Greetings from Florida! For those of you who don’t know me, I was a Lower Elementary Guide at GMS and then the Director of Admissions before moving to Florida last December. My daughter, Lila, recently turned one and I would like to share a few thoughts on what it was like creating a Montessori bedroom in the home.
The Elements of a Montessori Bedroom:
Floor Mattress
A floor mattress allows your baby to crawl in and out of bed as soon as she is old enough to move around independently. When she wakes up, your baby can freely explore her bedroom rather than crying out for an adult to free her from “baby jail.” If the environment has been set-up with accessible toys and books, your baby can learn to entertain herself for increasing lengths of time.
Lila slept in a bassinet at the foot of our bed until she was four months old. We then lived in several short-term housing arrangements; this kept us from putting her on a floor mattress until she was six months old. But my friend and Montessori colleague, Nicole, used a floor mattress from the moment her son came home from the hospital! She placed her newborn in a Moses basket directly on the floor mattress until she felt he was ready for more space. The first time Lila crawled out of bed on her own (at my parents’ house), she was so pleased with herself!
I started with an organic crib-size mattress, but quickly found that Lila rolled off it almost immediately (as you can see above). I placed blankets all around the mattress for extra cushioning and often found her sleeping on the floor with her head on the mattress. (That was one expensive pillow!) Soon, I switched to a twin mattress. (If you have room, you may even prefer to use a futon or full-size mattress.) Placed in the corner and framed on the third side with a safety rail, Lila tends not to roll off accidentally, but can still get in and out freely. I placed non-skid bathmats around the perimeter of the mattress instead of blankets.
I also fashioned a wall bumper out of foam core, batting, and an extra sheet to prevent her from rolling into the wall and bumping her head.
The idea of a floor mattress makes some parents nervous. But in actuality, many crib accidents occur every year when babies climb and fall out or get stuck in the slats. By setting up a completely baby-proofed Montessori bedroom, a floor mattress can actually be safer than a crib. You may also find that using a video monitor in the baby’s room helps you feel more secure. (One friend uses a Dropcam to view the entire room and even enables her to watch from her smartphone.)
Baby-Proofing
Because Lila can move about her room freely, we had to baby-proof the entire room. We covered outlets, hid wires behind furniture, and bolted shelving to the wall. By placing a safety gate in the doorway, the entire bedroom is safe and there is no need for a crib. (Fair warning: Lila is deeply insulted when the baby gate is closed, but we figure it is still friendlier than a closed door. I know that she is safe and I feel free to go to the bathroom in peace!)
Low Shelves
We placed toys and books on a low shelf so that Lila can access them independently. Lila was delighted when she first saw her new space; she seemed to know this room was designed just for her.
In the morning, Lila often wakes up and starts playing with her toys.
We are trying to resist the urge to fill the room with toys and instead carefully select just a few toys, which can be displayed in baskets. I rotate toys from time to time to keep options limited and her interest high.
We try to select toys made from natural materials whenever possible. It can be challenging to keep plastic and battery-operated toys out of the home, especially when given as gifts. A few of these toys have actually been very nice but most mysteriously “disappear” after a while. I subscribed close family and friends to several Montessori catalogs so they would have plenty of gift ideas. You can also keep an Amazon wish list for friends and family to reference when they wish to buy a gift for the baby.
Alternative Perspective: My friend, Nicole, found that her son had trouble falling asleep in a room filled with stimulating toys. She decided to place only a few stuffed animals and books in the bedroom, reserving it as a place for nursing and sleeping only. Instead, her son’s toys are in a separate play area in the family room.
Diapering area
We used a changing table (or changing pad on top of a dresser) until Lila learned to roll. Now she is far too active for an elevated changing place to be safe. Ideally, the diapering area would be in the bathroom so the baby learns to connect toileting with the bathroom, but as our bathroom is very cramped, I keep a changing pad on the floor in one corner of Lila’s room.
A few items – such as diaper ointment and wipes – are kept inaccessible on top of the dresser, but safe items are kept available so that Lila can learn to help with her own diapering. Lila actually prefers to be diapered standing up, which was challenging at first, but we encourage this as it is actually the first step toward toileting independence. Now Lila prefers to be diapered while walking, which is really challenging!
Darkening shades and white noise
The Florida sun is intense and it is often still bright as mid-day at Lila’s bedtime. As a consequence, we have installed black-out roller shades in her bedroom. We also use a white noise machine to help mask the sound of Lila’s daddy crashing around in the kitchen each morning. It’s a fine line – while I don’t want Lila to require pitch black or total silence to sleep, I also find that these measures ensure that she is well rested.
Décor
We have tried to keep Lila’s room functional without too much clutter. Montessori recommends decorating with beautiful artworks framed in plexiglass and posted at the child’s eye level. Confession: I have not yet implemented this. I still have framed artwork (that is special to me) at my eye level. When Lila is a little bit older, I promise to get with the program and add some lovely items behind plexiglass at her eye level.
Many Montessorians mount a long, horizontal plexiglass mirror next to the baby’s bed. Taking Nicole’s advice, I decided not to place the mirror next to her bed so as not to overstimulate Lila as she is falling asleep. Now that she is one year old, I find that Lila gets very busy playing when she senses it’s bedtime. So I may be soon converting her room to a sleeping-only room and relocating the toys elsewhere…
As a teacher, I was constantly tweaking the classroom environment based on observation of my students and how the space was serving their needs. It’s just the same when preparing the home environment! (For example, I recently moved the mirror to Lila’s diapering area in an attempt to keep her distracted during diapering, but it didn’t work.) I am trying not to get too attached to any one solution. As Lila’s needs change, so must her space.
In my next blog entry, I will discuss setting up other rooms of the home. Questions? Suggestions? Email me! My email address is mjarrell@www.greenspringmontessori-b.dev.
Recommended Reading:
Books & DVDs:
How to Raise an Amazing Child The Montessori Way by Time Seldin (a great overview with beautiful photography)
Montessori From the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three by Paula Polk Lillard (very in-depth)
Bringing out the Brilliance in Your Infant (DVD) by our very own Head of School, Tamara Sheesley Balis (please see Ashley at the front desk if you would like to borrow or purchase a copy)
Articles:
Baby Play Space for 6-18 months
How We Montessori (navigate on left vertical column)
Online Shopping Resources:
http://michaelolaf.com/store/03environment.html
