The blog · birth to age 3
Every article, newest first: what to offer from birth to three, which toys are worth the money, and how to set up your home with less.
Written by Miri, a self-taught Montessori mom · 45 articles
A Montessori wardrobe is a low clothes corner your toddler can use on their own: a rail at their height, a couple of low drawers, a hook or two, and only a few outfits within reach. Read on for the setup, how high to hang things, and why I offer my son just two outfits each morning.
A Montessori nursery is a calm, simple space built around what a newborn actually does: sleep (in your room at first), get changed, get fed and move on the floor. It takes far less than the photos suggest. Below: what you need now, what can wait until your baby crawls, and what I’d skip the second time around.
Small playroom design ideas that work in an apartment start with one low shelf, one rug, a few toys out at a time and a labeled home for everything else. You don’t need a spare room. Here’s how to lay it out for whichever space you’ve got: a corner, one wall or a shared bedroom.
A learning tower is a railed platform that lifts your toddler to counter height so they can help in the kitchen beside you. It’s worth the money if you’ll use it daily and keep a couple of kitchen rules. Here’s what the age label means, which towers were recalled, what to check, and our house rules.
A yes space is a room or corner set up so your toddler can touch, climb and explore, because everything within reach is safe. Read on for what one looks like in a real home, a seven-step setup that starts on your hands and knees, and what to keep inside.
A Montessori floor bed is a firm mattress on the floor of a babyproofed room, so your child can climb in and out alone. For babies under 1, safe-sleep guidance still names a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard. Read on for when we switched, a room safety checklist and what our first week looked like.
A front facing bookshelf is a low shelf that shows books cover-out, so a toddler can see every cover and pick a book on their own. Read on for how to choose one for a small space, how many books to put out, how to anchor it, and our reading nook for a toddler who won’t sit still.
Toy rotation means setting out a small share of your child’s toys, keeping the rest out of sight, and swapping a few when your child starts to lose interest. Read on for how many toys to leave out, how often to swap, a bin system you can run after bedtime, and a one-page tracker.
A Montessori shelf is a low, open shelf your toddler can reach on their own, holding only a few things and anchored to the wall. Read on for the height that works (with our own shelf as the example), three popular shelves compared by size and price, and a simple way to set one up.
A Montessori playroom doesn’t need its own room. It can be one low, open shelf, one rug and a handful of toys, each with its own spot, in the room where your family already spends the day. Read on for where to start, what’s worth buying, and how the same idea works for sleeping, eating, dressing and reading.
