Today we are very excited because we just finished setting up a Montessori room for our toddler daughter. Although it seems a complex process which requires a lot of attention, planning and choices, we decided to share with you our experiences and prove that it can be done simply, following some important guidelines.
Preparing a Montessori room for your toddler
When buying the furniture for your toddler’s Montessori room, you must have in mind the following Montessori terms or principles:
- Simplicity and freedom – a Montessori environment should be as simple as possible, so avoid crowding it. Your toddler must be able to move around freely in his room and explore the space.
- Order and structure – order and routine are fundamental in the Montessori learning environment. Toddlers like routine and predictability because these offer them the sense of control. Therefore, every item in the room must have its own place (and only one place).
- Accessibility – all the items inside a Montessori bedroom must be organized in an intuitive manner, within your toddler’s reach, so he can easily find and grasp what it needs. Stacks of toys or piles of books must be avoided because they cause frustration.
- Nature – toddlers need to develop a sensorial connection with nature and learn from it. “The senses, being the explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”, said Maria Montessori. The furniture, decorations and toys in your toddler’s Montessori room should be made of natural materials, such as wood, bamboo, cotton, metal etc.
- Safety – no matter what is your approach regarding your toddler’s room, you must always have safety in mind.
To summarize planning, you should have in mind a safe, simple and ordered room for your toddler, with accessible items made from natural materials.
Choosing the right furniture for a Montessori room
There are plenty of furniture items to choose from and the process is truly overwhelming. For this reason I considered that making a list with the items we selected and bought for our daughter’s Montessori room might give you a general idea and a place to start.
Bed
The bed is a very important item when talking about your toddler’s comfort and safety. Montessori environments do not contain cribs, but floor beds with (or without) wooden frames and comfortable thick mattresses. Floor beds encourage independence and support your toddler’s need for movement. The toddler can make his own decisions and he feels in control (he can always get in and out of bed by himself, without the help of an adult).
This is the bed we bought for our little daughter’s room: Queen House Bed Frame.
We also liked:
SLATS Montessori Wood House Floor Bed
Twin Bed Frame Lean-To House Bed
Toddler Montessori Floor Bed Twin Size
And here are the bed accessories we bought:
Mattress – Baby Crib and Toddler Bed Mattress
Mattress cover – Waterproof Fitted Crib and Toddler Protective Mattress Pad Cover
Duvet and bumpers – Toddler House Bed Montessori Bedding Set Bumpers + Duvet
Pillow – Dreamtown Kids Toddler Pillow
Pillow cover – Oh, Susannah Pink Cat Toddler Size Pillowcase
Learning table
We loved this learning table, so we bought it: KidKraft Kids Round Table and 2 Chairs Set. Our daughter uses it every day and she finds it very cute and comfortable.
We chose it from the following items:
Labebe Fox Printed White Toddler Table for 1-5 Year
Labebe Wooden Activity Table Chair Set, Bird Printed White
UTEX Kids 3pcs Wooden Chalkboard Table and 2 Stools
Lipper International 534W Child’s Rectangular Table with Shelves and 2 Chairs
Storage
We bought the following items for storage:
KidKraft Add on Storage Unit
Horizontal or vertical 8 Cube Multiple Storage Organizer (we placed it horizontally)
DII Hard Sided Collapsible Fabric Storage Container for Nursery
Book shelves
Play mat
Here were our other options:
InterestPrint Forest Animal Green Area Rugs Carpet
Toy Play Mat Carpet
Teepee Tent
We used this inside the teepee tent: Kids Cute Round Area Rugs, Handmade.
Other items we bought
Merax Ultimate Large Kitchen Cooking Pretend Toddler Playset
Little Partners Tri-Side Art Easel – Chalkboard, Felt & Dry Erase Board
KidKraft Penelope Dollhouse
Tag Bunny Plush Chair
World Map for Kids, Playroom Decor
Talltape Roll-up Height Chart & Sharpie Marker Pen To Measure Children From Birth
All in all, setting up our little daughter’s room was quite an investment. But, in the end, it was worth every penny. Our girl ended up with a beautiful, safe and cozy Montessori style bedroom.
We really hope this list inspired you. Do tell us what you think! You’re welcome to share with us your own ideas and tips on the Montessori toddler bedroom subject.
