Montessori Flowers

Calvin has officially moved from his nursery to his "big boy room"!  My dad made the room for him in May.  It was a completely unfinished space before (didn't even have insulation or drywall), and it was a lot of fun creating the space with Calvin in mind.  After the construction was done, I had the fun of completely furnishing and decorating the room.  I have tried to set up the room to promote independence. Within the past few months, Calvin has been spending an increasing amount of time in the room playing and reading.  Last weekend he slept in the room for the first time! Here's a little tour of his new toddler room! Calvin's toddler wardrobe: This is an Ikea Kallax unit that I modified using a hack I saw on Of The Moon and several other Montessori blogs. Four drawers on the left and I left the shelf off the right side and instead installed a tension rod for a toddler-height closet rod!  To start, I am just putting out two shirts for Calv...

Most mom friends of mine were excited to set up the perfect nursery for their firstborn child. It’s a natural part of the nesting phase before welcoming a new baby. I was no different, but the nursery I created looked nothing like the nurseries of my friends. One of Maria Montessori's key concepts was the importance of having child-sized furniture at a child’s level. A traditional nursery is set up largely for the convenience of the adult, while a Montessori nursery is truly set up for the child. The floor bed: I have already shared a post about the most striking difference between a Montessori nursery and a traditional nursery--the lack of a crib! We have a mattress right on the floor which Calvin was able to get in and out of on his own soon after he began crawling. The changing area: No changing table in a Montessori nursery! Ideally, the changing area should be in the bathroom so that the baby associates toileting with the bathroom from early on, but we have a...

Walk into a Montessori nursery and the first thing you will probably notice is the lack of a crib. Friends thought I was crazy not to have a crib in our nursery. Honestly, when I first read about Montessori floor beds, I was quite surprised. A Montessori floor bed is pretty much what it sounds like: a bed directly on the floor. Ours is just a mattress on the floor, but there are plenty of cute floor bed frames for a more finished look. But what is the point of putting a baby on the floor instead of in a crib like normal people? A floor bed promotes independence . Once a child is crawling, he can choose when to get out of bed and do so independently instead of waiting for an adult to let him out. A floor bed encourages free movement . We are so excited for our baby to crawl for the first time or take her first steps, and placing the child in a crib inhibits her ability to do so. In my opinion, a floor bed is more respectful of the child than a crib is. I have heard frie...