Mama Bear's Day Nursery in Bristol (BS16 4EH)

Opening hours

All year round, closing only for bank holidays and Christmas week

Session types

2 sessions per week (minimum), full day, morning, afternoon

Age range

3 months to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2010

Pavlina Serafimova

10 months ago

My daughter attended the nursery at the preschool group and I cannot thank enough the team! They were extremely supportive and helpful from her first day! She has been very shy and in the beginning very nervous, but now that she is about to move to big school she is asking me if she still will be able to go to nursery and play with her friends and teachers and that is saying a lot! Staff and the manager have been always supportive and helpful and happy to answer my thousands of questions! Highly recommend the nursery!!! Thank you!

Emievic Yousaf

a year ago

We were initially excited to enroll our daughter in her first nursery and had high hopes for a positive experience. The viewing process and her first day went smoothly—the environment appeared fun and welcoming, and the staff seemed friendly. However, our experience quickly turned disappointing. Our daughter struggled to settle in and often cried during her time at the nursery. To support her adjustment, the manager allowed my mother-in-law to accompany her and stay inside the nursery for about a month, which we appreciated. One day, when my mother-in-law was on holiday, I accompanied my daughter instead. During the session, I observed a shocking lack of effort and engagement from her key worker. Despite being responsible for supporting my daughter’s transition, the key worker neither acknowledged me nor attempted to connect with my daughter. This lack of interaction was deeply disappointing. It was clear to me that little effort was being made to help my daughter settle in or feel comfortable. That day, I chose to leave the session early and, unfortunately, made the decision to withdraw my daughter from the nursery entirely. Over the course of a month, despite my mother-in-law being present daily, there was no proactive plan or solution from the manager or staff to help my daughter adjust. We felt unsupported and increasingly concerned about the lack of effort to build a meaningful connection with her. For a long time, I doubted my child and wondered if the issue was hers, but our experience with a new nursery proved otherwise. After a two-month break, we enrolled her in a different nursery, where my mother-in-law attended only one session. The staff at the new nursery reassured us that she no longer needed additional support, and my daughter settled in quickly. She now goes to nursery happily every day, often expressing her excitement about her new teachers. Our experience highlights a significant lack of care and adaptability at Mamas Bear. For children who face challenges settling in, it is crucial for the staff to show initiative, patience, and effort to create a supportive environment. Unfortunately, this was not our experience, and we cannot recommend this nursery to other families.

Hannah Green

5 years ago

I have had 2 children at this nursery. It's a lovely environment, small so the children build good relationships with the staff, who are caring and genuinely are passionate about their work. My daughter is doing really lovely creative activities. They spend time out in the garden in all weathers. I am aware other nurseries have bigger space and more facilities, but for me, it's most important that my children feel so happy and secure here and are genuinely excited to go to nursery. I get lovely pictures and videos on the Parentzone app and my daughter's speech and imaginative play have really developed.

rebecca youl

5 years ago

My 3 y o daughter attends Mama Bears and has been there since 10months. She has a tendency to be quiet and shy but is happy and confident at nursery and is always keen to head off to nursery in the morning. She is v fond of the staff and the other children. Activities are fun, varied and engaging, no two days seem to be the same. We receive daily feedback and the manager is v responsive to requests, incl flexibility on extra days if possible. On top of that, the location is very handy, the garden and building are spacious and well maintained and the car park makes pick up and drop off super easy. Plus the park next door is good for meeting other parents and kids from nursery.

Asia kamal

4 years ago

My child went there for few weeks this summer, Some staff members were impolite as well as the manager, unprofessional & unorganised. There were couple people who were nice but still this place needs lots of improvements especially in terms of manners and behaviour of those individuals who are running it.