Baby Sensory

Baby Sensory at The Wow Centre, 7 Bow Lane, Lisburn covers the full programme for ages from birth to 13 months. Two developmental stages — birth to six months, and seven to thirteen months — mean the activities are pitched at where your baby actually is developmentally, rather than a catch-all approximation. For very new arrivals, the Hello Baby strand is designed specifically for newborns from birth to three months; it covers observation, comfort and gentle touch, and sits within the broader Baby Sensory programme.

Tierna McClinton holds a BEd Hons in English and Drama, qualified as a primary school teacher in 2004, and spent over a decade in primary schools in Kent and Northern Ireland before starting her Baby Sensory classes in 2015. She is joined by Sacha, who worked in a nursery for more than five years and attended Baby Sensory with his son — a combination of professional training and lived parental experience that the programme actively encourages in its practitioners.

A typical session follows the Baby Sensory play-rest-play structure. Activities draw from a pool of 40 core lesson plans plus 28 seasonal and special event plans, so the content rotates rather than repeating. Within each class you can expect songs and rhymes designed to develop early speech, sensory signing, tummy time, massage, texture and scent exploration, and movement. The instruments used in class have been tested for safe decibel levels, and the sensory display area is arranged to match the distance at which young babies can see clearly. Sessions close with sounds that mimic the womb — a deliberate settling technique, not an add-on.

Feeding and cuddles are welcome at any point. There is no requirement for your baby to be alert or engaged throughout. Activities are adapted so babies with physical or sensory differences can take part fully.