DOING MONTESSORI AT HOME WITH YOUR BABY (NEWBORN - 3 MO)
"The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth."
Montessori The Absorbent Mind.
Becoming a parent is one of the most challenging and satisfying aspects of life. Children are given to us as the most precious gift. There is not that much that is in our control, however, we need to give ourselves some credit for accepting this challenge and taking responsibility for their development, safety, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. First three months of child's life can be extremely intense, especially for the first time mums and dads. Learning to soothe young baby, differentiate tones of their crying, give yourself selflessly 24 hours a day to be with your beautiful, precious, demanding undivided attention and all your strength newborn child.
"It begins with a knowledge of his surroundings. How does the child assimilate his environment? He does it solely in virtue of one of those characteristics that we now know him to have. This is an intense and specialized sensitiveness in consequence of which the things about him awaken so much interest and so much enthusiasm that they become incorporated in his very existence . The child absorbs these impressions not with his mind but with his life itself."Montessori method helps to bring advice and support in establishing close relationship with your child from the very start, creating environment that meets baby's needs, changes and evolves along with your baby . Not every aspect of the Montessori approach is going to fit each family's unique style and parenting beliefs, but it will certainly enrich and make your experience of raising the child more satisfying. Just pick and choose what resonates in your heart and goes along with your family life.
(affiliate disclosure)
Environment.
"The child has a different relation to his environment from ours... the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear." Maria MontessoriMaria Montessori emphasised the importance of the environment being appropriately organised to meet child's ability and desire to explore world around them from birth.
Main characteristics of Montessori Nursery:
- attractive and pleasant to an eye
- uncluttered
- not overly stimulating
- interesting
- freedom to look around and move
- floor bed
- mobile
- mirror attached to a wall
- soft rug next to the mirror
- art picture on a wall (where child can see it)
- baby care area
- books
- nursing chair
- rattles
Floor Bed.
Montessori floor bed - usually just mattress on the floor - is there for babies to allow them to move freely. The child is encouraged to choose when to go to sleep and when to wake up. Transition to the floor bed from Moses basket normally happens when baby turns two months. It can be a convenient option for those who choose to co-sleep.
Natural Crib sized Montessori style Infants bed by Highland Wood
There are different floor bed styles to choose from:
There are different floor bed styles to choose from:
- crib, single or double size mattress
- floor bed frame
- wooden frame for bed with legs of the bed removed
- DIY teepee above mattress
- infant bed
On the side note.. Not many people are aware of connection between toxic gasses in mattresses and SIDS:
I personally strongly believe in great benefits of co-sleeping. In our case we found a mattress wrap that fits a large mattress and protects our baby from toxic infusions.
Mirror on the wall provides a great perspective for the baby. He or she can look around, see themselves in the mirror. In addition with mobile, floor play area is an entertaining play spot for a baby as they do get bored. Also when laying of the floor baby is safe, he or she is encouraged to look around from side to side, up at the mobile and in the mirror. This position is perfect as it creates a safe environment for baby to move freely and develop, also it will help to avoid flat head syndrome.
Paintings and pictures. Place them where your baby will see them - above changing table, in front of their car seat, attach to mobile. At the beginning babies are able to see only about eight to 20 to 30.5 centimetres and cannot differentiate tones of colours, hence, ONE month old infants are able to focus on black, white and red coloured picture. At the month of TWO they can focus on primary colours and more complicated shapes.
Check out these gorgeous baby watercolour art printables your baby will absolutely love:
James Sprott, OBE, a New Zealand scientist and chemist, states that crib death is caused by toxic gases, which can be generated from a baby’s mattress. He says chemical compounds containing phosphorus, arsenic and antimony have been added to mattresses as fire retardants and for other purposes since the early 1950’s. A fungus that commonly grows in bedding can interact with these chemicals to create poisonous gases (Richardson 1994). These heavier-than-air gases are concentrated in a thin layer on the baby’s mattress or are diffused away and dissipated into the surrounding atmosphere. If a baby breathes or absorbs a lethal dose of the gases, the central nervous system shuts down, stopping breathing and then heart function. These gases can fatally poison a baby, without waking the sleeping baby and without any struggle by the baby. A normal autopsy would not reveal any sign that the baby was poisoned (Sprott 1996).
read more about it here.New Zealand company seems to have an answer to the problem. Aside of buying toxic free organic mattress for your child - which can be very costly - they suggest to wrap baby's mattress to avoid contact with toxins. Incredible, but according to this article, they had 100% success. If you are interested to buy one - here is where you can find it: Toxin Shield Mattress Cover.
I personally strongly believe in great benefits of co-sleeping. In our case we found a mattress wrap that fits a large mattress and protects our baby from toxic infusions.
Mirror on the wall provides a great perspective for the baby. He or she can look around, see themselves in the mirror. In addition with mobile, floor play area is an entertaining play spot for a baby as they do get bored. Also when laying of the floor baby is safe, he or she is encouraged to look around from side to side, up at the mobile and in the mirror. This position is perfect as it creates a safe environment for baby to move freely and develop, also it will help to avoid flat head syndrome.
Paintings and pictures. Place them where your baby will see them - above changing table, in front of their car seat, attach to mobile. At the beginning babies are able to see only about eight to 20 to 30.5 centimetres and cannot differentiate tones of colours, hence, ONE month old infants are able to focus on black, white and red coloured picture. At the month of TWO they can focus on primary colours and more complicated shapes.
Check out these gorgeous baby watercolour art printables your baby will absolutely love:
Mobiles. These play a very significant role in the Montessori approach as an educational tool for infant's learning to develop their eye focus and concentration. Appropriate mobiles can be used from the very start. Mobiles assist infants in developing concentration,visual focus at different distances, development of cognitive order and comparisons, size differentiation, detection of changes in light, distance perception, hand- eye coordination, motor control, distinction of shape and line, distinction of colour.
You can purchase a set of Montessori mobiles or create your own.
If you have older siblings its a great opportunity for them to make a mobile for their younger brother or sister:
- paint small branches
- let paint dry,
- make a cross by tying branches together,
- ask your child to cut out some colourful shapes, for example, butterflies
- hang them on the mobile
- attach mobile safely for your little treasure to enjoy.
The Dancer Mobile Kit-Montessori Mobile by Bella's Casa
Here are a couple ideas for DIY baby mobiles:
- sun catchers
- black/white/red feathers
- sunflowers
- leaves
- woollen pompoms
mobiles from Lullaby Mobiles
Books. Pediatricians urge parents to read to their children aloud from birth, as it is essential for their language and brain development. Books that are highly recommended by Montessori community are the ones with realistic pictures, pictures with black and white patterns, books with people's faces.
Here are some of our favourite books:
Ocean themed quiet book
First 100 Words
Baby Animals Black and White
Spots and Dots
Black and White
Art for Baby
Faces for Baby
Baby Care
Massage is an amazing way to bond with the child. Soft touch - sensory stimulation that calms the child. Touch is essential for brain development and important for skin-to-skin contact. Using massage oils helps to keep baby's skin hydrated. Here is our favourite
baby massage we do every day. I would recommend to use natural oils for massage - almond, coconut and mustard oils are the best choice.
Nappy change time and baby dressing. When changing baby it is only natural to engage in conversation. It is the best time to give your the child undivided attention. When putting on clothes - show every piece before putting it on and speak as you dress the child. Always let them know what you are about to do - talk them through every step of the process.
For families with older siblings it is a brilliant opportunity to incorporate Practical Life and invite older sibling to help take care of the baby with supervision from parents, for example:
Nappy change time and baby dressing. When changing baby it is only natural to engage in conversation. It is the best time to give your the child undivided attention. When putting on clothes - show every piece before putting it on and speak as you dress the child. Always let them know what you are about to do - talk them through every step of the process.
For families with older siblings it is a brilliant opportunity to incorporate Practical Life and invite older sibling to help take care of the baby with supervision from parents, for example:
- fold clothes
- give a massage
- restuck nappies and wipes for changing table
- choose clothes for baby to wear
- make sensory toys (making sure there are no loose parts)
- clean changing mat
- choose music for baby to listen
Nature outings are very pleasant for little ones. Outdoor provides such a rich spectrum of learning sensorial experiences - sounds of birds singing, waves crushing on the shore, feel of grass in baby's fingers. If your baby enjoys tummy time, he or she may enjoy laying on the side on the picnic rug at the beach or on the grass where he or she will be able to feel grass or sand with their hands.
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