Little Sweethearts

A nurturing, creative, wonderful nanny!

Melanie has had sole care of our son one day a week from 18 months old and his 4 year old sister after school. It was a time of multiple transitions for our family, with our daughter starting school and the first time our son was looked after by anyone outside our family, so we were delighted and relieved when Melanie quickly formed strong bonds with both children, who adore her! Our son asks after ‘Mimi’ although the week (often before he goes to sleep) until he has his day with her again and our daughter (who can be slow to warm to new adults) bursts with excitement guessing what fun, creative and imaginative, magical play ideas Melanie has invented to make her after school time with her extra special - from creating elaborate dens to tipi discos! I work from home upstairs and whilst Melanie looks after my son downstairs and can often hear her singing to him as they go about the day :-) She is wonderfully attuned and present with him and when she has both children she balances both their needs brilliantly. We could not recommend her enough!

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by FamilyLD about Little Sweethearts on 01/01/2024

Response by Little Sweethearts on 02/01/2024:

What a wonderful kind and thoughtful review Hannah, thank you for taking the time to write it, very much appreciated.
From day one I felt extremely welcome in your lovely home, your calm approach to how you and Rob wanted both your children cared for gave me so much scope. Each week I love to plan new activities knowing that my time with your little ones is very very special so with this in mind the playroom becomes our inside adventure emporium.

I was thrilled when my contract with you all was extended a further 3 months taking us to March 2024. I could not have a nicer family to work for, you will indeed be my last family in London! My relocation to my home County of West Yorkshire in Spring is very welcome and whilst I am super excited to go ‘home’ it will be tinged with a little sadness as I will no longer be around to bump into all the little peeps I have ever cared for including your two little sweethearts. I do hope you will stay in touch and send me photo updates.

Who ever takes over my role with your lovely little family, I hope they enjoy every single minute as much as I have, it has been a true privilege and pleasure. The memories of our times together I will always recall fondly. Thank you for the opportunity♥️

Fantastic, caring and creative nanny!

Melanie has looked after our daughter one day a week for a number of months after our last nanny became unavailable. We instantly noticed how experienced she is and how good her communication with young children is. She has an energetic approach and talks to our daughter about what they are doing all the time, which has really helped with her development from a stage where she was speaking very little to now being very chatty! Melanie always organises fun activities for her and our daughter to do ahead of their day together, but is flexible and responsive if plans need to change. She has such a caring approach, as well as being reliable and communicating what her plans are and when there are logistical issues.

Melanie is very safety conscious and ensures a safe environment for her and our daughter to interact in. She is also very careful with food and toys.

We are so pleased with how Melanie has helped us, it has put our minds at rest to have someone we quickly learned to trust looking after our daughter, and the bond they have developed is reassuring and enjoyable to watch.

I work from home a lot at the moment and while I am never disturbed when working, it is lovely to be able to pop down to make a cup of tea and see the creative and imaginative things Melanie is doing with our daughter - Melanie brings her creativity to the fore in designing things to do with our daughter, from collecting leaves to make collages to building dens and houses out of Amazon boxes.

We're very happy to recommend Melanie to anyone, and if (like us) it is your first child, you will learn a lot and benefit from all the experience Melanie brings as a nanny.

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by HarriDis about Little Sweethearts on 12/01/2022

Response by Little Sweethearts on 27/10/2022:

It has been such a delight to work for this lovely growing family.

Kind happy nurturing parents, lovely home and always a feeling of belonging which was a bonus.
Although caring ‘hands on parents’ I always felt listened to, my idea’s and opinions valued. Together we all worked as a great team ensuring their little one was getting the very best care possible. The bond grew quickly over the weeks which is not always a given in all households.

Anyone that has the opportunity to be part of this family in a childcare capacity will not be disappointed. Even Sammy Cat was welcoming, always showed up to greet me and then snuggled down somewhere cosy till meal time.

I know we will all keep in touch and I will look forward to discovering all their exciting news😉✨✨
It was a sincere pleasure to have been part of their lives for the past year.

♥️ Magical memories♥️

Reference for Melanie

To whom it may concern,
We are delighted to provide a reference for Melanie who cared for our daughter, A from the age of 8
months to a year. A grew up during the pandemic so was very nervous of new people but Melanie
had no trouble in winning her over with a slow but steady approach and she soon enjoyed her time
with Melanie.

It was a difficult season to be caring for a child due to the weather being very cold and
most activities not being available due to lockdown, but Melanie was always cheerful and did a great
job of entertaining Annie with toys and books in the house and local garden centres and open shops.
Melanie was very responsive to A’s needs and our preferences but also prepared to offer insights
and advice from her many years of experience. She had a keen eye on how A was developing which
was brilliant for a first-time mum and was extremely competent at managing any little issues with
A’s routine or plans. I always knew Annie would be safe and enjoying herself in Melanie’s care, and
enjoyed the regular updates by Whatsapp and a shared communication notebook.

Sadly, the pandemic led to several concerns which meant we had to readjust arrangements several
times -it became more and more difficult for Melanie to care for A and this and other factors meant
she had to give up caring for A just before her first birthday. However, she is a warm, caring and
extremely competent Nanny and I have no hesitation in recommending her.

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by Felicity about Little Sweethearts on 19/02/2021

Kindest, caring... the most wonderful nanny

My previous nanny unfortunately didn’t work out and then I found Melanie...she has been an angel. Kind, thoughtful and just an amazing nanny. Since Melanie arrived my daughter has got her confidence back - is happy to be left, is chatty around Melanie and other babies and is just so much more confident.

Melanie has so much love and passion for working with children I never had any doubt that my daughter was not ok. Melanie is so creative - plans lots of fun creative activities and ensures my daughter is stimulated and developing. My daughters language has developed so well in the past 2 months.

Melanie’s communication is excellent- she keeps a daily diary, updates with wonderful pictures and videos and lets you know how your child is developing. Melanie is naturally a warm, friendly and loving person - she’s very special to us - I’m so thankful to this site for finding her at a time when we needed her. I cannot thank her enough for what she’s done for us.

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by Katie G about Little Sweethearts on 19/12/2019

Response by Little Sweethearts on 19/12/2019:

Thank you so much Katie for such a kind thoughtful review.

Caring for your Little Sweetheart has been a delight and the perfect way to see 2019 out. I have enjoyed our many hours together, the adventures we get up to, the friends we make along the way and hopefully a few more to come in 2020.

I am thrilled to have played a part in your lovely little family, you welcomed me into your beautiful home and have shown me nothing but kindness, respect and consideration.

I am one Lucky Nanny!

Melanie

I am a new mother with an 11 week old baby, who like many new mothers was very nervous at the thought of leaving her little one in strange hands, so when I first met Melanie at interview stage, it was an enormous relief to watch her interact with my little girl.
On Melanie's first day I left Melanie with my daughter, and disappeared into my home office feeling anxious at how the day might go. As soon as I turned away, I could hear Melanie's quiet voice singing to my daughter and gently telling her little stories, and although the separation form the little one was hard, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders because I knew my child was cared for, and for that I was extremely grateful.
During the course of that first day I popped down to see Melanie and make sure everything was going well. I found Melanie sitting by the little one who was fast asleep busying herself folding my daughter's clothes whilst watching over her. It felt as though au auntie had come by to help out for the day and had quietly blended into the family home and routine. This was so unexpected and gratefully received, that I rushed up to my office to call my partner and tell him what I had seen and report that I had stumbled across Mary Poppins.
Melanie does have some rather Mary Poppins like qualities. She is delightful and cheerful and an incredibly reassuring person to have watch over a child. Melanie is patient (as much with nervous parents as she is with children), thoughtful and flexible. I would highly recommend Melanie and wish her the very best in her future role.

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by Natalie about Little Sweethearts on 18/09/2015

Response by Little Sweethearts on 18/09/2015:

My dear Natalie

You have a likened me to Mary Poppins, a magical singing character with a wonderful way with children. What amazing words to bestow on me, such kindness and warmth behind your words. I really do appreciate you taking the time and effort to write a review let alone one so colourful and imaginative.

You have painted a picture with your words and allowed new parents dropping in to visualise who I am and what I do.

You are such a generous warm hearted person Natalie, it would have been very hard not to have enjoyed my time with your adorable daughter and goes without saying, you!

I am never far away. Xxxx