I've spent quite some time reading up on the Montessori model of early childhood education, and more specifically what I can do to incorporate some of the ideas at home. Sending X to a Montessori childcare is not feasible nor desirable for us at this stage, but I wanted to make sure that he's not missing out on anything - part of my "try my best to give him what's best" parenting philosophy.
I am by no means a purist when it comes to these sort of thing. I like to think I am capable to picking out what works and use those ideas, leaving out what doesn't, and including other ideas that might complement.
The first step would be to introduce the floor bed in X's room. I will not claim to be an expert and try explaining the theories behind the floor bed, but the basic idea is that we want to try and give our babies an unobstructed view and access to their immediate surroundings.
Quoting "The Joyful Child: Essential Montessori for Birth to Three" -
"Every child follows a unique timetable of learning to crawl to those things he has been looking at, so that he may finally handle them. This visual, followed by tactile, exploration is very important for many aspects of human development. If we provide a floor bed or mattress on the floor in a completely safe room—rather than a crib or playpen with bars—the child has a clear view of the surroundings and freedom to explore."
Allowing the child the freedom to move about in turns makes for a happier and calmer child who is less likely to cry out of boredom or frustration and being "trapped". It is thus also important that the entire room be completely safe for the child to crawl around in, essentially transforming the entire room into a giant playpen for the child.
So we've done exactly that for Xander. Replacing his crib with mattress meant for an extendable bed, allowing him a wider bed to roll around on, but not too long that it seems too big for him. The 2 additional parts of the bed have been repurposed as a head board and side board for the mattress, ensuring he doesn't hit the wall or the shelf next to him when he sleeps. I think it turned out perfect :) we used IKEA's Vyssa Sloa mattress here.
We added a single size minimum warmth quilt from IKEA as well - the Mysa Stra for just $19 - folded into 4 and placed next to the mattress to cushion him if he rolls of the mattress. I love this idea because our carpets are quite rough and not in the least bit soft, plus using a single size quilt means he can use it as a proper quilt in future when he's ready for it. And the quilt we bought can be machine washed and tumble dried... Awesome!
To keep him away from the blinds which we unfortunately can't remove since we are renting, we got the Expedit shelf. Because it doesn't come with any backing and he would have a ball crawling through them and getting to the blinds, I had to improvise. I found a lovely animal print fabric from IKEA and used sewn on velcro strips to stick it to the back of the shelf to create a backing. That was quite a bit of work since I don't have a sewing machine and had to do it by hand. I'm super happy with how it turned out! Just don't look too closely at my stitching :p it was a rush job with a baby underfoot! Also, I would have love it more if the prints were right side up and not lying sideways, but it was the best way to maximize the fabric so no choice... I'll get used to it, eventually ;)
We are using the shelfs as a cubby hole unit for him and placing only 1 toy or item in each space - there are flash cards, soft toys, hand puppets, stacking rings, a handcrafted beautiful wooden rainstick, cloth books, etc. The idea is that children crave order and they have a strong sense of it. By doing so, we are teaching him that everything has a place and when he takes something, it should be returned to its proper place. We also hope that this will teach him to take pride in his belongings because everything is nicely displayed rather than dumped unceremoniously in a box. It also allows him to see everything at one glance and he can choose what he wants to play with easily, without having to dig through and create a mess out of a toy box. Oh and no forgotten toys left at the bottom of the box ;) Every few weeks (or days, depending on how much he has played with is toys) I will rotate out the current set of toys for a new set that I have stashed away in the cabinet so he gets something "new" to play with.
We had an existing Sniglar change table from IKEA that we decided to continue using in his room, so we've used it to block him from getting his hands on the power socket in the wall and also from the heater and lamp in the corner. Because the lower shelf was right where the socket is, husband flexed his man muscles and D&T skills, and sawed off part of the legs to lower it, then filed and sanded them down to perfection ;) I love it!
We had a small space left in the corner of the room that need to be filled so he can't get to the blinds, so I scoured IKEA's bargain corner and found a wardrobe shelving unit that would fit perfectly, and only costs $15. Score!
We also added a safety gate at the door so he can be kept in without us having to shut the door on him. Safety gate also from IKEA and the features of the gate is great, without us having to pay through our noses for it.
His first night on the floor bed was last night. And I must say he adapted very well. No extra fussing, and I even got more than 5 hours sleep in one single stretch last night... That hadn't happened in quite a few weeks! When he woke at 11pm, I laid down next to him and held him down so he would sleep and I must have fallen asleep because next thing I knew, it was 1am and he was already sound asleep next to me :D that was amazing! Much better than crouching over the railings of his crib and killing my arms and back.
This morning I heard him wake up at 7.30am, but I went back to sleep and didn't hear a peep from him until 8am. That's when I got up, took a shower, then went in to get him. He was just happily playing with his toys on the shelves, oblivious to he fact that I hadn't come for him yet! This was exactly what I was hoping for, and I got it! :D
We've put away the plastic playpen and foam floor mats now, hoping to sell them at the next baby market. Now that he can be safely contained in his room, I don't need that anymore. How I wish we had done this sooner! Oh well. Better late than never ;)
The difference between this and simply placing a mattress on the floor in a non baby proofed room is that we do not have to constantly say 'no' to the boy, trying to prevent him from touching things he shouldn't. This way, everything within his reach is his to explore and he'll hopefully learn that the only consequences he has to face is a result of his own actions and nothing else. What a great lesson to learn from young right? Me thinks so ;) and wouldn't it be nice to not hear so many "no! don't touch that!" each day?
Let's hope that the transition to the floor bed proves to be as smooth and effective as we expected!
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