At Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Colchester, our youngest children are cared for in a dedicated Babies’ room, thoughtfully designed for little ones aged 3 months to 2 years. Every element of the space has been created with their development and comfort in mind, providing a safe, nurturing environment where they can begin to explore and make sense of the world around them.
Exceptional Baby Care at Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Colchester
At Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery in Colchester, we provide exceptional care to nurture your baby’s early development. Our experienced team, specially trained in infant care and early years education, offers individualised attention in a warm and supportive environment.
With a low staff-to-child ratio of 1:3, we’re able to deliver truly personalised care, getting to know your baby’s unique needs, routines, and personality. We work closely with families to create a smooth and reassuring transition between home and nursery life.
Our baby care programme is designed around the three prime areas of early learning: physical development, communication and language, and personal, social, and emotional growth. Through meaningful interactions, guided play, and positive role-modelling, we turn everyday moments into opportunities for your baby to learn, thrive, and grow with confidence.
What Makes Us Special
Babies Environment
Our baby room at Monkey Puzzle Colchester is thoughtfully designed for children aged 3 months to 2 years, creating a warm and nurturing space where little ones can explore, learn, and grow. Following the EYFS framework, our experienced team provides personalised, play-based care with a 1:3 staff-to-baby ratio. The bright, spacious room includes areas for sleep, mealtimes, sensory exploration, and physical development, with activities such as water and messy play, a cosy reading corner, a black-and-white sensory zone, and soft play equipment to encourage early movement and coordination.
Compassionate Care with a Focus on Individual Needs
At Monkey Puzzle Colchester, we provide warm, attentive care within a calm, consistent routine, ensuring every baby feels safe and nurtured. Each child is supported by a dedicated key person who builds strong, trusting relationships, helping babies feel loved, secure, and truly understood. From soothing nappy changes to gentle sleep routines and responsive, individualised care, our experienced team creates a nurturing environment where your baby can grow, explore, and thrive every day with confidence and happiness.
Nurturing, Individualised Care Tailored to Every Child
Supporting Baby Nutrition and Feeding
At Monkey Puzzle Colchester, we understand that feeding is a deeply personal and important journey, which is why we work closely with parents to maintain a consistent routine between home and nursery. Our experienced, caring team provides gentle, responsive support for breastfeeding, formula feeding, and the transition to solid foods, ensuring each child’s needs are met with patience and comfort. This approach helps babies feel secure, supported, and confident as they grow and develop at their own pace.
Development Through Play
Our EYFS-based curriculum is designed to support every aspect of your baby’s development, including communication, language, physical skills, and emotional well-being. Our passionate, experienced team creates engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences that inspire curiosity, build confidence, and nurture a lifelong love of discovery through play. Every activity is carefully planned to develop essential early skills in a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment, giving your child the very best start on their educational journey.
Babies Environment
Our baby room at Monkey Puzzle Colchester is thoughtfully designed for children aged 3 months to 2 years, creating a warm and nurturing space where little ones can explore, learn, and grow. Following the EYFS framework, our experienced team provides personalised, play-based care with a 1:3 staff-to-baby ratio. The bright, spacious room includes areas for sleep, mealtimes, sensory exploration, and physical development, with activities such as water and messy play, a cosy reading corner, a black-and-white sensory zone, and soft play equipment to encourage early movement and coordination.
Compassionate Care with a Focus on Individual Needs
At Monkey Puzzle Colchester, we provide warm, attentive care within a calm, consistent routine, ensuring every baby feels safe and nurtured. Each child is supported by a dedicated key person who builds strong, trusting relationships, helping babies feel loved, secure, and truly understood. From soothing nappy changes to gentle sleep routines and responsive, individualised care, our experienced team creates a nurturing environment where your baby can grow, explore, and thrive every day with confidence and happiness.
Nurturing, Individualised Care Tailored to Every Child
Supporting Baby Nutrition and Feeding
At Monkey Puzzle Colchester, we understand that feeding is a deeply personal and important journey, which is why we work closely with parents to maintain a consistent routine between home and nursery. Our experienced, caring team provides gentle, responsive support for breastfeeding, formula feeding, and the transition to solid foods, ensuring each child’s needs are met with patience and comfort. This approach helps babies feel secure, supported, and confident as they grow and develop at their own pace.
Development Through Play
Our EYFS-based curriculum is designed to support every aspect of your baby’s development, including communication, language, physical skills, and emotional well-being. Our passionate, experienced team creates engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences that inspire curiosity, build confidence, and nurture a lifelong love of discovery through play. Every activity is carefully planned to develop essential early skills in a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment, giving your child the very best start on their educational journey.
A Safe, Stimulating, and Purpose-Built Space for Babies
Outdoor Play and Exploration
Babies enjoy safe and supervised outdoor play in our secure garden. They can explore a variety of age-appropriate activities, including ride-on toys, push-alongs, chalkboards for mark-making, ball games, and even parachute play. These experiences are carefully designed to support their gross motor development, coordination, and early social skills, all while having fun in the fresh air.
Cosy Sleep and Rest Time
Our dedicated baby sleep area offers a calm, quiet space where your little one can rest peacefully. Designed to support each stage of development, the room features cots for younger babies and beds for older babies, helping them gently transition as they grow. The environment is temperature-controlled to ensure comfort and support restful sleep throughout the day.
Mealtimes and Social Development
Mealtimes are a valuable part of the day, offering opportunities for learning, connection, and independence. Babies and toddlers come together to sit at the table, encouraging social interaction. Helping them build confidence as they prepare for the transition to the next room. All meals are created by an early years nutritionist to support healthy growth and development.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, nursery education is not compulsory in the UK. Your child is required to start full-time education once they reach the compulsory school age.
There is no set age to start nursery, but we welcome children from as young as 3 months up to 5 years old.
Please dress your child in clothes that you don’t mind getting messy. Despite our efforts to keep children’s clothes protected with bibs and aprons, accidents do happen. We recommend bringing a set of spare clothes, as well as weather-appropriate items like coats and wellies, which can be left at the nursery for convenience.
Our setting and baby room team work closely with parents at every stage of the weaning process to ensure it is a positive and enjoyable experience for both babies and parents.
We always recommend that new foods are first introduced at home to monitor for any allergies or intolerances before they are offered at nursery.
Sending your child to nursery doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. By understanding your child’s unique needs and working closely with nursery staff, you can help make the transition smooth and positive for both of you.
At Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery & Preschool Colchester, we’re here to support every step of the way. Discover helpful tips and guidance on how to help your child feel safe, happy, and confident in their new nursery environment.
Choosing the right nursery for your child can feel overwhelming, especially if it’s the first time you’re leaving them in the care of someone outside your family or close friends. It’s a big decision, and getting it right matters not only for your peace of mind but also for your child’s early development and future readiness for school.
Our first piece of advice: shop around. Even if the first day nursery you visit seems perfect, it’s worth exploring a few more to truly understand what’s available in your area.
At Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery & Preschool Colchester, we’re confident that once you visit and experience our nurturing environment, high-quality facilities, and dedicated approach to early years education, you’ll feel reassured about registering your child with us. Still, we fully encourage you to make an informed choice because finding the right fit for you and your child is what matters most.
The day your child starts nursery might feel like it’s come around sooner than expected — and it’s completely normal to feel a little unprepared. While planning ahead is helpful, we’re here to support you and make this transition as smooth as possible.
To help you get started, we’ve put together a simple checklist of everything your child may need to feel comfortable and settled in those early days:
What to Pack for Nursery – A Parent’s Checklist
All children have access to the outdoor area(s) every day. Therefore, we ask that you provide weather-appropriate outdoor clothing throughout the year.
Young children learn best through play, so their activities are planned around their individual interests and needs. This approach ensures they continue to learn and develop while engaging with their favourite toys, games, and experiences.
While your child will be cared for within their age group, it is important that we also meet their individual needs. Each child is assigned a Key Person whose role is to take special responsibility for their care and education during their time at the nursery.
You will receive verbal feedback in person each time you collect your child from Nursery. In addition, we will arrange meetings with you, typically every three months, to discuss your child’s progress. However, you are welcome to request more frequent meetings if you wish.
We also use the Famly app, where we regularly upload observations and information about your child’s daily routines.
We encourage you to share any new developments or milestones you’ve observed at home so we can work together to consistently support your child’s growth and development at Nursery.
At Monkey Puzzle Colchester we accept babies from the age of three months to two years old.
