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The Philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori has a massive impact on education systems throughout the entire globe. The methodology focus nurtures children towards creativity, self-motivated growth, and everlasting desire for knowledge and progress.
The Italian physician believed that a child can reach its full potential on its own simply by having the freedom and right conditions to learn by experience via trial and error.
The profound philosophy not only influenced classroom microclimates but led to the idea of Montessori-style bedrooms so infants can grow in an environment that can encourage and navigate healthy habits as early as infancy.
The goal of Montessori education is to help you “see” the world as if through the eyes of your child. This is how you create a comfortable and practical bedroom for your little ones to grow, explore, and learn as early as 2 or 3 years old.
That’s why we put together this helpful guide at MontessoriNature.com to walk you through the important aspects of implementing Montessori in your baby bedroom!

Setting up a Montessori-style baby room can be simple and inexpensive because you don’t need the help of a professional interior designer.
Just in case, check our handy guides for extra tips and know-how on raising newborns the Montessori way:
Read on and learn how to furnish a bedroom to encourage confidence, creativity, and curiosity, while having safety and good sleep guaranteed.

So, What is a Montessori-style Bedroom?
The Montessori teaching aims to encourage independence in children by the adoption of survival instincts, habits, and patterns through play and exploration.
The right design of a Montessori bedroom takes into account the toddler perspective thus objects in the room should be scaled down for infants to reach.
For example, the floor bed is a fundamental attribute in the Montessori-style approach to bedroom interior design. It is accessible for toddlers, making it easy to crawl in whenever they get tired or need that as part of the play.
Also, coat racks, shelves, and dressers should be at their level so that can young ones could the least browse-through outfits to someday change on their own. This is where mirrors come into play but not without precautions. More on that below.
First, Safety First!
The Montessori approach encourages freedom of movement and exploration but also promotes safety through all stages of growing up. Baby-proofing is essential when furnishing the bedroom. Double-check everything you install and make sure nothing is prone to cause accidents!
Here are some tips on how to ensure maximum safety:
- Cover electrical outlets;
- Secure curtain or blinds cords;
- Install a baby gate;
- Remove dangerous or poisonous plants;
- Consider using an acrylic mirror;
- Secure tall and heavy furniture to the wall.

Think Minimalist & Take it Easy with Toys
When you design your child’s bedroom the Montessori style, understand this—simplicity is key.
The first thing for you to do is to declutter regular toys and look into Montessori toys. The philosophy is simple—the use of natural materials allows young ones to learn on their own through exploration and open-ended play.
Also, abundance is not always great. By having a lot of toys, infants might fail to appreciate and thus quickly lose interest.
On the other hand, scarcity is the key to creativity and adaptation.
This is why it is a good idea to keep a handful of your toddler’s favorite toys or books on scaled-down shelves so young ones have easy access. This way your little one can choose what to play with without being overwhelmed.
A great way to spur your toddler’s imagination is to get them wooden toys. Wooden toys are durable, eco-friendly, and above all—safe!

Flexible Room Elements / Layout
The great advantage of the Montessori-style bedroom is that it is suitable for infants, toddlers and older children.
When setting up the baby bedroom:
- Pick timeless pieces of furniture that will serve you for years to come.
- Choose colors of neutral tones that will be fitting for the early age (more on that below).
- As your child grows, you’ll only need to change the bed and slightly re-scale some of the furniture.
- Another easy way to diversify the bedroom is by changing curtains or wall decoration.
Elements of Montessori-style bedrooms:
- Child-proofed area that is safe for the infant to explore;
- Gate at the doorway;
- Horizontal mirror or one attached to the wall;
- Ground floor bed;
- Age-appropriate mobiles;
- Low-hung pictures/paintings;
- Child-sized furniture;
- Hanging baskets for plants
- Low-mounted shelves;
- Musical corner;
- Natural materials wherever possible.
Colors and Lighting for Montessori Baby Rooms
The Montessori bedroom is often painted in neutral, pastel colors – white or beige. Such tones create a sense of peace and serenity to allow toys, pictures, and artwork to stand out. and catch the attention of your child’.
Consider hanging blackout curtains to create a sense of comfort and thus a cozy environment for infants to grow in a world of creativity and play.
Lamps and nightlights come in various colors and shapes (from dinosaurs and superheroes to Legos and other characters) and to ensure comfort for your infant/toddler if it wakes up in the middle of the night.
When you furnish the baby’s room make sure to put forward your child’s individuality. If your little one is afraid of the dark and has trouble nodding off, consider installing nightlights.

The Montessori Bed
To Crib, or not to Crib?
This is the question.
Although cribs are still the most common choice when furnishing a baby room, they come with a set of pros and cons.
- On one hand, they are expensive, and restrictive, and leave babies fully dependent on a caregiver.
- On the other hand, cribs are more suitable for infants as they ensure a healthy sleeping pattern. Also, they provide safety and reduce the risk of SIDS.
However, if you want something different and decide “Not to Crib”, floor beds are the right choice. They are an essential element of the toddler Montessori bedroom.
- Place a mattress on the floor.
- Install a baby gate at the door.
- Make sure that the bed is not next to a radiator or air vent.
- Leave small toys or blankets aside to avoid the risk of SIDS.
Easy-access beds have a great impact on the natural development of any toddler. They allow “the little humans” to create their own waking and sleeping patterns and thus grow a sense of independence.
The Dressing & Changing Area
When setting up a bedroom, parents often choose dressers with a topper, which can be used both as storage for clothes, and diapers and as a changing/dressing station. It is practical because everything you need is within your arm’s reach so your infant is never left alone.
Some parents who follow the Montessori approach have a changing area on the floor. It is safer that way because there is no risk of falling and it is believed that it eases the transition to self-dressing. If you plan to implement, keep all lotions and wipes out of reach!
- A great trick to keep the baby occupied and still is to place a melody mobile nearby or hang an unshatterable mirror on the wall.
- Another practical Montessori attribute (especially for toddlers) is a kid-friendly cubby where your child can store its possessions.
- Also, a good idea is to install a low rail in the wardrobe so that your toddler can choose clothes on its own.
- Wall hooks at a kid’s height also work well for hanging up jackets or coats. While furnishing the bedroom make sure to include a self-care area.
- Place an unbreakable mirror on a shelf at a child‘s height and leave there a hairbrush and tissues.
This is the environment to invoke a sense of self-caring and independence in any toddler.
Room for Toddlers to Crawl and Play
By giving babies the freedom to move around, they will in no time develop curiosity and confidence to explore the unknown. This is one of the primary teachings of the Montessori approach.
So, if you have enough space in the room, place a soft, comfy rug on the floor along with a child-sized shelf where toddlers can keep toys and books. For newborns, display melody mobiles, some eye-catching toys, and family photos to provide sensory stimulation.
Every week or two, rotate either the toys or artwork, to keep things interesting and exciting for your baby.
Furnishing Your Montessori-inspired Baby Room
When you design your Montessori-style room, imagine how the surroundings will make a young one feel. The world can be pretty scary when you’re only 2 feet tall.
Here are some ideas on how to furnish a cozy Montessori-style bedroom for infants and toddlers:
- Think low and scale down furniture for your child’s bedroom. Aiming for child-sized furniture reduces anxiety and lets your little one feel free to explore and learn.
- Set up a workstation by adding one or multiple tiny tables.
- Place soft rug underneath and mini-chairs.
- Create a cozy corner for rest and emotional retreat.
- Include a scaled-down rocking chair or a little beanbag. Place near it a small cubby where your toddler can keep its toys and books.
If you have a newborn in the house, it is important for the mother to have a comfortable feeding spot. Look into ways to make it work, where a nursing chair is best.
Set Up a Music Corner
Parents use music to soothe young ones by natural instinct. There is nothing that aids the development of social skills, creativity, and IQ foundations in infants like playing musical instruments.
Of course, infants do not need a grand piano or organ. Something as simple as baby-size toys and music can both bond generations and nourish growth.
Montessori-style Wall Décor for Babies
- Hang all of the artwork at your child’s eye level.
- Babies and toddlers are curious and often intrigued by family photographs and artwork.
- Decorate the baby room with colorful paintings, posters, and glow-in-the-dark stickers for visual stimulation.
- Nail or screw the frames of paintings/photographs directly to the wall instead of hanging to lower the risk of accidents.
The Leap from Infancy to Toddlerhood
As little ones get older, they get even more curious and hungry for knowledge. At one point, your child will want to expand its horizons beyond the bedroom. For example, he or she will start eating in the kitchen or dining room. Playing will extend to the backyard or playground, where your kid will develop social skills by communicating with other children.
Soon, the child’s bedroom will be used mainly for dressing and sleeping. Nevertheless, kids still enjoy their room as it is a place of solitude. They especially appreciate it when they grow up and become teenagers.
Recommended Resources

Montessori Learning and Living - Books and Learning Resources

The Joyful Child: Montessori, Global Wisdom for Birth to Three
Montessori guidelines presented here have held true all over the world, no matter what the culture of the child, for over 100 years and prove to be as true in 2021 as ever. It is the goal of this book to help parents look for, discover, appreciate, and support the mental, physical, and emotional needs of the child in the first three years of life, in their own culture.

THE MONTESSORI FAMILY, THE ULTIMATE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR AGES 0 TO 5 Create an Empowering Montessori Home Environment and Help Your Child Grow Their Independence, Creativity and Confidence
Then you probably support the concept of Montessori, a unique educational philosophy that fosters the growth of the whole child.
No wonder studies show that across a range of abilities, children at Montessori schools significantly out-performed those given a traditional education.

Practical Guide to the Montessori Method at Home: With more than 100 activity ideas from 0 to 6 (Montessori Activity Books for Home and School)
The Practical Guide to the Montessori Method is aimed at parents who want to integrate the Montessori philosophy at home with their children.
An international besteller in education and homeschooling, translated to four languages.
It includes:
A basic introduction to the principles of the Montessori philosophy,
Numerous illustrated examples of how to apply it at home, classified by subject and age, and explained clearly and concisely,

The Red Corolla: Montessori Cosmic Education for Age 3-6+
This is the perfect book for families helping with their children's education during the Covid epidemic. Homeschooling, or helping provide a balanced well-rounded education in an enjoyable way.
These "culture" lessons are taught in Montessori teacher-training course—physics, biology, history and geography, and the art. They are presented here in great detail and lay the foundation before age six for the older child’s search for his Cosmic Task.

The Montessori Toddler Activity Book: 60 At-Home Games and Activities for Curious Toddlers
Some of children’s most important social and emotional developments happen during their toddler years. Encourage learning and inspire discovery at home with this toddler activity book based on the Montessori method, a child-centered and scientifically based approach to engaging kids in their own development. From moving to music to creating a suncatcher and playing card games, this wide range of fun activities for toddlers will foster independence and build confidence.

Child of the World
The word "Montessori" is not legally protected and is used sometimes in ways that have little to do with authentic Montessori practices. In this book the author, who has almost fifty years of AMI Montessori teaching and consulting experience and work as an oral examiner for teacher-training courses, briefly presents authentic Montessori practices for ages 3-6 (the primary class), ages 6-12 (the elementary class), and ages 12-18. Here are ideas for using Montessori principles in the home. One mother put it very well, "This book is deep yet simple. Even my husband had the time to read it and now we are using the ideas together, a happy couple."

The Montessori Baby: A Parent's Guide to Nurturing Your Baby with Love, Respect, and Understanding
It’s time to change the way we see babies.
Drawing on principles developed by the educator Dr Maria Montessori, The Montessori Baby shows how to raise your baby from birth to age one with love, respect, insight, and a surprising sense of calm. Cowritten by Simone Davies, author of the bestselling The Montessori Toddler, and Junnifa Uzodike, it’s a book filled with hundreds of practical ideas for understanding what is actually happening with your baby, and how you can mindfully assist in their learning and development.

Montessori Homeschooling, One Family's Story
A fifteen-year experience of day-by-day, year-by-year, learning how to create an authentic Montessori education at home through elementary, middle, and high school. The main guide or teacher during these years had taken AMI teacher training courses for 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12 and had taught for many years. Even though this is not to be thought of as an instruction manual for Montessori homeschooling it is hoped that the book will be helpful for parents and teachers wanting to understand the value of a unique educational path, rather than thinking that all children should be educated exactly the same way (in both traditional and Montessori schools).

The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being
It’s time to change the way we see toddlers. Using the principles developed by the educator Dr. Maria Montessori, Simone Davies shows how to turn life with a “terrible two” into a mutually rich and rewarding time of curiosity, learning, respect, and discovery.
With hundreds of practical ideas for every aspect of living with a toddler, here are five principles for feeding your child’s natural curiosity, from “Trust in the child” to “Fostering a sense of wonder.”

Aid to Life, Montessori Beyond the Classroom
In "Aid to Life, Montessori Beyond the Classroom," the author shares stories based on fifty years of Montessori work in thirty countries, first as a teacher of children from 2-13 in Montessori schools, then discovering new ways to use Montessori principles in a variety of situations—all aimed at inspiring, and providing practical ideas, to parents and teachers today.

The Universal Child, Guided by Nature: Adaptation of the 2013 International Montessori Congress Presentation
"Traveling with Susan Stephenson through her book The Universal Child, Guided by Nature was a pleasure. Montessori practices applied to all cultures today, highlighted by Maria Montessori’s words, the author’s experience in many countries, and the eloquent photographs, generated in me a great enthusiasm to continue my journey through this path. Thank you for being a source of inspiration."

Montessori and Mindfulness
This book is based on 50 years of work in 30 countries, teaching, and observing and consulting with schools. Mindfulness is an ancient practice in the East, a great need for health and happiness in the West, and an everyday practice in Montessori schools. The author tells her own story of 45+ years of meditation and working in the Montessori field, and gives detailed suggestions for both parents and teachers to aid the development of this skill in themselves and in the children they live with.

Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom: Preparing an Environment that Fosters Respect, Kindness & Responsibility
Positive Discipline, developed by Jane Nelsen and based on the work of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs, is designed to help young people become responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of their communities. In this book, Nelsen and Chip DeLorenzo bring together Montessori and Positive Discipline for the first time, offering a methodology for addressing behavior in the classroom that is consistent with the core Montessori belief of respect for the child.

Toddler Discipline for Every Age and Stage: Effective Strategies to Tame Tantrums, Overcome Challenges, and Help Your Child Grow
Make it easier to manage your little one’s most challenging behaviors with these highly effective toddler discipline tools. This standout among parenting books helps you learn how to effectively support your toddler as you deal with day-to-day difficulties.
Written by mother of two and child development expert Aubrey Hargis, this guide to parenting toddlers teaches you about the behavioral challenges you’ll face and the ways you can address them while fostering important life skills like curiosity, respect, independence, and confidence.

At the Heart of Montessori IV: The Pre-School Child 3-6 years
The At the Heart of Montessori series provides a thorough and easy-to-follow explanation of Maria Montessori's philosophy and educational method for all ages from birth to adolescence. These books will be of special interest to Montessori teachers or trainee teachers, acting as a support to, but not as a substitute for, Montessori teacher training. In addition parents, teachers and others who wish to find out about how children develop and how to help them as they grow, will find the books useful and interesting.

At the Heart of Montessori II: Core Principles in Action
The At the Heart of Montessori series provides a thorough and easy-to-follow explanation of Maria Montessori's philosophy and educational method for all ages from birth to adolescence. These books will be of special interest to Montessori teachers or trainee teachers, acting as a support to, but not as a substitute for, Montessori teacher training.

The Family Virtues Guide: Simple Ways to Bring Out the Best in Our Children and Ourselves
Bring compassion, generosity, and kindness into your home with this essential interfaith parenting guide to raising kids in a virtuous and spiritual household, with week-by-week strategies for living your best lives.
The most important job parents have is to pass basic virtues on to their children, and this invaluable book is designed to help make that job a little easier. Compiled by The Virtues Project, an international organization dedicated to inspiring spiritual growth in young and old alike, this multicultural, interfaith handbook shows parents and teachers how to turn words into actions and ideals into realities.

Montessori Made Easy: Practical Life Lessons: A Guide for Parents, Teachers, Preschools, and Child Care Centers for Creating Activities and Teaching ... Skills Using Simple Inexpensive Materials
Montessori Made Easy: Practical Life Lessons is a guide for Parents, Teachers, Preschools, and Child Care Centers. It is filled with ideas, pictures, and information for creating and teaching Montessori Practical Life skills. All of the materials and activities are simple, inexpensive, and you can put them together yourself. In this book you will find, "Montessori Made Easy."

The Child Is the Teacher: A Life of Maria Montessori
A fresh, comprehensive biography of the pioneering educator and activist who changed the way we look at children’s minds, from the author of Oriana Fallaci.
Born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy, Maria Montessori would grow up to embody almost every trait men of her era detested in the fairer sex. She was self-confident, strong-willed, and had a fiery temper at a time when women were supposed to be soft and pliable. She studied until she became a doctor at a time when female graduates in Italy provoked outright scandal. She never wanted to marry or have children—the accepted destiny for all women of her milieu in late nineteenth-century bourgeois Rome—and when she became pregnant by a colleague of hers, she gave up her son to continue pursuing her career.

How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way, 2nd Edition
A parent's guide to building independence, creativity, and confidence in their children using Montessori learning techniques, written by Montessori president Tim Seldin.
An international bestseller, How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way adapts Montessori teachings for easy use at home. Packed with Montessori-based preschool activities and educational games that build confidence and independence through active learning, this authoritative illustrated guide helps raise self-reliant and creative children. Celebrate physical and intellectual milestones from birth to age six with activity checklists, and encourage development through proven child-centered teaching methods.

The Absorbent Mind (Unabridged Start Publishing LLC)
The Absorbent Mind was Maria Montessori's most in-depth work on her educational theory, based on decades of scientific observation of children. Her view on children and their absorbent minds was a landmark departure from the educational model at the time. This book helped start a revolution in education. Since this book first appeared there have been both cognitive and neurological studies that have confirmed what Maria Montessori knew decades ago.

The Montessori Method
The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori immediately captivated social reformers and educators around the world. First published in Italian in 1909, The Montessori Method has been translated into twenty languages, including the 1912 English translation. Its ideas were new and innovative compared to the traditional Lancasterian method in which large groups of children recited the teachers' words, word for word in unison.

Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood
Paula Lillard, director of a Montessori school ranging in age from 18 months to fifteen years, provides a clear and cogent introduction to the Montessori program for the elementary and later years. In detailed accounts, Lillard shows how children acquire the skills to answer their own questions, learn to manage freedom with responsibility, and maintain a high level of intellectual stimulation by using the Montessori method. This is an essential handbook for parents and teachers who have chosen the Montessori alternative for the older child.
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Any thoughts on safety in regards to Montessori beds?
Most children’s rooms could start with a good declutter. Changes can be made gradually. I’ve never seen a perfect Montessori room except here. We love to have a music box for bedtime, and we use a child operated music player. Both are safe to have in the child’s room and can be used independently by the child.