The principles of Maria Montessori’s method also apply to sleep and consequently also the bed must respond to some characteristics that will allow the boy or girl to move in full autonomy
“Which bed to choose for the child?”, “A Montessorian bed Will it be the right choice or is it still too small for this solution? ” The choice of the bed in which the boy or girl will sleep after birth is a question that generates important questions for parents already during the time of gestation.
Many parents, after having started to inform, wonder what is the best choice for the little or little girl’s bedroom and From what age to insert a Montessorian bed in this environment. Maria Montessori, promoter, through her educational philosophy, independence and autonomy of children, asks adults to immediately organize a living environment that allows the child to choose, move and act in freedom and in maximum safety and to respond to her needs of closeness and then of autonomy.
The principles of Maria Montessori’s method also apply to sleep and consequently also the bed must respond to some characteristics that will allow the boy or girl to move in full autonomy. But From what age propose the Montessorian bed? What are the benefits for the baby or little girl of this solution? Let’s find out together!
Since when to propose a Montessori bed?
Let’s start by saying that There is no right age To let the baby sleep alone or to offer a Montessori bed: each child has specific needs And it is necessary to recognize them to be able to respond with punctuality and accuracy.
At the beginning of life, the desire to keep your child close during the bed is usually a natural instinct Tested by many parents (even children have the desire to sleep near their parents) and there is no one way to respond to this need. Some families opt for a cot or a culle in the same room as the parents (we also talked about it in this article), others to a bed that acts as a prolongation of the Latvian, others still prefer co-leeping. There is no better solution ever, what must be pursued is the well -being of the entire family unit: it will be right what will make the little ones and even the big ones feel serene.
At a certain point in their development (which can be between 6 months, one year, 2 years or even beyond) the children will begin to desire independenceproper space (we also talked about it in this in -depth article), but since they do not yet have the ability to explicit in words this need, it will be good that i parents welcome their message offering an independent bed (also in the same room).
In this regard, it will be good to proceed for attempts, advancing gradually, sweet and understanding, without forcing the times But not even postponing the conquest of independence if this is what the child claims.
A good practice is to ensure that the child has available and can Recognize your bed from the first monthseven if it does not spend the whole night, so as to encourage the independence process (it could initially exploit it for daytime or early evening rests).
The child’s space can be organized before the birth of the baby and the bedroom furnished with the bed. In the first months The small or small will live the bed as a space for gearbox, cuddles or sonnellini during the day. Gradually its use will be increasingly sought by the child and more specific, or for sleep.
If the parents and children look at the bed, Montessoriano and not, immediately as the resting placeit will be easier for both sides to become familiar: the parent will build falling asleep routine starting from the bed and the baby will recognize its “private to make a bed” in this space.
This approach is important to think of it and implement it independently of how long the child actually spends in his bed to sleep alone, were even a couple of hours per night, this time will represent the First step towards autonomous sleep.
What are the advantages of a Montessori bed?
Why choose a Montessori bed? First of all because Montessori beds favor the autonomy of the childbeing raised from the ground of a few centimeters they will guarantee the baby:
- maximum freedom of movement regarding the climb and descent;
- Possibility to see what happens in the whole room in which it is located, not being present bars;
- Possibility to go alone and in serenity to parents, without having to resort to crying to recall their attention.
The falling asleep will also be simpler and will allow the parent to stay next to the child, thus allowing a more important contact than what the bed would have had bars.
Also by choosing the Montessorian beds, when the child, around the 30 monthswill collaborate with joy in the care of his life environment, it will be much easier to involve him in the activity of redoing the bed in the morning after the awakening, thus educating him to responsibility, care and autonomy.
Do It Yourself Montessori bed
Montessori bed measures
With the help of a carpenter it will be easy too Building a do -it -yourself Montessori bed. The important thing is to respect the following fees:
- quality wood;
- absence of hill, nails and screws, to guarantee safety;
- large dimensions to encourage night movement;
- A long grooved side to facilitate the child’s transition from the ground to the bed (and vice versa) even when he is still unable to crawl;
- tinated corners.
A natural antiallergic mattress will be able to enrich the corner of rest.
Emmi Pikler, Hungarian pediatrician who has invested his work on the custody of the autonomy of movement of the little ones, provides his indications about the measures that a bed of this invoice could have, or approximately 90 × 60 cmalready after the first months of life; Obviously until a larger space for rest is needed.
