'The Little Sensory Box' was set up in early 2019 by the mum-of-one, who was on maternity leave from the Royal Air Force Police.

But after a successful 12 months in which Dee has juggled work commitments with her business growth, she has now decided that the time has come to hang up her uniform with pride and leaves the RAF in February to focus on her business full time.

After completing nine years of service which included deployments to Afghanistan, the Falkland Islands and other worldwide commitments, Dee wanted to settle down within Peterborough to focus on her family.

After Alfie was born, Dee struggled with anxiety and found going to classes daunting. She also felt overwhelmed with how to bond with her newborn and how to interact and play with him. After a recommendation from a friend and when Alfie was 11 weeks old, Dee braved a local sensory class for the first time and loved it. Over the next few weeks, Dee could see how much Alfie got from their weekly sensory sessions and how beneficial it was for his development.

Dee said: "It also benefited me as a mother; it eased my anxiety and helped me to bond with Alfie. I wanted to be able to continue these activities from my own home, especially with returning to work, but at the time, it wasn’t easy to source exactly what I was looking for.

"I also wanted to support other parents who may be finding it difficult to get out to groups and classes with the opportunity to create sensory activities at home, at an affordable price and provide them with something that would encourage their baby’s development."

Dee Featherstone

Dee after returning from Afghanistan in 2012


Since launching, The Little Sensory Box has featured on Instagram through Made For Mums, received recommendations by My Bump 2 Baby and nominations for a local award for best newcomer in Cambridgeshire 2019, in which she finished within the top five businesses.

The Little Sensory Box has become hugely popular, even with celebrities such as Beth Tweddle, Lilly Pebbles, Lillie Lexie, Charley Webb, Amy Willerton and Caroline Thomas.

The range of products offered include a range of sensory boxes aimed for babies and toddlers, a quarterly subscription service, and a growing collection of sustainable wooden toys. Monthly themed sensory boxes are planned for March.

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