Parents often wonder how to prepare the baby room for their newborn’s arrival. It may appear difficult at first, but it is simpler than you think. This post will cover practical tips that will help you prep your little one’s room in the Montessori style.
Keep in mind that you are creating a beautiful space for both of you to enjoy as you prepare for your new arrival. You are not just building a nursery but an elegant and cozy retreat for both of you to enjoy. You want to make sure that the room is both functional and beautiful.
Baby room designs vary, depending on your style, but there are a few concrete rules you should always follow when designing a Montessori room for baby:
What is the Montessori Method?
Dr. Montessori’s philosophy of encouraging independence and creativity is applied to the classroom and the home. She believed in the significance of making a space where everything is within a little one’s reach, even from a young age, thus the idea to design and create a Montessori room for baby.
While we as parents think about how we would like our little one’s room to function from an adult’s view, the Montessori approach brings the vantage point to your little one’s. An ideal way to redirect your point of view is to lie on the floor and observe what is around you. What do you notice from there? You will discover what your little one will see, too.
What Elements Do You Need To Consider In Preparing A Montessori Baby Room?
When creating an ideal Montessori Baby Room, you don’t need to be a Montessori expert or hire an interior designer. You just need to be well-informed about Montessori principles and be aware of a baby’s practical needs. All you need are some basic tips to set up a room that promotes independent exploration and rest while comfortable and safe. So here are some necessary elements to prepare:
Things To Consider In Preparing A Montessori Baby Room
1. Space
For the first few weeks, your baby will only be able to fit in the crib comfortably, so you want to make sure that there’s enough space for both of you.
See how much space the crib will take up in your room by measuring the area. If you’re unsure where to start, use a tape measure to define a square area. It’s important to have enough height for your baby to stand and be able to touch their head above the crib railings. You’ll also need enough width for your baby to have room on both sides of the bed and walk from one end of it without bumping into any walls or furniture.
If space is an issue, choose a smaller mattress and lower the crib’s railings so that your baby can sleep near the ground. Also, you need to lower the crib’s rails if you want to put a guardrail or barrier by the crib’s edge so that your baby can’t roll out.
2. Lighting
The baby’s room should have good natural light and artificial lights. The room can be natural if the baby and the parents are outside.
Using artificial light in the baby’s room can brighten their room while they are napping and at night. Even with natural lighting, there must be a good relationship between light intensity, length of exposure time, and darkness before going to sleep to create unhealthy environments like too much melatonin in the body of a child who sleeps all day long.
3. Clutter
Clutter can affect your baby’s mood and behavior, so keep things minimal and free of embellishments. Now that your baby is about six months old, you will need to consider how you will prepare their room. Start by removing any hazards that pose a safety hazard. The Montessori way of parenting recommends having only necessary items in your baby’s room, so this would be a good time to remove toys and other unnecessary items from the space.
As you clean up the room, take note of everything you are keeping there, and make sure everything is safe for your baby.
4. Temperature
The room’s temperature should be between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. It will feel warm and cozy to your baby because it mimics their mother’s body temperature. If the Montessori Baby Room is too warm, you can add a fan to cool it off. However, if it is too cold, your baby will start shivering, and you may need to use a heating pad.
The temperature in your baby’s room should be about the same as yours. If you have central air conditioning, it’s ok to open the window a little bit to maintain the same temperature. If your baby has a room, keeping their windows locked to maintain the higher temperature is ok. To ensure the temperature and humidity levels, you can use a temperature and humidity gauge.
5. Safety
Safety is one of the things to consider in Preparing the Montessori Baby Room, and we want to make sure that your baby’s safety is of the utmost importance. This means that you’ll need to consider not only their physical needs but also their cognitive needs.
For example, because babies are learning about the world around them through their hands, it’s important not to put any cords out where they might be able to get tangled up in them. It’s not that you’re trying to hold them back from this kind of experience, but it’s still important to keep them safe. If your baby reaches for a cord in which they’ve gotten stuck, they can easily pull on it and injure themselves. Keeping cords out of reach in the first place is the best way to prevent accidents like this.
Another safe practice you’ll want to get into early on is to put your child’s crib or bed against the wall instead of across from it.
6. Color Scheme
You’re looking for a somewhat neutral color scheme, as this will help provide harmony in the room while minimizing confusion.
In the Montessori baby room, primary colors are often used. But they are mixed with other colors to achieve balance.
For example, you might use turquoise blue and magenta for a boy’s room. Turquoise is cool-toned while magenta is warm-toned. You can combine periwinkle blue with this, which is the color of the sky in the evening when it becomes cold outside.
You can incorporate a different color scheme for the wall of the Montessori baby bedroom. You might use purple and green for a girl’s room or red and orange for a nursery for a boy.
Use the same rules about color harmony as you would in any other room. For example, you don’t want to put something bright red against something bright yellow, as this creates too much contrast.
Find a color wheel online and follow it during your planning stages.
7. Safety Crib
You want to make sure that the crib is both safe and sturdy, so this is an important item to consider when you’re planning the room. You’ll need to make sure it is solidly anchored and that the sides are high enough for your baby. Additionally, some cribs come with a canopy for extra shade as well as a mobile that can entertain your child. If you’re planning on using a crib, you might also make sure the room has plenty of storage space so that you have enough room to store the baby’s clothing and supplies.
Your Montessori baby may be interested in many things while in their crib, including open-ended toys and educational items. The canopy can be helpful to keep these things from falling out onto the floor. As your baby goes off to sleep, they can enjoy looking at the mobile hanging over them.
8. Frames
You also want to be able to include a few framed photos of your family in the room for the baby and your enjoyment. It is a good time to make sure any family history is included. Be sure, too, to include a little poem or story from your family history in the room. It is a good opportunity for new grandparents to capture memories of their children and grandchildren on film.
The best way to prepare your baby’s room is Montessori-style frames and accessories that you can purchase or use as wall decorations. These items fit perfectly into a child’s world while also giving them something they can explore physically and mentally through their senses.
Final Thought
Montessori Academy understands that there are plenty of things to consider when you’re planning your child’s room. So we hope that this article can help you get started on the right track. Be sure to take your time, and don’t try to do it all at once. Make a checklist so that you know what you still need to do, and give yourself plenty of time so you can enjoy your baby’s new room.
If you know other tips on how to prepare a baby room in Montessori style, you can add them in the comments to share your knowledge with all readers.
For questions and concerns, please feel free to contact us at (310) 215 -3388 in Culver City and (323) 795-0200 in West Adams or send us a message at info@montessori-academy.com. We would love to hear from you.
