with her too. They do lots of activities out and about, as well as craft, baking and play. He also loves when Meadow comes along in the school holidays! All in all, we highly recommend Hollie.
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Hollie returned to our family to look after our second daughter in late 2019.
Hollie previously looked after our older daughter and she returned to us like she had never been away.
My daughter took to hollie immediately and didn’t skip a beat. Hollie immediately saw how different my children were and adapted her whole approach to suit the second child. There was no assumption that one approach suits all. Hollie was a bit magic immediately identifying and adapting to suit my daughter. However she also kept certain “traditions” for both children, like smelling the herb bushes on the way to the park, so that the sisters could talk about “what hollie did”.
We had the misfortune of the first lockdown when hollie couldn’t come to us, but afterwards when she could come again she started back with no trouble (for her or my daughter) literally a dream transition.
She truly cares for children and their families and had this perfect balance of being fully part of the family without being over bearing or over keen, she isn’t an intimidating “know it all” about child care, she is just a perfect blend of everything that the children and parents need - a good friend and guider to the parents and carer and teacher to the children.
We really miss hollie, as do my daughters. When we haven’t seen hollie for a while my girls will happily take off where they left off with hollie, like they have never been apart - a real bond that I never thought possible when my journey into finding a nanny started.
No review of hollie is complete without a review of meadow…her wonderful daughter. She is perfection - kind, clever, well mannered, good humoured and she is so calm and confident when she meets the children who hollie cares for. I have known meadow since she was 4 and is now an awesome 11 year old. We hadn’t seen meadow for 2 years during lockdown, but she recognised us from across the farm we were visiting and her joy and happiness shone across - she was so pleased to see my girls and remembered everything about them - and us! All of hollie’s wonderful life values shining through her daughter!
I HATED the thought of someone else (other than family and close friends) having charge of my daughters when I went back to work, but we were so lucky to meet Hollie and I feel Hollie really played a massive key part in making my daughters who they are today .
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Hollie joined our family in April 2019 when our son was coming up to two years old, and she's been with us ever since, taking our new baby under her care from the age of five months. I'm devastated to be writing this, really, because I don't ever want her to leave us - but we are leaving Bristol! If we could take her with us we would!
Hollie is great for all of us, not just the kids. She's always calm and gentle, no matter what, and is so incredibly kind to our kids. She uses positive reinforcement and discipline and goes out of her way to make our children feel listened to, loved and understood. We have learned so much from her.
Our four year old son is VERY busy and pushes boundaries all the time but Hollie has never struggled to manage him. She is always thinking up fun games and role plays and making him laugh, and she takes him out on legendary days in green spaces and around the city.
Hollie's daughter has also been a wonderful gift. Our son adores her and it's testament to Hollie's approach to parenting that her daughter is so kind, patient and tolerant of small kids.
I trust Hollie one million percent with my children and to that end have left her with them overnight on a couple of occasions with total confidence. In 2020 my partner went away for nearly five weeks with his work and Hollie moved in because our daughter was only tiny and I would have had a very difficult time on my own. Hollie was wonderful - she saved my bacon. The house was always tidy and she was so good at just taking a baby off me when things were getting too much, or whisking our son off for an outdoor adventure.
I can't recommend her highly enough and hope she will stay in my children's lives always.
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Hollie joined our family in October 2017 when our son was just over a year and half. Personally it was a very difficult time as our search for Hollie was prompted by family illness. Our son had only ever been cared for by immediate family and so the need to find someone that could become part of our family and care for him at home was our aim. I met a number of people before Hollie and no one felt quite right. When Hollie arrived she was full of warmth and our son was immediately at ease, a breath of fresh air.
Hollie has a unique way of being; she is wholeheartedly child led, playful, creative and caring. She delivers intuitive care with limit setting that is clear, safe and with explanation.
She remains connected throughout the day sending photos and updates which are priceless. She adapts to our busy household, rarely phased by comings and goings.
Hollie uses positive praise to introduce and encourage independence skills; toilet training, getting dressed, nose blowing and hand washing for example. We’ve seen such progress in our son as a result of such high quality 1:1 care. Plus the added bonus of Hollie’s daughter leading by example. Our son absolutely adores her and always looked forward to her joining at the end of the school day.
Hollie was with our family for two years however Hollie and her daughter remain very much part of our world. She is quite simply the best!
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Where do I start with Hollie? She was a godsend to my then 7 month old and 2 year old during a very chaotic time.
I had never left my children in the care of anyone other than immediate family but from the first time I met Hollie I instantly felt comfortable with her. She was extremely professional, had all her qualifications with her and it was obvious she was going to look after the children the way I wanted. I also met her daughter and she really is a testament to how amazing Hollie’s skills are with children.
Lots of things were unclear for Hollie as I didn’t know what I was doing some of the time but she made it work and did an amazing job whilst making me feel like my wishes were being respected. I got amazing advice from her on the children and it was never unsolicited. Hollie looked after my children amongst family members but always made sure she did things my way even though it was challenging at times!
She was always looking for fun activities to do with my son and even managed to get him to self feed! This was something no one ever managed to achieve with my son. Both my children were extremely happy and comfortable in her care which was huge for my daughter as she’d been in and out of hospital and was very clingy to me.
My kids were always doing fun activities where they were also learning so many things. I’m a little bit of a clean freak but I had no issues with Hollie’s standard of cleanliness at all! I had also never let my children go out without me unless it was a family member but I trusted Hollie completely. She was so considerate of my feelings as she would always keep me updated and didn’t stay out too long the first few times.
I cannot recommend Hollie enough, I wish we could still have her around. My family became extremely fond of her also and the children miss her so much. She helped us so much during a difficult time and I’m so glad I had the privilege of Hollie looking after my children.
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It’s hard to speak in high enough terms of Hollie and how much she has brought to our family over the last 13 months. She has an incredible way with children – she’s calm and consistent, full of fun and adventures, and supports our children’s’ emotional needs with sensitivity and love.
Hollie started working with us (3 days a week) when our little boy had just turned 3 and our little girl was 7 months old. She immediately rose to the challenge of looking after a high energy and at times challenging 3 year old, knowing when to calm things to prevent him from getting overwhelmed, take the time to help him ride out his emotions and create lots of adventures to challenge and entertain. It’s been a joy watching Fynn bond with Hollie and grow as a person as he’s got to know her. He’s also formed a very close friendship with Hollie’s wonderful daughter, who he spends time with after she finishes school and in the holidays.
Hollie is likewise amazing with young babies. Arrietty was still very small when I returned to work but she took her under her wing with confidence and characteristic calm. I don’t remember a day when Arrietty resisted me leaving – a sign of how safe and held she felt in Hollie’s presence. She regularly takes her to local groups, arranges meet ups with other babies of a similar age and takes joy in encouraging her new abilities as she grows.
As well as her natural gifts with children, Hollie brings a huge amount of skill. She is ever aware of both of our children’s developmental needs, thinking up new games and activities to suit – from teaching our daughter baby sign to stretching our little boy’s understanding of the world around him.
Hollie has always been brilliantly flexible, doing additional hours at short notice when needed and helping with babysitting in the evenings.
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Hollie looks after our daughter for one day each week. She has looked after her for a year now, since she was 14 months.
We interviewed lots of nannies but Hollie was the only one who fitted the bill. We asked all nannies, "what would you do with our daughter for the day you are looking after her" she was the only person who said "well whatever YOU want me to do, I will make suggestions and give ideas but most importantly I will do what YOU want me to".
She was the only person who was extremely keen and stressed the importance of dialogue between nanny and parents to ensure there is continuity of care for the child, in terms of routine, discipline and education. She is very friendly, sensible and grounded. She is very respectful and from the start has said that we need to tell her the way we like things done to make sure the whole arrangement works.
She always checks food times, nap times etc. before I go to work and reports back at the end of each day on what they have been doing and how my daughter has been.
Hollie is keen to feedback on areas where my daughter is doing well or things she needs to improve or work on - much like they would in a nursery setting. This is where her experience in different childcare settings is invaluable.
Hollie plays different games, does craft and painting, cooking, sings lots of songs and does different activities each week. They have nice routine which my daughter enjoys and clearly looks forward to. My daughter is very happy being looked after by Hollie and she has been a great introduction to our family.
The most reassuring factor when employing Hollie was meeting her daughter - the best example of her work! Hollie brings her daughter to work with her during school holiday times. I was nervous of this initially - only because I am not in the childcare profession myself and wanted someone in sole care of my daughter - but having Hollie's daughter around from time to time has been great! My daughter really enjoys her company and she is an extremely well behaved, calm and caring child - a great influence for my daughter and they have great fun together.
Hollie tidies up at the end of the day and leaves the house exactly as she found it which is a massive help.
Most importantly my daughter is calm and happy at the end of the day with Hollie, she is never overtired or grumpy and this is a testament to the good care she has from Hollie.
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Hollie is helping me with my daughter (7) and son (5) for about a year. Even I don't have regular off duty, she is very flexible in accommodating my needs. She was doing babysitting prior school and school round for my children in the morning as well as the afternoon collection and afternoon babysitting. She even covered weekend days for me when needed. Children are happy to stay with her. She engage them in many creative activities as well as spend time playing outdoors, visiting different exciting places. She will provide them with food I got ready all do something new and original for them. I will find them bathed and fast asleep on my late return from work. There might be little present they made together for me or I will enjoy pictures from their time together. On occasion Hollie was not able to come around, she linked me to other lady who proved to be great help as well.
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I hired Hollie to look after my 8 month old baby for a 2 day wedding weekend. On first day, I asked Hollie to meet us at hotel and put my baby to bed whilst we were at the rehearsal dinner. My baby liked her immediately and I had no concerns to leave them alone in hotel room. Hollie also kept me updated via text messages and even sent me a picture half way through the evening. I had a really good feeling about Hollie so on the actual wedding day, I decided to let her take my baby to hotel for her bed time. Again no concerns and Hollie sent me regular updates and even offered to FaceTime. They had a great time together and Hollie also offered to bath her and left me with a clean, sleeping and happy baby.
I hadn't realised until the next day but Hollie even left a hand puppet for my baby.
I strongly recommend Hollie and wouldn't hesitate to use her again. I wished she lived near us in London!
Klara
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Hollie was a brilliant, childminder, carer and part time nanny to all 3 of my boys. She had an outstanding ability to connect and communicate with each of my children and be sensitive to their needs and mine!
Hollie seemed to know instinctively how to handle my eldest child on the autism spectrum, she was able to communicate in Brisith Sign Language with my Deaf child and she was the first person to care for my baby besides me. Hollie made sure I always knew what they were doing, where they were, regularly sent me through photos of what they were up to and how much fun they were having, and would check everything out with me first. Her professionalism was outstanding.
They say kids learn through play and they most certainly did with Hollie. She has a natural zest for working with children and was always full of ideas and energy about what fun they could get up to. My only regret is moving so far away from her and her beautiful daughter.
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