Moira's Reviews

Absolutely fantastic; outstanding childcare

My husband and I cannot praise Moira’s care highly enough. We feel as though she became our daughter’s third grandmother over the year and a half we have been with her and we left with a very heavy heart (due to relocating). We miss her warmth, her professionalism, her deep knowledge of childcare and her enormous heart. Read the Ofsted review but the rating of “Outstanding” doesn’t really do her justice!

The many points to note include:

1. The settling was very smooth. My husband stayed at Moira’s setting for the first few days, then left for a few hours in the first week comprising two days of childcare, half days the second week to full days from week 3. We have never had a single day where our daughter did not want to attend; she was always positive about going off to see Moira.
2. On reliability, Moira has never take any time off other than for planned holiday, in respect of which we received several months' notice.
3. Our daughter's speaking and comprehension are advanced for her age and Moira was great at identifying this and helping us support our daughter’s clear desire to articulate herself. An example would include Moira’s suggestion of repeating our daughter’s sentences back to her but adding a word to lengthen the sentence and develop her language skills.
4. We caught up with Moira regularly on our child’s development. She would make suggestions/ recommendations at the time of the discussions and in context. We love how highly academically trained she is, her decades of experience in various childcare settings, and that she is able to provide theory and context of the various schools of thought on child development eg Froebel, which has informed my and my husband’s reading about early years development. Practically, she would give us clear, concretes suggestions that we could easily implement at home so that we, with Moira, were consistent in the techniques used to develop our daughter. For example, she suggested giving our daughter a small jug to pour her own water into her own cup at home to help motivate our daughter to increase her water intake. We’d never have thought of this and it worked really well.
5. We haven’t got space here to mention all of the development we’ve observed in our daughter that have stemmed from Moira’s care. By way of a brief summary, they include (i) social interaction with other children e.g. using gentle hands; (ii) motor skills e.g. walking; (iii) self-care, including hand washing and safely negotiating the stairs; (iii) fine motor skills; (iv) phonics and numeracy; (v) tidying up; and (vi) confidence with other children.
6. Moira tailors the setting to the children in her care at the time. For example, our daughter is very fond of small animals and small world play with animals, and so Moira regularly took her to the local farm where there are small animals and bought toys that supported that interest (such as the Farm In A Tin). She also loves singing and reading and Moira integrates singing into the day and our daughter sings to us the new songs she has learned from Moira. Our daughter has been enjoying Room on the Broom and so Moira took her to the theatre to see it. There is no way that a nursery could offer this level of care and adapt so uniquely to the interests of each child in the way that Moira does.
7. Moira makes wholesome, nutritionally balanced food for the children. I remember walking in one morning in winter to the delicious smell of lamb hotpot; even the stock was homemade.
8. Moira also babysits for us, which was ideal because we knew that our child was in the best care and with someone she knew and trusted; we trust her completely.

I cannot imagine any setting in which our daughter would have received better start, or more tailored care, than Moira’s setting. There is frankly nothing more that Moira could be doing to improve. She is an outstanding role model, she holds her self to the highest standards and is a wonderful, kind, pragmatic and outstandingly capable support for parents. We feel extremely fortunate that we found her.

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by Alice on 22/06/2025

Best childminder in Pimlico

Our little one was about 20 months old when Moira started looking after her for two days a week.
Moira has been very professional since the beginning and our daughter loves spending time with her.
Our little one is very active and energetic and Moira knows how to entertain her.
She loves going to the garden and to the library
We highly recommend Moira if you are looking for someone with lot of experience and passion in looking after your little one

Marika, Adam and baby Evelyn

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by marika on 06/11/2023

Knowledgeable and caring

Moira has been looking after my son since he was 7 months old, and he has been with her for nearly 8 months now. Moira went out of her way to settle him in slowly and get him used to a new setting. She is knowledgeable and adapts the activities alongside his development to ensure he is stimulated and interested. Moira has also worked with us as parents to adapt his routine as he grows and work around our son. She communicates really well and is always happy to chat about his day or send photos of the activities they have been doing. She keeps him super busy and (weather permitting) outside and active as much as possible. Above all, Moira is genuinely interested in his development and wellbeing. I always feel that he is well cared for emotionally as well as being kept busy and fed. I can’t recommend Moira highly enough.

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by gmw on 14/06/2023

Great childcare

Moira is a highly knowledgeable and experienced childcare provider. She has always cared for my son in a freat way completing activities and providing a great routine whilst he has been in her care. I would highly recommend Moira due to her experience and qualifications

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by Leanne on 02/08/2022

Kind, Caring and supportive Childminder

My daughter has been in Moira’s care from age 1yrs she is now 20 months.
It’s always a worry to leave your little one, especially to start with, but Moira was great at settling my daughter and right away she was happily waving goodbye.
Moira asked me valuable questions about my daughters usual routine, likes and dislikes right away. So the transition was smooth for her. They usually start the day out and about. From gardening in the private gardens in Pimlico, to strolls in St James park, to the farm or one of the local play groups. The list of adventures and activities are endless.
Then it’s nap time, followed by a nutritious lunch. Moira always makes sure there are plenty of healthy food and snack choices available. My daughter can be a fussy eater, but Moira is very patient with her and makes sure there is something for her to eat that she likes, as well as encouraging her to try new things.
After lunch Moira utilises the outdoor space that she has, doing water play, playing in the sand or doing finger painting.
There is also a variety of books in the book corner for reading time. And nursery rhymes to sing along to, which my daughter enjoys very much.
Moira’s place is always clean and tidy. With a lovely homey feel.
Moira always supports my daughter in following her interests.
Her language skills, hand eye coordination and social skills etc are always taking leaps forward and Moira takes every opportunity to help her develop those skills, from focused play to identifying animals they see when out on walks or at the farm, for instance.
Just as important as the excellent care Moira provides my little one, is the kindness she showed me. Moira is willing to be flexible where she can, is always caring to us both, and really understands the types of things (big and small) that I would like to hear about in my daughters days and development. Moira also provides reports on my daughters development and asks me to write comments at home too. Which is invaluable.
I cannot recommend Moira enough, she has given my daughter the best start in education and care, which she continues to do so. What’s more she has made going back to work so much easier for me and I cannot thank her enough for that!

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by Williams on 02/08/2022