In Episode 24 of our Montessori Babies Podcast, I had the most amazing conversation with Amber Vick, co-owner of the Montessori Topponcino Company all about the benefits of using the Montessori Topponcino with newborns.
“The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth. From this almost mystic affirmation, there comes what may seem a strange conclusion that education must start from birth.”
Dr. Montessori
To me, this quote was just perfect for this topic because we are talking all about the Topponcino, which, as you will soon find out, is introduced at birth and can even be incorporated slightly before, as suggested by Amber. So let’s go ahead and jump into this interview…
What is the Montessori Topponcino?
Amber says…
“Of course! It’s it sounds so simple and I believe in life sometimes most simple things are the best things. So it is a soft, matte like baby mat baby pillow. It was originally designed by Dr. Maria Montessori back in the nineteen forties, and it said that she originally got this idea and saw the benefits of the top of Chino after witnessing mothers in India carrying their infants on these small mats.
And now, as you know, the Topponcino is one of the first projects you create in the Montessori Assistance to Infancy course. And actually, that was another indicator to us of how important this item was that it was included in that course. So physically, it is a one inch thick oval mat, and it’s made of seven layers of cotton batting, which is then wrapped in a finely brushed French cotton will cover to make it as soft as possible on the baby’s skin.”
What are the benefits of the Montessori Topponcino?
Amber says…
“The main design is to provide comfort, consistency and support for the baby and those first few delicate months of life. And I guess from a pure Montessori approach, it is your baby’s first prepared environment. We know the prepared environment is a really important thing in childhood development, and so you can envision it as that environment for your baby.
The construction of the Topponcino with the seven layers of batting, it actually holds warmth and absorb smell really easily. So your baby’s going to feel safe and comforted in any environment as we know as parents.
Those early days of newborn baby can be a lot of physical movement for the baby that the baby not necessarily wants to have done to them. So whether it’s doctor’s appointments, you know, people coming and visiting and playing pass the baby around, older siblings trying to help out or being inquisitive, you know, the baby is getting moved a lot and it can be pretty shocking to their environment.
And they’re so fresh in this world. You want to protect that. And so we kind of think of the Topponcino as this point of reference for your newborn. It’s familiarity. The texture is going to be familiar. The warmth, the scent. It creates familiarity for them as they get moved around for the parents.
Its design makes it super easy to hold the baby and cuddle them, and it comes in really handy with those siblings or people less experienced and holding babies as we know their heads kind of flop around or a little squirmy, you don’t quite know how to hold them right away.
I remember when I was a new parent, I was so scared to hold my infant. I thought it was going to be this natural thing that came to me, and I was just scared and I was even more scared, handing my baby off to someone else and trusting them to hold my baby the correct way and not hurt them. And so the Topponcino can relieve a lot of that anxiety for people in those early stages of that newborn life.”
When should we start using the Montessori Topponcino?
Amber says…
“So we joke at our company that the Topponcino’s it’s one of the only baby items you start using before the baby is even here, which you don’t really do that. We recommend that the parent sleeps with the Topponcino before the baby’s born, so it starts absorbing that family smell.
We recommend you wash the cover, not the insert, but the cover. With your laundry detergent so that it you know, it has that family consistency. We also recommend it comes in the hospital bag if you’re having hospital birth so that you can use it straight from birth, straight from when the newborn arrives.
It’s really handy in the hospital. The baby gets moved a lot and so if medical professional is holding it, if somebody you’re not very comfortable with having them, if they have to leave the room, they can bring the Topponcino with them and have that consistent smell.
That’s not to say, though, that you have to have it that early. I get a lot of people saying, Oh, my baby’s already been born. It’s too late. There’s no value of the Topponcino for me anymore. And I always say, Wait, look at this, look at what you can do with it of right after newborn stage or, you know, even a few months into life.”
To hear the rest of Amber’s tips about the Montessori Topponcino, take a listen to Episode 24 of our Montessori Babies Podcast below.
Xoxo,
Bianca Your Baby Tour Guide