You may think that allowing babies to experience different colours, sounds and textures simply keeps them entertained.
But in fact, it is far more beneficial than that. Involving babies in sensory experiences from birth advances their brain structure.
During the first three months of a baby’s life, two million neural connections are created in their brain every second, which is why sensory stimulation from birth is so important.
These are the findings from Dr Lin Day, a specialist in child development who founded Baby Sensory classes in 2006. Within three years, she had opened classes in more than 100 locations throughout the UK.
“Babies coming to our classes enjoy a wealth of sensory experiences that will stand them in good stead later on with their learning,” said Anna Simmons, class lead at Baby Sensory Canary Wharf.
“Babies are laying the foundations for their later learning by having these new experiences and building different neural connections.”
The Baby Sensory programme is designed to stimulate, educate and provide memories for babies during the first year of their life.
Behind each class is a detailed lesson plan, carefully designed to stimulate babies’ senses, movements and development going forward.
Class teachers always explain to parents why they’re doing the activities during the class and how it will helping aid their child’s development.
To find out what goes on during the hour long sessioon, HuffPost UK went along to a class. Watch the video above to find out what happened.