Incorporating Montessori at home can help you maintain a peaceful environment while allowing your baby to thrive at its own pace. I’m a mother of one. While I was pregnant I fell in love with the life-like wooden toys you may have seen online. The more I looked into these natural toys I realized it was based on a Montessori concept. So of course I had to learn about Montessori. I do not claim to know everything about Montessori or even if my son will attend a Montessori school. What I do know is these easy steps I have used to incorporate Montessori at home have made a difference.

My links to Amazon are affiliate links and I will be paid, but it does not lessen my honest opinions given. All statements about said items are true to my fullest sentiment.

A safe space for Montessori at home

Obviously — yes, but once I made a safe space I saw my baby begin to thrive. This concept starts once they can be more mobile. We want our babies to have the opportunity to explore and learn. After all, this is what babies are supposed to do.

To allow this, make an unrestrictive “no free” zone. A no-free zone is a space a baby can be curious and do whatever he needs or desires without being told no. I began when my son was learning to sit. We have hard floors but we padded an area and I always had pillows around. This area was clean, away from breakable and dangerous items.

Now that he is crawling and pulling up his no-free zone has evolved. I even have this playpen for one of his areas – which is not suggested for Montessori, but it is large enough for him to explore without restrictions and works for us. His safe spaces will change over time and I plan to always have an area where he can feel safe and confident as he explores. Not only does this allow growth but it gives me a little freedom and the ability to observe.

The Montessori-inspired toys

I am not a minimalist by any means. I have closets full of things I need to declutter right now instead of writing. But less is more when it comes to Montessori at home. Babies will learn from practical life. Children learn simply by living. Everyday items are just as valuable, possibly more than bulky expensive toys.

I’ve also heard from every mother before me that their children do not play with all their toys. Not to mention, the more toys you have the more work you have to do to keep the play space clean.

Order is one of the needs of life which, when it is satisfied, produces a real happiness.

Maria Montessori

Because babies thrive in order and consistency it is better to keep their space organized. In order to incorporate this principle of Montessori at home my husband and I decided that we’d subscribe to the Lovevery play kits. Toys outside of this subscription are carefully chosen. This helps to justify the kits because we rarely, if ever, purchase any other toys.

The Lovevery play kits take the guesswork out of developmentally age-appropriate toys. I love not having to think about what toys to get my son. A box shows up every few months filled with Montessori-inspired toys my son loves. This box includes a book describing what my baby is working on developmentally, how to help him use the toys provided and other age-appropriate activities. These kits make it incredibly easy to incorporate Montessori at home.

If you use this link we will both receive 20 dollars off. I’m working on getting more involved with Lovevery because I truly stand by their product, but for now, this is all I can offer you.

Montessori at home with a modern pull-up bar

Okay, containers are a no go with Montessori, but sometimes momma needs a minute! Like I said before, I do not claim to be a Montessori mom. I’m only trying to incorporate Montessori at home where it works for my family. This playpen essentially has a pull-up bar. It is higher than recommended by traditional Montessori but it does the trick. My son began pulling up more often once we got this playpen with a pull-up bar. We added an extra mat in the playpen so I’m not stressed about rescuing him all the time. He has done a lot of practicing in this safe space using his pull-up bar and now when he is roaming the house he is confident to pull up and stand on other things.

Low mirror to inspire body understanding

We don’t have a full-blown low mirror as I intended, but I have a small square baby-safe mirror I keep in his playpen. We look in mirrors often together, but I do love the idea to have one where they can watch themselves as they learn to move. I have a long mirror low enough for when he begins to walk and dress. Once we get to this point, I can elaborate on how the low mirror has affected our attempt at a little Montessori at home.

Respect for the little one: A true concept to incorporate Montessori at home

Seems silly, but If I’m ever beginning to feel impatient I come back to this. Babies also want respect. I try to always lead with this idea. There are many ways to demonstrate this principle of Montessori at home. A few that stick out to me that I try to use often are:

• ask permission
• choices
• observation

There is a lot to unpack here so I have written a separate blog to elaborate. If you are interested you can check it out here.

To summarize, treat a baby or child how you want to be treated. Give them respect for decision-making, allow them to experience their emotions (especially the tough ones), be gentle, and allow them to take their time. Everything is new to them. It can be overwhelming. Our jobs are to keep them safe and ease their transition into life and growing up; not to control their every move.

These strategies I’ve used for bringing Montessori to my home have made my life easier. I have also seen progress in my baby. I understand every household is different. That’s why I have modified what I have learned about Montessori so that it works for my family.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how you use Montessori at home, please leave a comment below for me and other readers to learn. Also, if you have any questions, I’ll do my best to help you out! Thanks for reading.