Doodles Daycare Childminding

28/01/2026

Signed.

Parents/grandparents/carers. Please support your childminders in this if you can. 🙏

Let's talk about the removal of the 10% wear and tear allowance once childminders move over to MTD shall we? I mean obviously it's fine, we'll be bought in line with other self employed professionals right?
Because they obviously have their customers coming into their house like mini whirlwinds and trashing it on the daily don't they?

I know loads of hairdressers with home salons whose customers regularly wee on the chairs.

All the plumbers I know have wrecked carpets because their customers haven't quite learned to take their muddy boots off at the door yet and are always missing their mouths when they eat anything.

I reckon every electrician I've met has 'artwork' and handprints and black pen.....pretty much everywhere because their customers were learning mark making.

Let's have a show of hands from the builders who needed to buy a new sofa because the last one was used as a 'boat, slide, house, climbing frame' by their clients!

And let's not forget all the make up artists whose lawns are now basically a swamp from clients running around and playing with vehicles and spades out there all Winter.

HEAVY sarcasm aside, this decision, once again shows us how misunderstood the unique nature of childminding is. We are lone workers. If we're not having to pay someone to fix the daily wear and tear we're cleaning, fixing, painting and laying down laminate in on our own time. When we lose the 10% we're going to be spending our time trying to figure out what percentage of our handprint covered wall is used for childminding (very little clarity from HMRC on this by the way) Is our time worth nothing then? You're looking at a workforce that already feels undervalued, misunderstood and are leaving in droves. We love this work and we know how much our parents need and value our flexibility and the uniqueness of what we can offer, stop making it harder for us to stay.

Childminders (and parents or anybody that supports us!!) sign the petition:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/754843

Coram PACEY have also produced a letter for childminders and one for parents to send to MP's to lobby for change. They can be found here:

https://www.corampacey.org.uk/coram-pacey-latest-making-tax-digital-update/

Cyng/Cllr Clive Davies
Coram PACEY Cymru
Teuluoedd Ceredigion Families
The Labour Party
Cyngor Sir Ceredigion
Early Years Wales

22/01/2026

From September I will have some spaces available due to children starting school full time 😢 sad to see them go, but excited for their new adventures 🤩

Please share if you can folks ☺️

21/01/2026

Such a simple activity on a wet, rainy afternoon ☔️ But look a little closer and you will see the learning that takes place within it;

⭐️ hand/eye coordination
⭐️ fine motor control
⭐️ critical thinking and problem solving
⭐️ collaborative play
⭐️ sorting/matching/counting
⭐️ sense of achievement

Our basket with twinkly lights was a lovely encouragement to tidy up the rings afterwards too 🥰

19/12/2025

Would like to wish all my amazing families a very happy Christmas🎄 Once again I’ve been spoiled rotten and I am so grateful for your generosity, but more importantly, for trusting me with your most precious children this year. It’s been a privilege to be a part of their lives and to help shape them into the wonderful little people that they are. I’ve said goodbye to two very special little boys this week 🥹 but I know they are so ready for the next chapter and are going to smash it at nursery.

Hope you all have a wonderful time with your families and I’ll see you next year. 🥳 🎄 🥂

11/12/2025

100%

For 2026, my childcare wish is that the world finally understands this simple truth:
Early years isn’t the start of education.
It IS education. 💗

It is where communication begins, where wellbeing is woven,
where emotional safety is built,
where curiosity takes root.

It’s where children learn how to trust, explore, imagine, and belong. 😍

And the people doing this work — in homes, nurseries, pre-schools,
and every setting in between — deserve recognition, investment,
and respect equal to the profound impact they have on children’s lives. 🙌

When we honour early years, we honour every future that begins there. 🌈🫶🏻❤️

03/12/2025

Our Christmas crafts have a very pared down look this year. I have so many little ones this year who aren’t really there just yet in independently creating things to take home. We’ve managed a few simple crafts though so some to take home!

Instead we are focusing on exploring some winter and Christmas themed resources and letting child led creativity lead the way ✨

We are also taking things slowly here in the run up Christmas and keeping calm routines in place.

So much excitement will be going on outside my setting in the run up to the big day that a calm and quiet routine here keeps children settled and rested so they’re ready to enjoy it when Santa finally comes 🎅

We’re doing our usual trips and outings to playgroups and getting out and about in the fresh air. 🌈

Craft bags (such that they are 😉) will be coming home next week.

03/12/2025

Oh my! Just love this. ❤️

24/11/2025

It’s that time of year again 🎄

😜

20/11/2025

What happens when boys play with dolls?
They grow up knowing how to care, connect and nurture!

They just might become ....
💙 Empathetic Health Professionals
💙 Supportive Educators
💙 Loving Fathers
💙 Gentle Role Models

When we value all forms of play for all children, we build a more compassionate future. 💙

Thanks and Credit - Reggio Emilia Inspired Preschool

20/11/2025

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! ⛄️ ❄️

We’ve had lots of fun this morning bringing the snow indoors for our little ones to explore. We’ve enjoyed shovelling it (mainly onto the floor 😂), making snow castles and a snowman! We’ve used lots of words to describe the snow - cold, wet and slippy. The children were super excited when we introduced some food dyes and they loved mixing the colours and making some ‘snow cakes’

We’ve watched it all slowly melt into lovely colourful slush too.

30/10/2025

A day of my week off well spent getting my first aid training up to date 🩺 Online training at home followed by a full day face to face learning practical skills. Great day, thanks to Andy and Hayley. I met some lovely people and refreshed all my knowledge so I can keep all my little people safe. ❤️

30/09/2025

https://northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/toolkits/children-flu-nasal-spray-vaccine/