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You are here: Home / Infant (0-12 months) / 6 Easy Steps to Setting Up a Montessori Infant Home

6 Easy Steps to Setting Up a Montessori Infant Home

September 11, 2014 by Marie 3 Comments

A Montessori infant home is a beautiful environment full of simple prepared spaces for your baby to thrive! Here are 6 easy steps to setting up a Montessori home environment for your infant that you both will enjoy.

6 Easy Steps to Setting Up a Montessori Infant Home ChristianMontessoriNetwork.com

 

1. Baby Proof Your Home

Baby proofing is a great first step to setting up your Montessori infant home. ChristianMontessoriNetwork.com

Baby proofing your home is the key to a safe Montessori home environment. Be sure all of your wall outlets are covered with appropriate safety covers. Use baby gates when needed to ensure safe exploration. Focus on items like bookshelves or heavy activities that your baby may pull down on top of themselves. We like to anchor items to the wall if we suspect our children may use them for balance while standing.

2. Add Mirrors

Adding a low mirror to a Montessori infant home is a great way to help your child's development. ChristianMontessoriNetwork.com

Day old infants can see there reflection in a mirror a couple feet away. Babies prefer the human face as their main source of entertainment, so why not let them inspect their own! This type of entertainment helps your baby learn how to focus and explore the movement of their own face. She will love to see you in the mirror or talk with her siblings too. Eventually she will learn the beautiful face she is seeing is her own.

Safety glass is recommended, but I have always used standard mirrors in my home. The picture above is a beveled edged dressing mirror on its side anchored at 6 places with mirror anchors. My children have bumped them, banded on them with spoons and, of course, plenty of kisses without any issues or worry of breakage. Choose a mirror that works well for your budget and comfort. It can be as easy as a hand held makeup mirror propped up against the wall.

3. Floor Bed

A floor bed is a great addition to a Montessori infant home. ChristianMontessoriNetwork.com

This is a tough subject for new-to-Montessori parents. No crib. No fluff. Just a mattress on the floor or in a simple Montessori floor frame.

Why  a Montessori floor bed? The Montessori method is about enabling the child to explore independently. A floor bed allows the child freedom of movement and the ability to view his surroundings without the interference of the crib walls. This freedom of movement is why we start with baby proofing the Montessori infant home.

Montessori parents usually keep their babies in a bassinet during the newborn stage them transition to a floor bed in their own room around 2 to 3 months old.

 4. Low Shelves and Baskets

Low shelves and baskets are great for setting up a Montessori infant home. ChristianMontessoriNetwork.com

When creating a Montessori infant home work area, low shelves are preferred to toy boxes. Babies love to choose from a shelf with prepared, inviting toys. Montessori Mischief has a great example of a baby’s first shelf.

5. Toys and Activities

Toys and activities are beautiful in a Montessori infant home. ChristianMontessoriNetwork.com

The toys in your Montessori infant home are free from plastics and have purpose. Babies who can sit up are interested in real work of the family, but also enjoy engaging toys that help them on their developmental skills. Here is an example of infant toys.

Simple mobiles are perfect for infants that are not yet able to sit up.

Often budget limits the ability to purchase Montessori specific toys. When this happens, you can create your own Montessori inspired materials with items around your home. The easiest one is a wooden spoon a pot! Babies love these two items together for many reasons. Try it today and see what happens!

6. How YOU Think

Montessori parents should rework their thinking when they are setting up a Montessori infant home. ChristianMontessoriNetwork.com

Thinking like a Montessori parent can be tough sometimes. It means throwing out the idea that you baby needs all the latest big, bright plastic toys to entertain themselves and embracing the idea that less is more. It means not over praising or helping to much. Learning for babies is trial and error. They cannot find the correct way to do it themselves when the problem is fixed for them. It means often watching your baby struggle, but well worth the wait when you see the amazing spark in their eye when they have completed a task on their own. The pride of a Montessori parent is high as you watch your infant happily move around a prepared, baby proofed Montessori home.

Have fun setting up your Montessori infant home and know we are always available to guide you at Christian Montessori Network Facebook Group. Hope to see you there!


Filed Under: Infant (0-12 months) Tagged With: home setup, Montessori parent, toys and activities

About Marie

Marie is a work-at-home mother of two. After much self-study and with a background in education, she chose to follow her own children in their education and created the blog Child Led Life. She is also the owner of Montessori Bloggers Network. Marie is a baptized Catholic turned Methodist, but currently attends a church affiliated with the southern baptist convention. She enjoys contemporary services focusing on the community of believers and loves meeting God in the great outdoors.

Comments

  1. Anca Maria says

    January 8, 2015 at 3:29 am

    Simple and effective ideas, thanks!

    Just 1 comment, about the fact that Montessori parents usually keep babies in basinets and then move them to their rooms, most of the ones I know co-sleep with the baby until the baby decides to move out 🙂

    Reply
    • Marie Mack says

      January 8, 2015 at 10:33 pm

      Thanks, Anca! I did both with my kids. My son was in a bassinet with some co-sleeping and my daughter was co-sleeping with some bassinet. I found it very hard to sleep soundly with a newborn co-sleeping with me until they were a bit older. My kids are 2 and 4 now and still co-sleep. It is an wonderful bonding time for our family!

      Reply
  2. Susan says

    February 5, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    Thanks for the tips..great to know God is still reaching out.

    Reply

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