Cookie Maison's Reviews

Highly Recommended

My 3 and 1 year old have been going to Donna's wonderful cabin for over 6 months now and they love it, the facilities there keep them occupied, they love playing in the garden and the cabin itself is set up to have everything a child could possibly want. I really don't have a bad word to say about the whole set up. Donna herself is a friendly lovely lady who is very experienced with children, she and her staff are welcoming. Donna communicates openly with me and keeps me updated on what my children have been up to each day, I love reading her comments in their daily book. My 3 year old prefers Donna's dinners to mine too! It is also perfect for learning social skills as there are other children there for mine to play with, great for teaching them to share the toys etc. I highly recommend Cookie Maison and recommend you go and visit to see for yourself how wonderful it is. Thank you Donna for making going back to work a lot easier knowing my children are happy and safe.

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by Parent about Cookie Maison on 12/03/2014

Response by Cookie Maison on 20/03/2014:

Thank you Clair

I am pleased you are happy with our service

Like on of the family!

Donna or Auntie Donna as she is now known in our house, wrote to me after seeing my request for a flexible and reliable childminder and I cannot thank her enough.

Due to my husband and I being Police Officers in the met police, we didn't require our 7 month old son to be in childcare every day every week, or even the same days every week. We therefore requested someone that didn't rely on having our son the same days or hours and would be happy for us to provide them with our required hours, month by month.

Donna informed me that she was happy to do what I required and that my husband and I should go and visit the 'Cabin'. Well its as big as my living room and dining room put together with a kitchenette and toilet. We were amazed at the facilities she had available and the amount of children.

Donna looks after up to 12 children and has 3 members of staff. I was so impressed as it was like sending our son to nursery with all of the benefits of lots of children to play with, different adults to meet and learn from and a learning schedule that will be followed in time for him to go school but with the benefits of being in someone's home, close to our home and with a woman who treats our son as her own.

Donna started having our son from 9 months just after we returned from holiday and has had him nearly every week since. She is able to provide care at short notice if I'm stuck at work or call in at short notice. I cannot praise her enough and we now think of her as a friend. I have since recommended Donna to a colleague and neighbour who now take their daughter to her.

You will never find anyone like Donna or the facilities that she provides. She is amazing.

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by Parent about Cookie Maison on 23/08/2013

Response by Cookie Maison on 20/03/2014:

Thank you Holly for your review.
We adore Jacob, he so much fun and very cheeky but gets away with as he soooo cute, we love him and he knows it.

One in a Million

When we first met Donna we were blown away by her professionalism, facilities and high octane enthusiasm. Previously we had only used large nurseries with our first child, so going down the child-minder route with our second child was a step into the unknown. She instantly put us at ease and advised us on the kind of requisites a competent child-minder should have, along with the kind of questions that we should be asking….

Then she sent us one our way to go and meet other child minders!!

We found straight away that the bar had been set incredibly high and search as we may, it was inevitable that we would end up back at Cookie Maison. Ultimately the decision was made by our 1 year old daughter, Yasmin, who instantly felt at home with Donna and settled in quickly with little fuss.

Due to one of us working shifts, childcare has always been a sore point. Donna has been more than accommodating and on several occasions has been a real life saver by stepping in at short notice.

A year has passed since we first set foot in Donna’s beautiful log cabin and in that time she has developed an amazing outdoor space to compliment it that is safe and functional. Yasmin loves her time there and now sees it as a home away from home.

We can't recommend Donna enough to people and even if you are just toying with the idea of using a child minder, you owe it to yourself to go and see what she has to offer.

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by Parent about Cookie Maison on 10/07/2013

Safe pair of hands

Donna has been looking after my 14 month old daughter for a few months and I can already see that the extra stimulus is helping her development.

She loves Donna and her assistants - there's a smile on her face before Donna's even opened the gate!

The facilities that Donna have provided give all the benefits of a nursery but with the all the closer and more personal supervision that a childminder brings.

She's been flexible with hours and food choices and me being the clean freak, take great comfort in the hygiene practices that Donna has in place.

My daughter is happy and I feel lucky to have found Donna to care for her.

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by Parent about Cookie Maison on 08/07/2013

Ab Fab!

My husband and I feel really lucky to have found Donna. Our daughter has been going to her 3 days a week since she was 11 months old and we couldn't have found a better childminder. She is warm, caring and down-to earth (as are her lovely assistants) and we knew pretty much as soon as we met her that she would do a fantastic job with our little girl.

Donnas set-up is brilliant and definitely out shines the average childminder! The cabin is bright, safe and spacious and designed 100% for the children with plenty of toys and stimulating activities to hand . The garden is equally as good and I love the fact that they all spend as much time as possible outside in the fresh air. As the other reviews say, don't be put off by Mocha the dog - she is calm, friendly and not bothered by the children at all!

My daughter loves her time at Cookie Maison - although she's not quite 2 yet, I know that she feels safe and cared for. There are never any tears when she's dropped off, and quite often she's reluctant to leave!

From a developmental view, as well as coming home with works of art most days, she is always surprising us with new things she has learnt. Her speech has come on in leaps and bounds and her interaction with other children is great. She is a confident and happy little girl, and I must give a lot of credit to Donna and her assistants for that. They really understand her personality and need for a routine and even when she has a 'bad' day (teething, tiredness, tantrums etc!) they treat her with patience and kindness.

We would thoroughly recommend Donna to anyone who needs a childminder in the area.

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by Parent about Cookie Maison on 07/07/2013

Gold Dust

Well, what can I say about Donna, I think the title says it all. We felt at ease instantly and she answered questions we hadnt even thought of!!!

We are so pleased we found her, she collects my son from Keston 5 days a week and has done for the past 2 years. Her log cabin is awesome and her garden is extreamly safe and a fun environment for my son to play in, Im a little jealous that I dont get to go there myself!!

For anyone that could be put off by Mocha, dont be. She is absolutley goergeous and is great with all the children, my son adores her and loves it when she is out in the garden.

My son regulary comes home with great masterpeices that he has constructed in the time spent at Donna's. As a parent there is nothing nicer than collecting your child and seeing a smile on his face, he also cant wait to tell you what he has been doing. Donna is worth her weight in gold.

As a parent, you need to know your kids are safe and well cared for when you are at work etc.., I couldnt think of a better person to take care of my son. We all think the world of Donna, espically my son.

We would 100% recommend Donna, she is an excellent childminder.

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by Parent about Cookie Maison on 05/07/2013

The Bees Knees

Donna feels like a member of the family, and she's been looking after my son two days a week since May 2012. He was under a year and not yet on the move when he started there, and he's now a cheeky fun two year old and a lovely boy (although I'm biased), and she has played an important role in shaping him into who he is becoming. He loves his days there - Donna has a great set up, unlike any other childminders we looked at, with great indoor and outdoor space.

My son's days are packed with fun, love and laughter, he loves playing in the garden and the cabin, and is always doing a wide range of lots of activities (bringing me back his creative masterpieces). She also keeps my son fuelled with energy, by providing tasty home-cooked meals and healthy snacks. You can tell she's passionate about her job, by the way she looks after the children, and how she interacts with them - she's a very caring individual with a big heart of gold, and a lot of love to go around to the kids she looks after.

My son also loves it when Mocha is allowed out, and despite being more of a cat lover myself, I feel it's been a great experience for him, and he loves playing football with her in the garden and stroking her. She's a lovely animal.

We feel very lucky to have Donna in our lives to help in the development of our son - she is an amazing childminder. Get in touch with her and take a visit to see for yourself!

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by Parent about Cookie Maison on 04/07/2013

Excellent service

Donna has been an absolute gem. She has dropped my daughter off to Keston pre-school two days a week for a year now, and we have been very happy with her as a childminder. Isabel took ages to settle at school at the start, and Donna was really good at handling this - also Isabel settled very quickly with her. She has a lovely cabin and has recently had her garden redesigned to create a fantastic space indoors and out for caring for children. I would thoroughly recommend her to anyone thinking of using a childminder.

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by Elizabet about Cookie Maison on 03/07/2013