Lullabies Day Nursery

A private baby garden, a Vegetable Patch and books to borrow give Lullabies Day Nursery a recognisable character: outdoor exploration and reading sit alongside everyday care. The Old Rectory in Cranford, Hounslow, provides the setting, with separate rooms for babies, toddlers and preschool children. The appeal lies in those concrete arrangements rather than grand promises about school readiness.

Children attend from 3 months to 5 years old. At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, and the learning improvements identified then remain useful questions for families considering the nursery today.

Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays. Funded childcare is offered across the year, while the room environments give families different things to weigh at each stage: sleep arrangements for babies, themed activities for toddlers and broader learning for preschool children.

Rooms and Ages

Sleeping Bunnies, for children aged 3 months to 2 years, combines a main play space with an adjacent sleeping area and its own baby garden, using natural materials, sensory activities and toys chosen for this age group. Separating sleep from the main room gives rest a defined place in the baby provision. Outdoor space belongs to this room too.

Sunflowers, for ages 2 to 3, develops children's interests through themed activities and projects, and children wear a uniform as part of preparation for school. Butterflies, for ages 3 to 5, brings together language, physical and social development with mathematics, literacy, creative expression and understanding the world. The progression is from early exploration towards a broader preschool day, rather than a single activity programme applied to every age.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care, including communication, physical development and learning through play. Development Matters guides the nursery's planning within that framework, with activities adapted to children's interests and abilities. Observation, conversations and assessment help staff shape the next steps. The curriculum page explains this play-based approach.

The Library adds something practical to that account. Alongside stories and phonics, children can borrow books in their book bags, extending reading into family time. Yoga and guided meditation also feature in the activities. These give parents specific examples of the day beyond a general promise of learning through play.

In February 2023, children practised hand control by scooping flour and sand, handling crushed ice and digging in the mud kitchen; babies also threw and caught balls in a ball pit. These were tactile ways to strengthen the movements later used for writing. Books about emotions supplied a different kind of learning, giving children subjects to discuss and ideas to share.

Outdoor and Community Life

A 600 square foot garden contains climbing frames, while the Vegetable Patch gives children opportunities to grow fruit and vegetables and explore food and the natural world. The Mud Kitchen supports imaginative and sensory play using water, sand and mud. Gardening has a tangible purpose here: children can take part in growing something rather than only hearing about plants.

In February 2023, outdoor equipment included tunnels, bridges and balance beams for babies, with ball games and a see-saw among older children's activities. A sports session linked running and jumping with noticing how exercise affected their bodies. These examples show the physical play observed at that time; the current garden and room arrangements are the practical features families can weigh now.

Relationships and Communication

Parents of children in Sleeping Bunnies receive photographs during the day, creating a direct connection with their baby's activities. In February 2023, families also received daily updates and progress information each term, and parent forums helped them support learning at home. Regular contact matters most when it tells parents both what a child enjoyed and what staff are helping them practise.

During that February 2023 period, planning drew on children's interests and individual targets, and staff worked with outside agencies. Everyday independence was also visible: babies used spoons themselves, while older children prepared fruit and helped themselves to vegetables. Care and learning met in ordinary routines, with children taking a gradually more active part.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The Calming and Relaxation Room provides a sensory space for neurodivergent children, with gentle colours, sensory lighting and equipment intended to support emotional regulation. This is a concrete provision families can explore in relation to their own child's needs. It does not, by itself, establish how individual support will work.

In February 2023, toothbrushing formed part of the daily routine, with staff demonstrating the movements and helping children become more independent. Reading about emotions and practising personal care gave wellbeing an everyday role alongside play.

Meals use fresh ingredients without GM or undesirable additives. Food therefore belongs in the account of care, alongside the opportunities children have to grow produce and discuss what they eat.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Old Rectory, Church Road, Cranford, Hounslow, TW5 9RY. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

Flexible childcare packages are offered. The enquiry form takes a proposed start date and requested days, so families can set out the pattern they are seeking. Daily showarounds are also offered at the Hounslow setting.

Getting There

There is parking on site, and road access includes the A4 and M4. That gives driving families a concrete practical advantage to consider alongside the nursery's opening hours.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded Early Learning includes the qualifying two-year-old offer of 15 hours each week over 38 weeks, starting from the term after the child's second birthday, for families receiving certain benefits who meet the relevant criteria. For children aged 3 and 4, the nursery also covers the 15-hour early education offer and the 30-hour offer for eligible working families.

Funding at Lullabies runs across the year. Families should use a current written quotation for prices and the charge structure attached to their chosen arrangement.

• Baby sleep and outdoor space. Sleeping Bunnies has an adjacent sleeping area and a private garden. During a showaround, explore how rest and outdoor play fit your baby's routine.
• Listening and conversation. In February 2023, staff needed more consistent ways to help children attend to instructions and more pause after questions. Ask how these practices work in Sunflowers and Butterflies now.
• The complete childcare package. Funding runs across the year and flexible packages are offered. Ask for a written breakdown covering attendance, funded hours, meals and non-food consumables together.
• Toddler uniform. Sunflowers children wear a uniform as preparation for school. Consider whether that arrangement fits your preferences for the toddler stage.

Lullabies suits families who value sensory play for babies, practical gardening and reading that continues at home. Sleeping Bunnies' sleep area and private garden are especially relevant to parents choosing first childcare, while the Library and Calming and Relaxation Room give older children different spaces within the nursery.

Flexible packages and year-round funding add practical appeal. The February 2023 Good judgement supplies a positive inspection position, balanced by clear development points around listening and conversational pauses. Those are specific enough to make a showaround useful: families can assess the routines and interactions that matter to their child.