Hi, I’m Katie – founder of The Sensory Network and Katie’s House:

My journey into the world of baby and toddler classes began back in 2012, when I took my first baby along to his very first class at around 12 weeks old.

I loved it, and almost immediately knew that this was where I was meant to be.

With a degree in Early Years, eight years of experience working in nurseries and a lifelong love of dancing and performing, becoming a class leader brought together everything I loved: child development, movement, creativity and, perhaps most importantly, working with families.

So, with a six-month-old baby of my own, I took the leap…and I never really looked back.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of welcoming thousands of babies, toddlers and their grown-ups through my doors. I’ve celebrated first rolls, first claps, first crawls and first steps. I’ve worn some wonderfully ridiculous outfits, sung more nursery rhymes than I could ever count, cuddled mums who needed a cry, celebrated with families when things finally felt a little easier, and watched friendships begin and blossom in my classes that have gone on to lasted for years.

Somewhere along the way, I realised that what we were creating was about so much more than a baby class. And so….

The Sensory Network was born!

After the arrival of my third baby and the pause that came with 2020, I knew that my current role wasn’t right for family life anymore, and so I took a step back knowing that if and when when I returned to classes, I wanted to do things differently.

So in 2021, I launched The Sensory Network, my very own programme of sensory and developmental classes, built around everything I had learnt through my Early Years background, my years of teaching and, of course, raising three children of my own.

I wanted to create classes with real purpose behind them, bringing in Occupational Therapy elements, as well as helping parents fully understand milestones and the mechanics of how babies learn and grow.

I wanted to create classes where babies could explore at their own pace. Where toddlers could move, climb, experiment and learn. Where parents could understand a little more about why we do what we do, and how those seemingly simple moments of play are supporting their child’s development.

But I also wanted everyone who came to The Sensory Network to feel wonderful.

No pressure. No judgement. No expectation that your baby should behave a certain way or your toddler should sit perfectly in a circle.

Just somewhere you can arrive exactly as you are.

And then came Katie’s House…

In June 2026, The Sensory Network took its biggest step yet when I opened the doors to Katie’s House in East Grinstead, our very own permanent home.

For years, I had dreamed of creating somewhere that could offer families more than a weekly class. I wanted a home from home.

A place where you could walk through the door and feel instantly welcome. Somewhere your little one would recognise and become excited to visit. Somewhere you could feed your baby, chat to another parent, celebrate the good days and feel completely accepted on the harder ones.

A place for little ones to quite literally grow up in.

And Katie’s House has allowed The Sensory Network to become exactly that.

Today, we can offer so much more than I could ever have squeezed into a hired hall.

Our tiniest babies can begin their journey with us in Womb to World, our specialist class for the precious first months of life, gently supporting early development, tummy time, sensory experiences, movement and connection.

Families can join our regular IAIM Infant Massage courses, before moving through our baby classes as their little ones grow.

Our Baby Gym and Toddler Gym sessions give little bodies the freedom to move, climb, balance, build strength and develop the foundations for those all-important physical milestones.

And our Baby and Toddler Play Lounges give families something a little different again, relaxed time to play, explore, chat and simply be in a beautiful, welcoming space.

Alongside all of this are our much-loved sensory and development classes, special events, workshops and opportunities for families to come together. More than a class

That, for me, is what The Sensory Network has become.

You might first walk through our doors with a tiny newborn tucked into your arms. You might come feeling nervous because it’s your first class. You might arrive with a toddler who absolutely does notwant to do what everyone else is doing that day.

That’s all okay.

My hope is that you keep coming back.

That your baby grows up here. That you find your people here. That Katie’s House becomes somewhere familiar to your child and somewhere you genuinely look forward to visiting too.

Because these early years are incredible, exhausting, emotional, hilarious and fleeting, and you were never meant to navigate them alone.

So whether you’re holding a brand-new baby, chasing a newly mobile crawler or wondering how your tiny newborn suddenly became a fiercely independent preschooler, there is a place for you here.

I can’t wait to welcome you to The Sensory Network at Katie’s House.

Katie x