When Karen Byrne-Smith started her baby group shortly after the birth of her daughter, she could never have predicted that nearly two decades later she would be watching her original little learners head off to university.
Karen, from Halesowen, took a momentous step after being made redundant from her role as a human resources manager: she used her redundancy pay-out to launch her own business, Baby Sensory & Toddler Sense Birmingham South. Since then, she has passionately run the business for 17 years, firmly believing in the impact of early developmental play for young children.
“Becoming a mum transformed my life,” Karen says. “After taking my daughter Rei to Baby Sensory classes, I witnessed firsthand how much early developmental play can benefit a child – she achieved all her milestones ahead of schedule. That experience inspired me to invest my redundancy money into the business.”
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“It was a big, scary move to leave the corporate world during the height of the recession,” she admits, “but I was determined to build a career that worked around my wonderful daughter, not the other way round. Now, my original babies are making their way to university, which is quite surreal.”
Karen’s main venue is The Wow Family Hub in Selly Oak, where she conducts Baby Sensory development classes for babies from birth to 13 months, and Toddler Sense ‘action-adventures’ for toddlers aged 13 months to pre-school age. She also runs sessions in Edgbaston, Barnt Green, Bromsgrove, and Redditch.
Each class combines adventurous play with structured activities aimed at fostering key physical, communication, social and intellectual skills. Designed to cultivate self-confidence, problem-solving and social interaction, these sessions take place in a supportive and friendly setting. Children are encouraged to move freely - climbing, bouncing and exploring - while engaging in tasks that enhance listening, concentration and group participation.
Parents share the experience alongside their children, with the classes providing a welcoming atmosphere for families to connect, where creativity and confidence can flourish.
“I invested my redundancy money in something I truly believed in: the first year of a baby’s life shapes all that follows,” Karen explains. “Observing my own daughter reach milestones ahead of time was inspiring, and I wanted every parent to have the same opportunity, supported by real developmental science rather than guesswork.”
As the original provider of Baby Sensory, a programme developed by Dr Lin Day, Karen’s classes are firmly rooted in scientific evidence. The service is also recognised by the Royal College of Obstetricians for postnatal excellence, reflecting Karen’s dedication to supporting parents through those early months as well as aiding their babies’ development.
Karen’s daughter Rei, now 18 and studying Musical Theatre at university, also contributes to the business. Karen highlights the biggest benefit of her career: “The flexibility of working hours has been a true gift. I’ve been able to take every school holiday off to spend time with my daughter, and I’m enjoying that same flexibility as I’ve been fostering for the past year. My foster son George, who is five, is a constant chatterbox and a bundle of energy.”
Over the years, Karen has met thousands of families and finds great joy in watching babies and toddlers thrive. She was honoured to be voted Outstanding Class Leader for the West & Wales region at the National What’s On Awards, an accolade chosen by parents.