Every Saturday, this website will be running articles about local family-friendly businesses. I’m going to start with the Network practitioners…
Baby Sensory provides fun, interactive and just fabulous courses for babies, from newborns to 13 months old, and classes are held all over Tyneside.
Baby Sensory is a national programme which has been designed specifically for babies from birth. The baby development activities stimulate the senses and help babies develop by using a combination of songs and rhymes to develop early communication skills.
Each week the sessions are themed classes from Jungle Jitters, Teddy Bear Picnics, Water Adventures to Rock and Roll and they contain various baby activities to enable your baby to enjoy a range of visual, auditory and tactile experiences and to promote the development of speech through the use of sign language, music and puppets. 
The first year of a baby’s life is an important time of development. Baby Sensory sessions can help with language as well as physical and social development.
Lisa Reed runs sessions in Whitley Bay, Monkseaton and Gosforth
“I have always loved working with babies and for the past seven years I have worked in various day nurseries, I have really enjoyed the time spent with the babies and their families – I was fascinated with how clever babies are and how much they learn in their first year. I was looking for a career to further this fascination and I found Baby Sensory.
I love running my own Baby Sensory classes and meeting new babies and their parents. The classes are very relaxed and, most importantly, a lot of fun for everyone.”
Donna Malkin runs courses in North Shields and Cramlington
“When I moved to Tynemouth in 2009, I was studying full time for a Natural Sciences degree and it was during this time that my sister gave birth to my nephew, Eric. I was, and still am, fortunate enough to spend a large amount of quality time with Eric and this was how I discovered Baby Sensory.
I attended my first Baby Sensory class with Eric in Cullercoats and we both left very happy after one hour of non-stop fun and developmental learning! It was great to see how much Eric interacted with the activities and enjoyed them. I often thought what a fulfilling job running Baby Sensory classes must be, so when the opportunity to run my own classes arose, I grabbed hold of it with both hands. I have experienced first-hand the benefits of attending Baby Sensory classes and seen the pleasure they bring to babies and adults alike.”
Heidi Surtees runs courses in South Shields and Sunderland
“I started my career as a solicitor specialising in family law. When my daughter, Sofia, was born in June 2010 I started to look for classes to take her to and I found that there were very few activities in South Tyneside that catered for newborns. I found the Baby Sensory website and just watching the sample session and reading about what the classes involved got me excited.
I have been taking my daughter to Baby Sensory classes since she was 4 weeks old and I started to think that Baby Sensory was something I wanted to be a part of. The classes are so much fun for the babies and their parents/carers. Sofia had her first chuckle during one of the activities and this is a very special memory.
Having taken my daughter to Baby Sensory classes I have witnessed first-hand how important it is to support the early stages of learning for babies.
Baby Sensory is an amazing and exciting opportunity to enhance your baby’s development in a fun and enjoyable way. It is also a wonderful way to meet new friends and bond with your baby. I am excited to be bringing these wonderful classes to South Tyneside and Sunderland and I look forward to welcoming new babies and their parents to my classes.”
