Samia's Reviews
Childminder
4.97 out of 5
Parents say
This childminder is highly praised for providing exceptional care in a warm, loving environment. Parents consistently note the provider's patience, experience, and ability to engage children through varied activities and outings. The home-cooked meals receive particular acclaim. Children are described as thriving under the childminder's nurturing care, with many families considering her an extension of their own.
Summary generated by AI from the text of most recent member reviews
Parent reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Samia. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk members and not of Childcare.co.uk. Parents must carry out their own checks and references on childcare providers to ensure that they are completely happy before enaging in the use of their services.
Samia is an absolutely incredible childminder, and we feel so lucky that we found someone so maternal, patient and humorous to look after our son. She cooks incredible home cooked food, takes him out to all kinds of play groups and is always smiling. She is a superwoman!! Our son loves going there so much and we are so sad that we are leaving her (the only reason why we are is because we are moving out of London). Our son settled so quickly with her and she was so patient and kind while he did, never rushing him and letting him take his time. If Samia has a space, grab it. Knowing that our son was with Samia meant we knew he was safe and perfectly looked after. Samia is THE BEST.
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Bel
on 25/12/2024
Samia is beyond wonderful!
She has been looking after our daughter since Sept 2023 and we feel incredibly lucky to have found her! Our daughter very quickly settled in and is always very happy to be dropped off. Samia is such a caring and trustworthy person, providing the most outstanding quality of care.
She is also an amazing cook, preparing healthy and nutritious meals which our daughter consistently ask more of! We’ve even borrowed a few recipes to make at home, which have become our daughter’s favourites.
Samia’s house is lovely, it’s a home away from home, a very calm and tidy environment. Samia takes such good care of our daughter, always keeping us posted throughout the day, sending us pictures when at the park, soft play…
We’re soon moving out of London and will be very sad to leave Samia!
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Marine
on 10/06/2024
Samia is a kind and loving childminder, we were so lucky to find her and wish we had met sooner. Our 2 year old skips through the door and always tells us how happy she is spending her time with Samia and the other children. Her house is a very spacious and light with ample outside space. Samia is amazing at getting our daughter to eat lots of different food too. Overall we trust Samia implicitly with our child and would 10/10 recommend her.
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AntoniaR
on 28/05/2024
We found Samia after visiting a few nurseries and when we visited her home we instantly knew this was the right place for our daughter. Our little girl started with Samia at 11 months and although the settling period was difficult for me, it was very easy for her. Samia treats her like one of her own. They go out daily, either to the park or to the library for story time or soft play. We get updates throughout the day and if our daughter is poorly Samia makes sure to do what she can to help. She gets lots of cuddles and we can really see how much Samia loves and takes care of our little ones. Samia has also given us so much advice and helped wean our daughter to have 3 meals a day with her delicious home cooked meals. We've also noticed how much our daughter has grown up whilst being there, it's so lovely to see. I wouldn't choose to go anywhere else!
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Mariam
on 23/01/2024
We are so grateful to have found Samia. We received such a warm, kind, supportive welcome. Our son immediately loved her. She always makes sure he is feeling at home and safe. They go to playgroup and explore around! We are always updated on how the day is going which is wonderful. I recommend Samia 100%. The children are very lucky to grow up around her, eating home made food and having a beautiful time. Thank you so much Samia for taking such good care of our son.
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Melissa
on 26/11/2023
Having our kids looked after by Samia is an incredible source of comfort and joy. There's nothing more important than knowing that your kids are with someone who is kind, warm and caring. Our little girl is 18 months and has been with Samia since around 9 months. She settled very quickly and loves going to Samia's house. It's a house of fun with her other little friends and we get lovely updates from Samia about what they're up to. The kids always have fun activities and are well-fed with healthy home-cooked food. Our 5 year old son goes there after school as well as on occasion in the school holidays and he loves it too. We're so lucky to have Samia in our lives and our kids adore her. Can't recommend her enough.
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Emily C
on 31/10/2023
Our 2 year old son has been with Samia for 5 months and he absolutely loves her! Samia is so full of love, caring and kind. She allows all of the children to be the individuals that they are and supports them in any way that they need. Our son talks about her all of the time as well as all of the other children she looks after with him too. They all have so much fun, Samia takes them to fantastic playgroups, to lovely parks, to brilliant events at the local libraries as well as to city farms and anywhere else that she thinks they will enjoy. Samia also cooks amazing food, all meals are cooked from scratch and she often gets the children involved with the cooking too. We are so happy that we have found her, she is a vital and loved part of our family!
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Rivkah
on 29/06/2023
Samia is a wonderful childminder.
Our almost two year old absolutely loves her and it is clear that the feeling is mutual. She is well looked after and stimulated (she gets taken to lots of groups, play areas and outings) by someone who is clearly very experienced, kind and loving. Couldn’t be happier with the experience.
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Phil
on 28/11/2022
We feel so incredibly lucky to have found Samia to look after our little boy.
She has a natural warmth and care for the children which is so obvious to see and our little boy is always excited to see her in the mornings.
She keeps them busy at playgroups, singing songs, reading books and in the parks. We always get lovely WhatsApp updates about they’re up to.
Her food is wonderful - our little one now loves his food and I’m sure it’s all down to her yummy meals and homegrown ingredients.
Our little boy is thriving in her care and it’s lovely to see the bond they have formed. She’s incredibly reliable, very flexible and clearly sets high standards of care. Just completely wonderful!
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Amy
on 29/09/2022
We are so happy that our daughter gets looked after by Samia. We instantly felt comfortable in her house and loved how she interacted with our daughter.
Samia's approach is very intuitive and natural displaying her years of experience and professionalism. She offers a beautiful spacious setting for kids to play together and learn.
Our daughter has made her first friends and they have so much fun, visiting playgroups, going to the playground and eating Samia's home made meals.
I am highly recommending Samia and thank her for all of her support! It really feels like extended family. :)
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NinjaLam
on 14/03/2022
Before starting with Samia we were nervous about how our 1-year-old daughter would adjust to going to a childminder after a year of lockdown and very little social contact. However, Samia was incredibly understanding and immediately put us at ease, and the settling in process went so smoothly! 6 months on and our daughter clearly loves Samia - she gives her a big hug when we drop her off in the morning and is always in a great mood when we pick her up. Samia regularly takes the children to local parks and playgroups, and sends us pictures via WhatsApp - which are always a delight to receive!
We are so happy to have found such a fantastic childminder!
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HJWhit
on 05/09/2021
We absolutely adore Samia! As first-time parents going back to work we were naturally a bit apprehensive about leaving our daughter but finding Samia has made the whole experience so much easier for us. She's warm, organised, abundantly loving and amazing with children. Our daughter (10 months at the time) had never been away from us due to the pandemic so we were really unsure how she would cope but Samia helped her feel at ease in a matter of days. Samia provides such a varied day of activities so the children are well stimulated. She's excellent at understanding their needs and keeping us updated so we feel connected with our daughter during the day. We highly recommend Samia! Her countless years of experience really show and gives us peace of mind. She's also an incredible cook - always makes healthy delicious meals, our daughter eats much better when she's at Samia's. Samia has a huge heart, boundless energy and is a pro multi-tasker, honestly don't know how she does it! We only needed a childminder for 3 days a week for 2 weeks but have kept extending our daughters care because she's so happy with Samia. You won't be disappointed with such a wonderful lady caring for your little one.
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Darshika
on 02/03/2021
Samia has been looking after our son (now 2) for 2-3 days a week for just over a year now and has been absolutely wonderful. This was our first time contacting a childminder and she immediately put us at ease with her warmth and expertise. She provides a safe, caring environment for him to make friends and play with other children, eat healthy meals (we have no idea what her secret is) and get plenty of exercise. He loves spending the day there!
Samia was incredibly understanding and sensitive to our circumstances and has been extremely flexible. We can honestly say she saw us through 2020!
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SandZ
on 03/01/2021
It’s wonderful to find someone who really loves looking after kids. She always shows the children how pleased she is to see them in the morning, even at the end of the day she’s still got a smile on her face. The kids see her as a kind auntie and they feel very safe and happy with her. She cooks wonderful food and takes them out every day. A rare find!
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Lily
on 29/05/2020
So so so happy to have found Samia and that she managed to fit my daughter into her care. From the initial meeting with Samia my daughter settled happily, no tears. When I pick up my daughter at the end of the day all I hear that evening and the next day is It like Samia’ and then all her friends in Samia’s care.
Samia also gives really good advice and never in a patronising way, which is great for a first time mum like myself.
Samia takes the kids on outings and to playgroup as well as the park, it seems everyone has a great time. Also my daughter eats so well in Samia’s care, good homemade food!
I am truly thankful to have Samia, a real life Mary Poppins!
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N Kinga
on 04/03/2020
Choosing childcare was quite possibly one of the scariest decisions my husband and I have ever made. We spent many months attending nursery open days, visiting potential childminders and interviewing nannies. We had almost lost hope when we stumbled upon Samia and we knew at our first meeting that she was ‘the one’ for us. She put our minds at ease instantly and our little boy was immediately comfortable in her presence.
Samia is such a joyful spirit. She is a ball of energy and takes her littles ones out every day. Unlike many Londoners she is un-phased by the weather and never lets it quash her sense of fun and adventure. I can’t count the times I have watched the rain drizzle from my office window and looked down at my phone to see an image of my little boy playing happily in a playgroup or at a museum. It always brightens my day.
Samia is also a phenomenal cook and (like me) she is very passionate about healthy eating. She cooks beautiful healthy meals using some of the vegetables from her allotment. My little boy is thriving under her care.
I can’t recommend Samia enough. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.
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KjM
on 02/03/2020
Samia looks after our daughter two days a week, and has done for over six months now. We had to delay our start date and Samia was really flexible with us and understanding of our circumstances. Samia is always willing to take feedback on board and we are so pleased with the progress that our daughter has made under Samia's care. Samia provides a nurturing environment and promotes healthy, confident eating. Our daughter has fun with the other children and she is kept very busy with the different activities that Samia offers. We are really pleased we found Samia.
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on 18/11/2018
Our 4 year old daughter settled very well with Samia who made her feel welcome. She never complains about going there and really enjoys it. We feel overall that it has been a positive experience for her and has contributed to her growing up, being more mature and confident.
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on 08/07/2018
Samia has been looking after our son since he turned one. We were nervous about leaving him after my maternity leave finished, but Samia was a huge support for us all helping him settle in. He has settled in brilliantly and is very happy. Samia is warm, friendly and comforting. We love that she takes the children to different places, playgroups, song sessions, playgrounds and farms. She listens to his interests and encourages him. She has helped with his development including learning to walk and talking which he does nonstop. Samia's is a home from home.
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Bec
on 22/01/2018
Samia has been an absolute godsend for us and she has been an incredible carer for our 2 year old daughter and we only have positive things to say about her.
Helena was initially in a nursery, but we have found our experience with Samia overwhelmingly much more positive than with nursery. Samia really provides a home from home for the children and it is immediately obvious how much she adores the children and how much they adore her. She provides an incredibly happy and loving environment. One of the things that first attracted us to Samia (in addition to all the positive reviews) was her experience and this really shows and she has given us lots of wise advice. Helena immediately liked Samia and was never upset when being dropped off, which was very different to nursery. Her cooking is phenomenal and we could tell straight away that Helena was eating much better - the only problem is I think she prefers Samia's cooking to mine! Samia is always taking the children off for exciting outings, both to local playgroups and parks, and further afield to farms and museums. She is incredibly efficient, very flexible and accommodating and communicates very well, including sending lovely photos of the children happily doing things. She works incredibly hard, but never seems tired and is always enthusiastic and excited to see the children. She is also very reliable and we have never known her to be off sick.
We are incredibly pleased to have found Samia, and our only regret is that we didn't find her sooner.
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on 17/08/2017
Samia has looked after my son who has started school now regularly for a few years , she is very flexible, accommodating to your and your child's needs and is very hard working. She makes lovely meals and ensures all the children she is looking after are safe and happy. Lovely person, so efficient and the children love her.
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Parent
on 27/01/2017
From the very first time I met Samia I knew that my children would be happy with her. She has an overwhelming sense of family, warmth, love and happiness. My daughter was only aged 9 months and started with her for 3 full days a week. At the introductory meeting she hugged and cuddled Samia immediately. It was an instant comfort for all of us. Samia is also collecting my eldest daughter Aged 5 from school 3 days a week as well. She is extremely active with all the kids, taking them on interesting outings. My kids LOVE her home, healthy cooking and I love to hear everyday about what they have eaten. One thing I love about Samia is that I feel I can be very honest and open with her about any concerns I may have - which is so refreshing. She keeps me up to date as and when required and I can work very happily knowing both my kids and happy, safe and loved so much.
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Aarti
on 19/09/2016
Samia is impeccably polite and considerate, very easy to communicate with (she checks her email and text regularly on her phone) and she has a real calming influence on children. Samia looked after my 5 year old boy 2-3 afternoons a week after Nursery finished at 12pm and in holidays, so that I could work. She would regularly visit the parks and libraries in the area and always made sure there was plenty to do and plenty of healthy snacks. I can definitely recommend Samia as both a babysitter and Childminder.
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JodieN6
on 21/08/2016
Samia is a warm, lovely person who really enjoys and understands children.
She is firm when she needs to be, without over-reacting.
They were never stuck in the house, she always took them to all sorts of exciting places, like The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Princess Diana Park, Highgate Woods, play schemes and libraries.
I felt completely confident that they would be safe in her care, as she was very firm and safety conscious.
They were given really healthy meals, and tried new healthy foods that they hadn’t tried before.
Samia was flexible, accommodating, caring and understanding, a truly lovely person who had a great relationship with both the children and myself.
I would highly recommend her as great child minder, who will bring out the best in any child.
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Jo95
on 13/08/2016
Samia is a lovely, warm and caring person who clearly delights in her job looking after children. She is very accommodating to you and your child's needs and can also provide sage parenting advice if needed as she has a wealth of experience.
My daughter has a very active social life when she is with Samia, as they attend all sorts of singing, craft and playgroups which has really contributed to her development. She also always provides a wide variety of healthy, nutritious food, from all around the world, which helps to develop young taste buds.
It's quite clear that my daughter genuinely loves Samia as much as she loves her.
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on 09/05/2016
Samia became part of our family life when my eldest son was 8 weeks old. I had no idea what I was doing and I'll never forget the first time I met her she came into our house and started helping me breast feed my son. She has a no nonsense approach and just gets on with it. What a relief it was to find someone to be an extra "mum".
Twenty years later Samia is still part of our childrens lives, yes she looked after our second son too. I would highly recommend Samia as she has a tremendous amount of knowledge to share with parents and the children enjoy spending time with her.
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on 27/03/2016
My daughter loves seeing Samia and always comes home in a very happy mood. We have found Samia to be cheerful, kind and fair. She has always been willing to accommodate schedule changes, making our lives easier and is very reliable.
Her food is excellent - she even managed to get a five year old to enjoy aubergine! We feel lucky to have found Samia.
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on 20/03/2016
Samia picked my son up from school throughout his whole time at primary school. She proved to be very able, capable and reliable and made my life as a working Mum a whole lot easier knowing my son was being well cared for. She was hugely supportive and built up a great relationship with our son and our whole family. He benefited from the wide range of activities on offer and from having other young children around. She is a great cook, feeds children well and is very experienced. She is very knowledgeable about activities for children in the local area. Samia is very flexible and was unflappable when arrangements changed at short notice. I would highly recommend her.
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on 08/10/2015
Samia has been my daughters child minder since she was a baby and my daughter who is now 4, adores her. She is an excellent child minder, warm and caring but firm and I always admire her complete control over the children, while they look happy to be with her all the time. The children run into her arms as she collects them from nursery or school and are delighted to see her. Her home cooking is delicious, even by childrens standards! Many has been the time, I have heard children discuss Samia's food with delight! My daughter has never been the easiest to feed but she has always eaten Samia's food and asked me to get the recipe! She is reliable and honest and I wouldn't hesitate but to recommend her highly as a most brilliant child minder. Joy
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on 29/09/2015
Samia has looked after our 4 year old daughter since she was 1. Samia feels like part of our family, and certainly our daughter feels very happy and safe with her.
For our daughter, Samia was the first person to look after her away from her parents, and this sometimes difficult transition was made incredibly easy with Samia because of her years of experience.
Our daughter has thrived in Samia's care. She is brilliantly enthusiastic with children, she is warm, generous and kind. Samia is flexible with childcare arrangements and will always try to help out when she is able to.
Samia is great at finding good local activities for the children in her care to take part in - like the library, play groups, parks ect - she also makes her home very warm and welcoming, full of toys & games should the weather be cold and wet.
We are so glad that we have someone like Samia that our daughter loves to bits, to help her through the next big step in her life as she begins school.
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Amy
on 27/09/2015
Samia was my son's childminder from the age of 1 until he went to nursery and she continued to look after him around nursery hours until he was fully settled in. She looked after several children from my son's school over the years, so I've had the pleasure of seeing her there. I was really pleased to find Samia. When I met her I was an inexperienced mum, nervous about leaving my son when I returned to work. From my first meeting with Samia it was clear that she was very tuned in to children. She really enjoys her work and is alert to the individual personalities of the children in her care. She knows and is responsive to what interests them, or ails them, or comforts them. And, with her wealth of experience, she was a great source of support to me as a new mum! When I left my son with her, I always felt completely secure that he was in warm, kind, skilled hands and that he'd have a lot of fun. He thrived in her care. When he went to nursery and to school, he settled in easily having had such a stable, reliable, kind, and fun experience outside home.
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on 20/09/2015
Samia is fantastic with children and our daughter loves going to Samia. She always know ther'll be other children to play with and that she'll be served yummy home made food. We all envy Samia's culinary skills.
Samia is trustworthy, reliable, incredibly qualified and honest.
We can't recommend Samia highly enough. When we're at work we feel relaxed because we know that our daughter is in such a good capable pair of hands. Samia's also brilliant coming up with fun activities for the children and there's never a dull moment.
Samia's experience as a childminder is also very helpful for us as parents. Sometimes in life you get very stuck with tricky situations in regards to your child. Samia's our oracle. She always seems to know the answers and solutions to the problems. That is brilliant!
We're very blessed to have Samia in our life.
Lotta and Sebastian
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on 15/09/2015
Samia looked after my daughter (now 7) from when she was 7 months old. We chose Samia because she seemed warm, caring and organised and so it turned out. Although we moved two years ago to a different part of London, we have stayed in touch and still see each other regularly.
Samia creates a loving home for children, plans what she will do with them, communicates well with parents and regularly takes children out so they can experience the world with her support and care.
I would warmly recommend Samia as a childminder to parents looking for help with care of
- babies and toddlers, and
- after school.
I would be happy to give more feedback if anyone wants to get in touch.
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Parent
on 14/09/2015
Samia has been looking after our daughter for 2.5 years, ever since she was 20 months old. Our daughter has really thrived under Samia's care. She is a well-rounded, clever little person and we attribute a lot of that to her time with Samia.
Samia does daily outings to libraries, play groups, sing & signs, parks, etc. She is incredibly proactive and plans activities around North London (Highgate, Archway, Muswell Hill primarily) for the children. She is always looking for fun and engaging activities that all of her children can partake in. Rain or shine, Samia prioritizes getting the kids out for fresh air and fun adventures!
In terms of food, Samia provides full meals and snacks for the children and is a wonderful cook. My daughter is constantly raving about Samia's yummy dinners of lamb stew, vegetables, and rice. Samia has even taken our daughter to her allotment to help her care for her fruits and vegetables which she feeds to the kids.
We absolutely adore Samia. She is like family to us and means the world to our daughter. We are so happy we found her, and will be sending our infant son to her as well in a few months.
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Parent
on 11/04/2015
Samia came highly recommended from 2 other parents whose children she cares for. Our son loves Samia and has wonderful times with her and the other lovely children she looks after. Samia is a warm, caring and reliable professional. She does varied activities with him and gives him high quality fresh home cooked food to a standard which I struggle to match at home. Samia is attune to my son's needs for rest and stimulation. Most importantly to me my son is happy and calm (most of the time) at the end of his day with her.
I do not hesitate to recommend Samia to other parents.
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Parent
on 23/03/2015
Our family adores Samia. She is reliable, engaging, has a positive attitude, and loving.
Our daughter has been with Samia for nearly two years - starting when she was 5 months.Our daughter always lights up when she sees her. Our daughter enjoys the play groups and bonding with the other children under Samia's care. She usually comes home singing or jabbering on and on about her adventures. I never worry about our daughter when I am working because I know she will be safe, well fed, well washed, entertained and cuddled.
We feel so blessed to have found Samia.
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on 19/03/2015
