Montessori floor bed

After the picture in my stories the other day I had so many questions about our baby floor bed so I thought I would just share some info in a post.

Let me start by saying ... I know I do things different then American society 🤪 I also am a HUGE believer in every family doing what works best for them. This is just what works best for for us.

Montessori is a lifestyle. It was built from Maria Montessoris deep understanding and studies of children.

One of the biggest things Montessori believes is in freedom and independence from birth.

Allowing a child (from birth) to be completely incorporated into a home.

Have you ever noticed how most homes are built for adults. High light switches, cribs that an adult has to assist the child with getting in and out of, sinks out of a child’s reach unless you add a stool... I could go on and on. But it’s always been something that intrigues me and it’s allowed me to shift my focus on making my home accessible for every age that lives here.

A floor bed gives an infant, baby and toddler full independence. That also does mean as a parent myself, our kiddos rooms are 100% safe for them to explore freely.

But what I also really love is independence.

Children even babies are absolutely incredible beings. In my opinion, society tends to dumb them down.

One of the biggest reasons for a floor bed is allowing a baby and toddler to be completely conscious of themselves and of their space from the beginning.

Before I shifted my way of thinking I often wondered if I place baby in a crib for my own benefit as a parent (confinement) or if I just did it because it’s what everyone else was doing.

But then, as I researched and studied other counties, I realized that they they often do things much much different then our American society does. Now again, I’m not saying what’s right or wrong, my oldest was in a crib and I did every traditional parenting thing under the sun, I never even batted an eye (and who woulda though .. he turned out great 🤪) , but as I gained a deeper understanding of the infant and child’s mind I shifted my perspective and found what works for us and what we’ve seen flourish in our little ones.

Another huge bonus of that independence is allowing a child or baby to be conscious of themselves. If they are tired, they can get in their bed on their own and bring themselves to their sleeping place independently.

It also teaches real sleeping techniques based on the child recognizing their own needs and not on an adult placing a child in their confined bed and leaving them there until the adult is ready to get them out.

The floor bed also gives a baby developmentally appropriate choices and allows them to strengthen their concentration and security in the security of their own free space.

This bed and mattress is designed to keep baby completely safe but also to give her freedom and independence which is something I personally see deep value in.

I’m always in awe that babies survive for 9 whole months with just food and connection (from inside mama) and they come out and we do all these things. Bright toys, light up stuff, things that make sound, swaddles that trap their hands while in most ultrasounds babies hands are 9 times out of 10 by their face! A huge comfort for them that we take away. But I won’t go on that rant right now 🤣

Anyways, I got a handful of questions asking when babe will start using this bed, we will transition her into her once we find she’s ready to be out of our room, out of her bassinet and moved into her own space.

Once she is able to stand or potentially even crawl, we will remove the front rail. Worried about them rolling out? There’s less than an inch to the ground so not a chance of getting hurt and it allows them to become conscious of their space and their bodies while sleeping in a free open space not being trapped behind 4 large bars. Just like you learned not to roll off the bed, or maybe you still do... who am I to judge 🤪

Have you ever heard parents saying how once they switch their child to a toddler bed around 2 or 3 their child wakes up through the night and often comes wondering out and it can be a big struggle? Well, truth be told sleep patterns don’t change due to freedom, that kiddo has most likely been waking up all along they just had nowhere to go and internally knew they were stuck behind 4 rails 😉

Last but not least .... parents! How many times have you stood next to a crib draping your arm over that big rail while rubbing a babies back.... I remember that clearly with my oldest and dang that’s rough in my opinion. 🤪 This bed gives me the chance to comfortably sit next to her, at her level on those nights that she needs a little extra love and support.

There are so many different types of floor beds. We had this one custom made as I found the rails to be important in the beginning. But there are so many different options out there.

I also got asked about our mattress - this is a Newton baby mattress. It’s completely breathable and fully washable.

I could add so much more to this list talking about Montessori floor beds. But I hope this was a simple start to let you see a new perspective.

Again, I’m all for every family doing what works best for you and your kids. That’s what I find most important.

This is just a glimpse into us.

💓