Ali Henshaw’s son, Oliver, goes to Kids Allowed three afternoons a week and is delighted with the quality of care on offer.

She is also pleased to have staff to arrange her dry-cleaning and babysitting while she is settling him in. They take care of her mail as well.

“I use the dry-cleaning service a lot. It is so convenient to be able to drop it off and pick it up at the nursery at the same time as Oliver, rather than have to go in two different directions. We are fortunate that we don’t need a baby-sitter that often, but it’s great to have someone who already knows Oliver to come over,” she said.

Mrs Henshaw, a 30-year-old bar manager from Didsbury, near Manchester, said that it was the small things that made her a committed client, such as not having to bring nappies with her. She added: “It may sound minor, but you can leave your post at reception for them to send, which prevents letters staying at the bottom of your handbag for days on end.”

Cheryl West, 31, a district nurse from Warrington, Cheshire, has used Kids Academy for both her daughters. “I liked it first because there is a friendly atmosphere. But things like selling the baby purée are fantastic. If you are running late you can grab a few and they defrost on the way home. We have always used the shoe-fitting service because it means you don’t have to wait for 45 minutes in a shoe shop.”

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