A mum has transformed the space under the stairs in her home into a brilliant sensory room for her son using bargain buys from Poundland and Amazon.
Mum-of-two Ashleigh Dunkley cleared out the large cupboard under the stairs used to store junk and turned it into a haven for her three-year-old son CJ complete with LED lights, foam walls, a ball pit and cogs.
Ashleigh saw the positive impact a weekly visit to a sensory room at CJ's developmental nursery was having and started thinking about her own space under the stairs.
Over one weekend the mum set about creating a room designed to help her son develop his senses using light, music and touch, as reported by Tyla .
She gathered items they already had in the home including a lava lamp, chair, cushions, magnetic numbers and a crocodile wall toy, many of which CJ and his brother Hadden, 7, had received as presents.
She bought 30 foam mats for about £10, LED strip lights from Amazon for £13.99 and kid's lights from Poundland to put on the wall.
The ball pit was created using unwanted balls donated from friends and family, with the other bits snapped up on Facebook Marketplace for £30.
Overall, the transformation was completed for around £80.
Ashleigh said the family had previously looked into buying a large sensory board but found out they cost thousands each and says the homemade alternative has been hugely beneficial for CJ.
"My son loves it!" she said. "He gets so excited when it's all lit up.
"It's also very beneficial for when everyday life just gets a bit too much for him. It really settles him. Almost like someones pressed a reset button.
"He is a big sensory seeker so bright lights, white noise and a ball pit are right up his street."
