The Child Friendly Bedroom
Ranked #1,279 in Parenting & Kids, #38,922 overall
Designing a Child Friendly Bedroom for a Montessori Home
As I was writing my lens on the Child Friendly Home, I realized that there was too much information for just one lens. Therefor this lens is devoted specifically to designing a child friendly bedroom. This will be a room that is not only safe for your child, but will (with a few modifications as your child ages) nurture your child from infancy through the school age years in a Montessori style.
To Recap,
The differences between having a child proof home and a child friendly home were examined in my lens The Child Friendly Home.In brief, I consider a child friendly home one where a child can safely explore and fully experience the daily life of the family with minimal intervention. And of course, the child friendly home is one where children are encouraged to be independent. Even though on their own they may tend to create chaos, young children have a tremendous need and love for an orderly environment. Everything should have its own and the environment should be organized to make it easy for the child to maintain a neat, well organized atmosphere. ~Tim Seldin
The Montessori Bed
Of all the Montessori ideas I have tried to incorporate at home, my husband's favorite so far has been the floor bed. This consists of a low, firm mattress or futon placed directly onto the floor. There is no danger of injury from falling, no frames to go wrong, and if placed in a corner of the room, you will have two walls to act as a railing. If you really wanted, you could buy a frame to encase the mattress or build one yourself. Still follow the same safety guidelines for bedding: keep the sheet tight fitting, don't fill with pillows or soft toys, and don't use blankets until you and your physician determine it is safe.Not only is a floor bed safer for your child, it will give your child more space to practice moving. Your child will also be able to create a visual map of the room while lying in the bed that will remain accurate once she starts moving. When your child is able to roll over, they will really begin to explore their room and they will be able to do so without waiting on you to come to their rescue. I knew my own daughter was able to roll over when I went in to get her one morning and found her in the middle of the floor, jabbering away at the ceiling fan! If you have a hard surface rather than carpeting, you can soften the drop off by placing a folded blanket or soft rug at the edge of the bed. As an added bonus, you can bypass a toddler bed as the floor bed will grow with your child until they are old enough for a regular bed. Just think - no transition problems!
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The best of baby beds is also the best of toddler beds!
* Premium 9" Cotton/Fibre-Foam Futon Mattress - Ultra Plush - Full Size
We used a twin size futon mattress in my daughter's room (shown above) because of space limitations. However, if you have the space for it I highly recommend using a full size mattress. This will give your child plenty of space for moving around, and you'll have plenty of space as well for those times when junior needs you in the bed! Put on a waterproof mattress pad, a fitted sheet and you are ready to go. I truly can't imagine ever using a crib now!
Important!
DO NOT use a regular mattress on the floor! The surface needs to be firm to reduce the risk of suffocation. Stick to a crib mattress or a futon.
Visual Points of Interest by the Bed
What will your child be looking at while pondering the universe?
Now that the bed is taken care of, you can conentrate on creating visual interest by the bed in two different ways. The first is a mobile that is attached to the wall and arcs over the bed. Not a plastic character, song playing whirling thingy, but something designed specifically to encourage the visual development of your child. Details of how to make your own series of mobiles can be found in Montessori from the Start
by Paula Polk Lillard. Another way to add visual stimulation next to the bed is to place an acrylic mirror on the wall. This will allow your child to see themself and reflections of the room while laying down. Examples
The Walls in the Nursery
Keep It Simple!
Keep the wall paint simple and soft. Hang artwork and/or decorative borders at a toddlers line of sight. Instead of cartoon characters, choose pictures of nature or better still - family members. Consider adding a towel bar (or several) approximately 18 inches off the ground so your child can have something sturdy to pull themselves up on and to hang onto when they begin "cruising". You could move the acrylic mirror right above the railing so your child could look at themselves while standing up!
Children's Furniture
If you don't keep it in proportion, your child will feel like this:
Keep the toys simple and stored in baskets on low shelves your child can reach. This will make clean-up time much easier! Have too many toys to put out at once? Rotate them regularly to keep them seeming fresh. Have hooks at the same level as the pictures so your child can hang their own clothes up easily. One modification that may drive you nuts (but kids love) is the light switch extender. Your child can turn on the light whenever they want!
Another consideration is clothing storage. Ideally, you want the clothes to be within easy reach of the child. Consider using baskets on shelves instead of dresser drawers and wall hooks instead of hangers. Even placing one or two options out for your child to choose from each morning is better than making them wait on you to get dressed.
More ideas for a Montessori Home
- Rotate toys regularly if you don't have enough space for them to be out all at once. If your child is 3 or older, involve your child in deciding what stays out and what is put back.
- Get a small coat rack if you would rather not put hooks on the wall.
- Create a "quiet space" for your child to go to when emotions are running high. Have your child select things that help them calm down, such as a favorite book, favorite soothing music,or paper and pencil as examples. Have these items in a bag in a corner with a comfy pillow or on a low table next to a small chair.
- Create a "nature display": a tray on a shelf or on a low table that your child can place their nature collection. Rocks, leaves, tree bark, basically the things your child places in her pocket when outside. Add a magnifying glass to the tray so your child can really observe the fine details!
Nursery Decor Ideas
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What's going on in the Montessori world?
- Chattanooga Area Food Bank's spring garden tour is next weekend
- Where: Kin and Suzanne Smith, 549 Bluebird Circle; Jim Keown, 8633 Pershing Road; Dona Smith, 3040 Laurel Cove Lane, Signal Mountain; Food Bank's Evelyn Davenport Navarre Teaching Garden, 2009 Curtain Pole Road; Jane Elmore, 901 Oak Street; Montessori ...
- Canine U opens a Dogessori Day School
- Maybe you've heard of Montessori education, it's a way of teaching that promotes a child's natural abilities. Now that same philosophy and approach is being used to train dogs. Canine University now has Dogessori Day school for dogs.
- Rombauer shines in season-opening show
- Ransome Rombauer, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at St. Helena Montessori School, brought home the blue ribbons again at the season-opening Horse and Hound (A) Show at Sonoma Horse Park over Mother's Day weekend. Rombauer took home Show Champion for the ...
- Life is all fun at Toddler's Hill Creche and Montessori in Moorehall Rise Ardee
- Clare initially started as a Montessori teacher so she has a good understanding of all the systems in Toddlers Hill. Sinead Donnelly is the deputy manager of Toddlers Hill Sinead has been working there since they first opened. Sinead has grown with the ...
Montessori in the Home
- Chattanooga Area Food Bank's spring garden tour is next weekend
- Where: Kin and Suzanne Smith, 549 Bluebird Circle; Jim Keown, 8633 Pershing Road; Dona Smith, 3040 Laurel Cove Lane, Signal Mountain; Food Bank's Evelyn Davenport Navarre Teaching Garden, 2009 Curtain Pole Road; Jane Elmore, 901 Oak Street; Montessori ...
- Canine U opens a Dogessori Day School
- Maybe you've heard of Montessori education, it's a way of teaching that promotes a child's natural abilities. Now that same philosophy and approach is being used to train dogs. Canine University now has Dogessori Day school for dogs.
- Rombauer shines in season-opening show
- Ransome Rombauer, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at St. Helena Montessori School, brought home the blue ribbons again at the season-opening Horse and Hound (A) Show at Sonoma Horse Park over Mother's Day weekend. Rombauer took home Show Champion for the ...
- Life is all fun at Toddler's Hill Creche and Montessori in Moorehall Rise Ardee
- Clare initially started as a Montessori teacher so she has a good understanding of all the systems in Toddlers Hill. Sinead Donnelly is the deputy manager of Toddlers Hill Sinead has been working there since they first opened. Sinead has grown with the ...
My Dear Readers,
Your input is important to me. Have I left any questions unanswered?
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KatieLay
Nov 21, 2011 @ 9:43 pm | delete
- In your personal opinion what would be the best colour for a 10 year old boy.
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reset123
Aug 23, 2011 @ 6:42 am | delete
- In order to use these kind of walls it is necessary to preplan the interior design schedule. Normally if a brick wall is to be kept exposed (without plaster), it is built with high quality
bricks which are machine cut for high quality and accuracy. Since bricks have their own color and texture, this option can be used to create a color contrast by keeping only one wall exposed and other with a contrasting color. This can add some interest in the bedroom. Now make your home as elegant as you've ever thought with mother of pearl shell
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Fedria
Aug 8, 2011 @ 2:35 am | delete
- Organic bedding and earth friendly furnishings is also becoming very popular. These items can sometimes cost a little more than many other products but they are far superior when it comes to safety and health concerns. Skin rashes, allergies and respiratory problems can be caused by the dyes, chemicals and man-made material that are often used in most bedding and furniture. These issues can be avoided if you opt for those products that are certified to be organic or "green". foam mattress
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downSIZExpert
Jul 8, 2011 @ 2:42 am | delete
- Unique concept for a bedroom design. Perfect for a family with kids. The Montessori bed is definitely efficient for a compact living. Great job!
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Dec 31, 2010 @ 7:20 am | delete
- Great to hear again from somebode talking about theme like this with love
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Who is C-Joy?
Meet My Muse
Yes, I am Montessori certified and work full-time in a classroom. When it comes to my home however, I haven't been quite as diligent about preparing the environment for my little Turtle. She is such a source of joy to me that I figured it is about time I put that positive energy to good use. Please join me as I try to settle my home and begin pursuing some of my dreams. And if you are reading this now you can see that I have already begun working on one of those goals!
by C-Joy
As an educator (licensed K-6, Montessori Primary certification: AMS, MACTE) and a parent, I am devoted to helping chidren learning how to become independent,... more »
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