Living Montessori Now

Montessori Inspiration for Parents and Teachers

Preparing a Montessori Baby Space with Shelves at Home

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I have so much fun preparing Montessori spaces at home … even if I only have a small space available. For my grandchildren, I keep almost all their shelves and materials in my combined living room/kitchen/dining room. By carefully preparing a Montessori space for them, I’m able to have an attractive main floor while still having a large number of Montessori materials available.

Preparing a Montessori Baby Space with Shelves at Home

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My Montessori Baby Spaces

My baby spaces have all had many features in common, but each has been a bit different. My living room baby space has evolved since my 4½-year-old granddaughter was born. As I’ve had more resources available, I’ve added more, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t love my original baby space or that it wasn’t good. Each baby space has worked wonderfully. So don’t worry if you can’t have the “perfect” Montessori baby space.

Today, I’m sharing ideas for preparing a Montessori baby space with shelves at home. This is especially designed for babies who enjoy playing with toys (or are ready to play with toys).

My now-adult children had Montessori baby rooms as well as a baby space in our living room for naps and playtime. Those spaces are shown in my posts “My Top 3 Natural Parenting Principles” and “How to Set Up Your Home for an Infant by Using Montessori Principles.” Zoey’s first baby space is shown in my post on “Preparing a Montessori Baby Space in Your Living Room.” Because Sophia (my 6-month-old granddaughter, my son’s daughter) and Caleb (my 3-month-old grandson, my daughter’s son) don’t live at my house, I don’t have a separate baby room for them.

I take care of Zoey (and now Zoey and Sophia) a few afternoons and evenings each week. The living-room space is where Sophia plays (does her “work”) and takes naps. My daughter, her husband, and Caleb live two houses away, so Christina and Caleb often visit. Caleb always visits with his mom (or mom and dad), but he plays (does his “work) and takes naps in my baby space when they visit.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Items Often Found in a Montessori Baby Room:

  • a baby-proofed space that is safe for the baby to move and explore
  • a floor bed
  • a mobile above the floor bed
  • a mirror attached to the wall or a horizontal mirror (Note: In Montessori infant programs, the mirror isn’t placed by the floor bed to differentiate the sleeping area from the play area. We co-slept when our children were babies, so we only had the horizontal mirror by the floor bed that doubled as a play mat and nap mat. With limited space for my grandbabies, I’ve had a similar setup. It’s worked well and hasn’t interfered with my babies’ or grandbabies’ sleeping, but you’ll have to decide which works best for your baby space and your baby.)
  • low pictures on the walls
  • low shelves
  • child-sized furniture
  • natural materials wherever possible (You can see some of my favorite choices for Montessori baby toys in my post “Best Toys for Kids: Montessori Baby and Toddler Toys.”)
  • gate at the doorway so the door can be left open

For more resources and examples of Montessori baby rooms, see “How to Prepare a Montessori Baby Room.”

Montessori Baby Space with Shelves at Home – YouTube Video


Preparing a Montessori Baby Space with Shelves at Home

Montessori Baby Area with Shelves at Home

Montessori Baby Area with Shelves at Home

The items in our Montessori Baby Space with Shelves

Baby Book Display Shelves and Book Basket

Baby Book Display Shelves and Book Basket

Baby Book Display Shelves and Book Basket Items Shown: (Almost all the books shown here are Montessori-friendly books for babies.)

 

Montessori-Friendly Books for Babies

See my “Montessori-Friendly Books for Babies {Gift Guide}” for some of my other favorites.

Baby Shelves Near Flloor Bed and Wooden Baby Gym

Baby Shelves Near Flloor Bed and Wooden Baby Gym

Baby Floor Bed, Mirror, Baby Shelves, and Baby Gym Items:

  • Floor Bed for Naps and Play
  • Horizontal Mirror (can stand up when toddler doesn’t need it to be horizontal) Note: In Montessori infant programs, the mirror isn’t placed by the floor bed to differentiate the sleeping area from the play area. We co-slept when our children were babies, so we only had the horizontal mirror by the floor bed that doubled as a play mat and nap mat. With limited space for my grandbabies, I’ve had a similar setup. It’s worked well and hasn’t interfered with my kids’ or grandkids’ sleeping, but you’ll have to decide which works best for your baby space and your baby.
  • Laminated art postcard that can be changed and taped to mirror (used for matching and other activities for toddlers and preschoolers)
  • Montessori mobile on the other end of the floor bed (I still have the dancers up but would love to get the whale or butterfly mobile.)
  • Shelving unit (I absolutely LOVE these shelves. I was able to put this shelving unit together without help or tools in five minutes!)
  • African violet because it’s non-toxic for babies and pets. If the babies knock it over when they get older, I’ll put it up out of reach for awhile.
  • Wooden bird shaker from Montessori Services
  • Wooden toys from toy set
  • Spielgaben yarn balls in crocheted basket (inexpensive and lovely basket with free shipping in the U.S.)
  • DIY mini discovery boxes in crocheted basket
  • Wooden Baby Gym
  • Baby Gym Toys
  • Montessori Hanging Bell for Gym
  • Lambskin (I researched them, and this one seemed the safest or definitely one of the safest. It isn’t for sleeping, though, only for play.)
Baby Shelves in Montessori Home Living Room

Baby Shelves in Montessori Home Living Room

I love how a Montessori baby space can so easily fit into our living room and integrate attractively with Zoey’s Montessori shelves. Of course, when the babies can reach Zoey’s materials, I’ll need to change Zoey’s shelves. Zoey can open the cabinets with baby latches, so I’ll probably put her small objects in those until the babies stop mouthing objects.

Changing the Baby Space as Baby Grows

I babyproof the entire room and close doors or use gates at stairs to keep the baby safe. I try to make as large of a babysafe space available for the baby as possible. I don’t use playpens, so I have to be sure the entire area is safe for the time when the baby is mobile.

Our house has an open floor plan with combined dining room, kitchen, and living room. Once babies are mobile, our Montessori baby space has three accessible areas:

  • our living room with floor mat and mirror for play and naps and shelves for toys, practical life activities, and sensory materials
  • our kitchen, which is babyproofed and has all cabinets locked except for a cabinet that belongs to the babies
  • our dining room, which includes Zoey’s weaning table and chair (now it’ll be Sophia and Caleb’s weaning table and chair although Zoey still uses it for work and snacks)

We all love our baby space. It’s very adaptable. I’m always observing Sophia and Caleb to see when changes need to be made.

Be sure to check out Caleb’s living room Montessori baby space, too!

Preparing Montessori Spaces in Your Home

See “How to Create a Montessori-Friendly Home” for ideas for a number of levels. Here are some of my main home environment posts:

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