Welcome to my Montessori Infant Environment! This Montessori Infant Environment is something special that I have been working on recently. And gosh am I glad that I can now share with you!
I want to share something I thought about during the transformation of this space. That thought is that there is really such a creative (and fairly scientific) nature to setting up an infant environment. (I was definitely feeling my creative juices flow in this process!) In Montessori, the idea is to structure the baby’s environment based on your observations of what your baby (or babies) need developmentally at that time. This idea is also supported by healthy child developmental practices!
I was really feeling nostalgic when setting up this Montessori Infant Environment. As many of you know, I spent many years as a Lead Montessori Guide in a Nido, or Infant Classroom. One of the main reasons I developed this blog is because I really love sharing the why behind Montessori. My professional background and higher education is in Child Development. So I really focused on the link between Child Development and Montessori working with the babies. That is why I am so glad to be sharing those discoveries with you!
Over the next few months I will be evolving this shelf as I would have done in my Montessori classroom. This evolution of my Montessori Infant Environment will be based on my observations of the best way to support our babies in their natural progression of development.
Now to why I chose a two-teared shelf for Nido (Infant Environment)…
One thing that I think we can all agree on is just how quickly our babies grow. I feel like one minute we are preparing their bottles and the next they are helping us in the kitchen! Well, I have worked with plenty of babies over the years and one consistent observation was…
Their inner need to climb pretty much as soon as they’re mobile.
My observation working in a Montessori space with all types of babies is that traditional single level Montessori Infant shelf is perfect. It is perfect for the non-mobile baby who is just beginning to slither forward and reach for the materials. That said, this stage passes us by SO QUICKLY!
After that point, the single-teared shelf becomes the ultimate climbing structure!
SO… here’s a pro tip for you.
The first level of a two-teared shelf serves the same purpose as a single-teared shelf! BUT that shelf will be useful for a much longer period of time! By investing in a two-teared shelf, you have an activity shelf that serves your quickly growing baby through their later Toddler stage! This will obviously save you money on furniture in your child’s room. That said, and better yet, you will be providing an element of consistency for your baby as they grow from Infant to Toddler! They get to come into higher levels of mental awareness recognizing that this two-teared shelf holds their Montessori Materials and activities.
I have added the link to this beautiful shelf here. I ended up going with this bookshelf firstly because of cost effectiveness. (When I searched prices for traditional Montessori two-teared shelves they were on the pricey side for sure.) Also, I have always loved thrifting and coming across materials I can use with my babies! Finding furniture that is perfectly infant sized to repurpose for something in my classroom is definitely a love of mine!
Finally, I absolutely love hearing your ideas about your baby’s home activity area! Let me know your latest observations and thoughts in the comments below!
Much love to you fierce parents and educators who work every day to make this world a better place… one baby at a time. 🙂