How to Set Up Your Home for an Infant by Using Montessori Principles

Will's bedroom, 1985.

In an earlier post, I briefly discussed how my husband and I used Montessori principles to set up our home when our children were infants. Here are the steps we took.

1. We baby-proofed every room in our house.

We covered all wall outlets and used child safety latches to create a safe environment for our children, Will and Christina, to explore when they were babies.

Christina in our living room next to her horizontal mirror, 1990.

2. We used safety gates to create large areas for exploration in our main living area.

We made the entire living room safe and available for a baby. Along with our adult-sized furniture, we had a horizontal safety mirror and low shelves for baby toys. We had a thin mat with a sheepskin on our living room floor when our babies were young, allowing them to crawl around, play with their toys, or fall asleep.

3. We had a bedroom with a safety gate at the door, a futon on the floor, and low shelves with our children’s toys neatly arranged.

This allowed Will and Christina as babies to have another large area to play and freely explore. They could take their nap on the futon and then wake up and choose which toys they wanted to play with. (This would have worked at night as well, although we had our children in our room with us at night when they were babies).

Christina at 10 months eating at her table.

4. Instead of using a high chair, we had a special Montessori toddler table in our dining room/kitchen area that worked for babies and toddlers instead of using a high chair.

This table was next to our dining room table and was where our children ate when they were babies and toddlers. As toddlers, Will and Christina also used this table for their activities while I worked in the kitchen.

Would some or all of these ideas work in your home?

Related posts:

1. How to Set Up a Montessori Preschool Classroom at Home
2. Is There a Right Way to Use Montessori Principles in Your Home?
3. Top 3 Montessori Principles You Can Use with Your Preschooler
4. Can Montessori Principles Be Used to Teach P.E.?
5. Become a More Successful Homeschooler By Using Montessori Principles