Sweetpeas2013

The very best

We are so very lucky to have Vicky and Debbie take care of our daughter 4 days per week and I honestly don't know where to start with writing this review!
Everything they do exceeds all hope and expectations we had for our childcare and I'm not quite sure how we will say goodbye when the time comes for our daughter to move on.
Sweet Peas have nurtured our daughter for the past 2 years since she was only 7 months old! Leaving her that young was difficult to say the least (and still is!) but we feel like we are leaving her with extended family. She has developed in leaps and bounds over the last 2 years and, whilst definitely still the shy one, her confidence has grown and so have all of her skills and milestones. It is the perfect setting for the little ones to socialise but still have direct contact from with Vicky and Debbie and our daughter has thrived.
We also had the additional challenge of our daughter being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition at the beginning of the year which has added an extra layer of worry to childcare. However, Vicky and Debbie haven't been phased and have taken it in their stride. Their above and beyond approach had our worries at ease almost immediately and the communication with them makes it all 100x easier.
They provide a wonderful setting with a wide range of toys, games, activities, themes and learning opportunities and it is wonderful to hear all about it from our daughter on pick up!
We cannot thank Vicky and Debbie enough for everything they have done and do for our Sweet Pea!

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Emma on 14/09/2023

Outstanding childminders

I cannot express enough how amazing Vicky and Debbie are and couldn’t recommend it then enough. We are so lucky to have them look after our 19 month old little boy. He has been with them since he was 12 months and he absolutely loves it. They always do such fun activities with them every day ( painting, messy play, singing for example), and celebrate all occasions by making special things, having themed parties, fancy dress, themed meals , it’s amazing. He comes back home so happy and you can tell from his development how much he loves being there and benefits from it. They have an amazing set up with a purpose built play room and a big garden full of toys so they get lots of fresh air. They are very knowledgeable and experienced. Couldn’t recommend them enough!

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by FBart on 10/05/2023

Outstanding childcare.

We feel so lucky to have found sweet peas. My daughter has absolutely flourished there. Vicky and Debbie are so kind and loving there is never any doubt about your child being in safe hands.
They are very professional with a wealth of childcare experience between them. When my daughter went to them she was such a terrible sleeper and they were so unfazed and had her sleeping with the other sweet peas for 2 hours at lunch in no time at all.

Each day we get photo updates and a record of her daily activities. They are so creative there is no way a child could ever get bored in this setting.

We love the varied age range. The young ones learn skills from the slightly older ones and the older ones learn how to care for the little ones, which gives me confidence in my daughter with future siblings. Can’t wait for my second child to join too, we wouldn’t consider anywhere else.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Nnev89 on 25/04/2023

Childcare above and beyond expectations

We didn't hesitate to contact Vicky and Debbie to look after our son following our daughter spending two amazing years with them. Our son has felt comfortable in the setting since day one and is always so excited to go in each morning. Vicky and Debbie work so hard to make every child feel like a member of the Sweet Peas family. They do many different activities each day from messy play to arts and crafts, cooking, reading, role play, lots of garden play throughout the year and water play in the warmer months. We get photographs and feedback daily to tell us what they have been up to which is so important as a parent. Vicky and Debbie go above and beyond when organising fun things for the children to do, always celebrating important dates throughout the year such as Diwali, Chinese New Year, World Book Day, and with many extras like fundraising days for Children In Need, McMillan Cancer coffee morning, the summer teddy bears picnic and Christmas party.
The last year has been additionally challenging with COVID restrictions, but Vicky and Debbie have always worked with all the parents to try and make everyone feel at ease, and to keep the children, and themselves as safe as possible throughout. This has further highlighted to me how much they really care about the children and all the families that entrust their children into their care.
We would highly recommend any parent to look at sending their little one to Sweet Peas!

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Zoe on 09/01/2022

Fantastic! So much more than we ever expected

Choosing childcare for our daughter for the first time seemed really daunting, but as soon as we found Sweet Peas we knew it was right for us and our daughter. She started at twelve months and has been really happy at Sweet Peas. She gets so much from the warm, caring and creative environment and comes home smiling.

Vicky and Debbie are so much more than childminders. They both work incredibly hard to give the children the best experience every day that they are there. Sweet Peas has the wide range of activities you would expect in a nursery, but with a small group, there is the personal attention and care you get from a childminder. For us it is the best of both worlds. There is lots of communication, with pictures through the day so we can see what is going on and never feel far away from what she’s doing.

They celebrate events and festivals through the year with cards and activities, and put on things for parents to come along to like a teddy bears picnic and Christmas party so we too feel part of the Sweet Peas. With an American in the family, they even adapted their festivals for us and the children made Thanksgiving cards this year too!

In the morning, our daughter is excited to arrive, to get in and get on with her day at Sweet Peas. Vicky and Debbie are just brilliant, and we are so happy with our choice. We can’t recommend them highly enough.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Chris98 on 07/01/2022

We're so lucky to have them

We're so lucky to have Debbie and Vicky looking after our little one. She was 9 months when she started at Sweet Pea's and this has been an amazing experience for both us and our daughter. It feels so reassuring to know that she is so well looked after. The mother-daughter partnership works perfectly. They are lovely caring people who obviously love their job, and go beyond to make our little ones happy, and to teach them stuff. They are extremely creative in their activities and it's absolutely amazing to see how much our daughter is learning. Their setting is wonderful and they're constantly renewing the toys, games and activities. Our daughter is so happy to go there every morning! She obviously adores them. As a first time mum, I really appreciate being able to see her activity book in the evening, with all the activities of the day (plus food menu (delicious nutritious home made meals)- changing and napping schedule and their mood). This is really helpful when your baby can't tell you this themselves. It's always a joy to receive photos of their activities... and artwork... I love how they celebrate so many days, talking and doing activities around those (Christmas, Halloween, Diwali, St Patrick's Day... ).. and ask the parents if in their culture there is a special day they want their kids to celebrate (they've added Bastille day for our little Frenchy). We're so grateful that we got to have a space there, and couldn't recommend Sweet Pea's, Vicky and Debbie enough.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Marion on 09/11/2021

Outstanding childcare

Our daughter Freya has been at Sweetpeas for almost 2 years, and we couldn't be happier with our experience. Freya absolutely loves going to Sweetpeas and always comes home proudly with things to show us that she's made at Sweeppeas. Vicky and Debbie are constantly coming up with fun and exciting activities to engage the children, such as arts and craft, music, cooking, dressing up and much more. They have a lovely, very well kept garden and playroom and are always investing in lots of new toys/activity packs, to keep the children stimulated. Vicky and Debbie are energetic, kind, caring, professional and the mother daughter dynamic works fantastically. They are very experience and supportive when it comes to things like potty training, sleep and weaning. They have high expectations and set clear boundaries which the children respond very well to. The food is excellent with home cooking and lots of vegetables and exotic fruit. We couldn't recommend them more.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Flo on 29/10/2020

Couldn’t ask for more

Our daughter has been so happy at sweet peas with Vicky and Debbie ever since she started when she was 12 months old. They are always doing such fun things with the children, from music and dancing to art and crafts, reading, dressing up and lots of outdoor play/messy play. The children are encouraged to take part in various theme days such as book day and Chinese New Year. They Are really well equipped with toys and resources that we don’t have ourselves. We are updated via watts app with photos of what they have been up to, and if there have ever been any worries at all re illness etc communication has always been brilliant which as a parent really puts you at ease.We have been really impressed by how much of a family feel the environment fosters, and our daughter has built up great relationships with her fellow sweet peas and of course loves both Vicky and Debbie. She has developed and flourished under their care and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to any prospective families. It will be a sad day when she moves on.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Zoe on 29/04/2019

Caring, creative and communicative childminders!

Our son is so happy with Vicky and Debbie at Sweet Pea's. He has such a great time with them. Vicky and Debbie are so caring and professional, and receiving photos of our little one each day on WhatsApp is a really wonderful touch that helps our days go by a lot quicker - it's always joyful to see him immersed in a great range of activities in the photos, from playing with toys to taking part in fun group activities to messy play and arts and crafts and more! Our son doesn't usually settle well with others but he loves Vicky and Debbie and has a big smile on his face when we arrive at the gate!

Starting our son in childcare felt daunting but Vicky and Debbie guided us and our son through the process so well - it helped my return to work go more smoothly and easily than I imagined it would go. They're also able to get our son to sleep which is quite a coup!

We're always thrilled with Vicky and Debbie's thoughtfulness (mother's day cards, valentine's day gifts, easter gifts etc) and their organisation and communication is really great. We love reading his little book that helps us know what he's been up to each day.

Vicky and Debbie are fantastic and if you are local to Camberwell do check them out - you will be so reassured and happy to have your child there like we are. We feel really lucky to know them and that our son is in their great care.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by laura on 28/04/2019

Loving caring environment

Vicky and Debbie are excellent childminders. The moment I met them and visited their setting I knew my daughter would be happy there and that I could completely trust them and I saw a lot of settings! They are lovely caring ladies, I feel like my daughter thinks they are family too. She's so happy to go there every time I drop her off racing up the stairs sometimes I don't even get a goodbye. Normally she's stuck to me like glue!

The setting is lovely, there are so many toys for them to play with and lots of multisensory activities every day. Every month there's a different theme and they are fantastic at celebrating international festivals which I love. My daughter loves the food and sleeps really well there. Vicky and Debbie are great at communicating, we have a little book they write in and tell us what she has been up to every day and they are fab at sending photos regularly and updating the parents by whatsapp.

I cannot recommend Vicky and Debbie enough. If you are lucky enough to get a place with them cherish it! We will miss them very much when we leave.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Zoe on 25/04/2019