How do you create a Montessori style baby room with floor bed? Learn how to optimize your baby’s room for your baby instead of for yourself.
When I first read about a baby room optimized for a baby or future toddler, I was immediately convinced. You want a space that suits you, so why shouldn’t this also hold true for a baby?
Using my son’s nursery as an example, I’ll show you how to create a Montessori style nursery with a floor bed for your son or daughter. Just like I do for myself, I purchase sustainable products wherever I can for my son.
Autonomy and freedom
I like the idea of giving my baby as much freedom as possible in his room from the beginning in preparation for later independence. In order to give that freedom, everything in the room must be safe, so that my baby can move around freely in the room without supervision. This means that electrical outlets should be high or have a child safety guard, no small or sharp objects should be left lying around, and all liquids should be stored high enough that he can’t reach them.
In addition, you want your baby to have access to what he needs to entertain or care for himself. In the first few months after birth, this doesn’t apply yet, but once he crawls, it’s nice if he can grab his own toys. For a toddler or preschooler, you want him to be able to grab his own clothes or a glass of water at some point.
In the photo:
Floor bed
The floor bed ensures that your child is not stuck in a crib and can therefore decide for himself whether he wants to sleep. If he wakes up early or if he is not tired yet but needs to rest, he can play first before falling asleep. The mattress with slatted base is low to the ground, so he will be able to get in and out of bed by himself at an early age. In the beginning, there is also the chance that he will roll out of bed unintentionally. If he does this often, I will possibly put a rug next to the bed to make the transition from bed to floor softer. For now, I read on other blogs that babies figure out very quickly that their bed ends at a certain point. After the birth of my son, I will add my experience here.
In the first few weeks, I use a wool blanket from Disana with sheet (I don’t make the bed until he is born), and once he fits safely in a sleeping bag, I switch to a size 50 sleeping bag and then to the merino wool sleeping bag which I hope to use for a very long time. I also purchased merino wool rompers hoping that this will help him regulate his own temperature early on.
In this picture:
(I’ll often link to Dutch webshops. Some of them have international delivery. Feel free to select a similar product from a brand from your country instead).
- Mattress: Lara Plus Bio Wool Mattress 70 X 140 of Prolana; an organic mattress made of natural latex and coconut sold by Amazon.de.
- Blanket: Woolen Baby Blanket Waffle – Pacific from the brand Disana sold by Amazon.de.
- Sleeping bag: Four seasons merino wool sleeping bag from Woolino for children from 2 months to 2 years sold by Amazon.com.
- Fitted sheet: Children’s fitted sheet jersey white grey 70x145x15 from the brand Yumeko sold by Bol.com.
- Mattress protector: Molton Mattress protector Thick for crib and toddler bed 70 X 140 of the brand Greenjump.
- Mattress protector (spare): Mattress padded crib and toddler bed cotton 700 gr m2 70 X 140 of the brand Greenjump.
- Slatted base: Childhome Tipi / House Slatted base 70 x 140 cm of the brand Childhome sold by Babyplus.
- Cuddle: Jellycat cuddle storm baby octopus sold by Amazon.com.
Toys and books
I offer toys and books sparingly so that what is there remains challenging and interesting and the room is not overcrowded. I personally can’t stand a very full bedroom, so if my son is like me, I’d do well to keep toys and books partially out of sight. What I offer is appropriate for the age stage he is in, with some exceptions in the first few months of his life (like the stacking tower and train) that are more for decoration at first. In the beginning, I will grab the toys and books so he can play with them on a rug, but later he can easily access them himself. Every few weeks or months I will change the offerings. When he is older, I also want to put more books in his own room.
In the photo:
- Furniture: Old TV cabinet from my parents, handmade by my father.
- Stacking tower: Handmade wooden stacking tower from Tothemoon sold by Zoen voor Gust.
- Car: Grimm’s Little Green Car sold by Amazon.de.
- Wooden train with blocks by Little Dutch, sold by Amazon.nl.
- Blocks: Jouéco discovery blocks sold by Bol.com.
- Rattle: Haba wooden rattle, one quite similar is sold by Amazon.com.
- Crinkle book: BORA crinkle book Jungle (older design) sold by Amazon.nl.
Art
The painting in my son’s room is at eye level once he can pull himself up to a standing position using the wooden furniture with toys. The black and white cards I use can be seen from the changing pad. Other black and white cards (and after the first three months, contrast cards that incorporate color) will be hung on the wall next to his bed and in other places like the baby gym and in the downstairs living room.
In the photos:
- Artwork: Mooie weer in Amsterdam by Elena Polyakova
Changing area
The changing pad is on the floor. This has the advantage that it is not dangerous if your baby rolls off the cushion and the disadvantage that he may not stay on it. For him, I think it is more comfortable at ground level because he is not placed on a dresser that he cannot get on or off himself. How it is for me I am going to find out. The diapers and wipes are on the floor next to the pillow. In the first few months, I also have the bum balm and other care products down low, but once he starts crawling I will always store the basket with these products up high. No doubt the diapers will go all over the room at some point.
In the photo:
- Contrast cards from Comius Sharp sold by Amazon.nl.
- Storage basket: JeJu jute storage basket M sold by Yoshiko Home.
- Changing pad: Organic changing pad with wool pad from Mijn Hemeltje.
- Changing mat cover: Organic green velvet changing mat cover from Mijn Hemeltje.
- Wipes: Organic cotton washable bill wipes set from Cheeky Wipes sold by Bol.com.
- Wooden chests with diapers: FSC certified pine storage chests from Storage Specialist. The crates did not arrive in good condition and customer service is not responding to my email about this, so I would look elsewhere if you are interested in wooden crates.
- Diaper pail: Yellow diaper pail that my parents used for me when I was a baby.
Closet
I divided the built-in closet into two parts. The top hanging section with shelf underneath contains the current size, and the bottom hanging section with floor contains the future size. On the shelf, the pants are stacked and the rompers, socks and hats are in baskets. Once my son is old enough to choose his own clothes, I will flip this around and the bottom hanging area will be at the right height for him so he can learn to dress himself. At the very top is bedding and at the bottom are muslin swaddles from Mushie and Tothemoon and extra diapers and wipes.
In the photo:
- Muslin swaddles: Lovely soft muslin swaddles from Tothemoon, bought from Zoen voor Gust.
- Muslin swaddles: More organic cotton muslin swaddles, but this time from Mushie. Also a very nice brand! Available at Amazon.com.
Stair gates
Before my son is mobile enough to open the door to his room, I place stair gates at the stairs. At that point he also has access to the hallway and the bathroom and I’m curious to see what he will do. In the bathroom, everything has to be made babyproof at grab height. Another room on the second floor I might lock with a hook because a lot of electronics and small items are stored there.
What else to consider?
In a Montessori baby room you often see mirrors. This can be a horizontal mirror next to the bed, or a larger mirror against the wall that has a rod on it that he can use to pull himself up. I would love to add a mirror, but have not found a good affordable option in time.
Above the bed often hangs a montessori mobile that is appropriate for the early development stages of your baby. For now, I’m going to incorporate similar viewing objects next to the changing pad, against the wall, and in the babygym. Depending on whether my son is an easy sleeper or not, I’ll decide if I want to hang some above the bed as well.
