We had no idea just how amazing Becky was until we tried to replace her when she told us she was moving. When we first met her, we didn’t bother interviewing any other childminders as we immediately felt content leaving our (very clingy, non napping, hardly eating, breastfed) 1yr old with her. We were incredibly lucky that Becky had a vacancy coming up as she’s always in demand. Becky worked absolute miracles for our little one. She now throws herself at Becky in the mornings, and doesn’t want to leave when we pick her up. We’re absolutely devastated she’s leaving and whoever she looks after next is very lucky. As parents who practice attachment parenting, we were very comfortable with Becky’s approach towards our daughter’s behaviour and development.

Since meeting a host of new childminders to try and replace Becky, here are the things about Becky we appreciate and probably took for granted
- Becky takes the children out and about, nearly every day. They’re always at the farm, or forest school, or the zoo, or building dens in the woods, or some other fun activity.
- Becky has 3 lovely polite boys who absolutely adore our little girl. They play together after school and provide even more opportunities for socialisation. This means our daughter is surrounded by other children which helps prepare her for preschool.
- Becky thinks about the development of her children, and goes the extra mile to aid their learning E.g. she takes them to playgroup in an area that is more culturally diverse to teach the children about different backgrounds and cultures, rather than sticking to local groups in our small village.
- When our daughter started with Becky, she wouldn’t nap in a cot and got upset at being put down. Becky was happy to help in any way and our daughter slept in a sling on her chest for a good few months until she was ready to sleep in a cot on her own.
- Becky supported us when we said we’d like to use cloth nappies, even though it’s nowhere near as convenient as disposables.
- Becky meets up with other like-minded childminders who also provide socialisation and stimulation for our daughter.
- Becky provides a daily diary of what our daughter ate, her nappies, sleep, and activities. She also sends photos/videos and updates an online tool called Tapestry that tracks their development over time. This is invaluable information that gives insight into what your child did that day, and follows the early years curriculum.
- On a daily basis our daughter comes home with something new she’s created. Whether its biscuits she’s made herself, a wooden creature from forest school, hand art or lovely mother’s/father’s day gifts, the activities Becky does with the children are so imaginative and fun, we can only hope to replicate them at home!
- Becky makes healthy and varied breakfasts, snacks and lunches so we don’t need to worry about preparing food in the morning.

There are many more things that make Becky an outstanding childminder that I haven’t listed here. If anyone would like to hear more from a fellow parent, I’d be happy for her to pass on my details.

Becky, thank you so much for looking after E, we really do appreciate you and will miss you. We wish you all the best in your new adventure xx

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