In this post, we are doing to be jumping into what Montessori for a baby entails! So whether you are just getting started on your Montessori parenting journey or you’re already on a Montessori roll with your sweet baby, you’re in the right place and will definitely learn some new info.
To start, hi! I’m Bianca! I have been in the Baby Development and Montessori Infant world for over a decade now and am so excited to share what I’ve learned. Let’s start by diving into whether or not Montessori is good for baby development.
Is Montessori Good for Babies?
These days – it seems like everyone is talking about starting Montessori in infancy with their babies! And if you are expecting a baby or already have a baby, you’re likely wondering…
Is the Montessori approach good for my rapidly growing baby?
What does it mean for their development?
What are the pros and cons of taking the Montessori parenting approach?
Well, I may have some answers for you! As an AMI Montessori trained educator with more than a decade of experience in Montessori Education, with has a degree in Child Development, and a Mother to an incredible baby boy, I have a really unique perspective on this topic that I’m so excited to share with you!
To give you my quick answer, heck yes! Taking the Montessori approach with babies is incredible for their development in a wide variety of ways. But to dive into the question of whether or not Montessori is “good” for our babies, we need to understand how taking the Montessori approach will effect how our babies develop and grow. So let’s jump into it!
Addressing How Babies Develop
Babies are born with an innate mission to learn about their new world, and are driven to learn about what the world is to them and who they are to the world. And this remarkable, inner will to learn drives every child to explore on this mission! (I talk more about this innate drive in my free masterclass!)
And what’s incredible is this particular mission is honored, described, and recognized just as much in the child development field as it is taught in Montessori Education! In fact, when I was studying child development my mind was continually blown at how much I already knew just from taking the Montessori training a few years prior.
But for the sake of this article and answering the question of whether or not Montessori is good for our babies, let’s look through the lens of another child development theorist – Erik Erikson! His theory of psychosocial stages of development are one of my favorite ways to understand the needs of babies and young toddlers.
Erikson’s First Stage of Psychosocial Development
Erik Erikson was a child psychologist and is responsible for coining his psychosocial stages of development.
According to his theory, our infants and young toddlers are in their first stage of development, which he labeled Trust vs. Mistrust. Our children are in this stage from birth until around 18 months. In this first stage, our babies are learning about whether or not they can trust the world through the care and interactions they receive from their primary caregivers and their environments.
The main idea is that if a child has consistency, predictability, and reliability, and they can develop the trust and security needed to sustain not only their attachment with their caregiver but with others as they grow. This is why infancy is SO important – our Trust vs. Mistrust stage impacts our relationships and our understanding of the world for our entire life!
CDC Guidelines for Infant Learning
But it’s not just Erikson who recognizes the importance of the earliest years, so does the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)! According to the CDC, “Children are born ready to learn, and have many skills to learn over many years. They depend on parents, family members, and other caregivers as their first teachers to develop the right skills to become independent and lead healthy and successful lives.”
You are your baby’s first teacher! You have an incredible opportunity in the first few years of life to lay a solid foundation that will support them throughout their entire lives. The amazing thing is that incorporating Montessori into infancy supports what Erikson and the CDC suggest!
So -what is Montessori for baby?
Montessori in Infancy supports your baby on their innate mission to learn and leads to a uniquely child-led experience that truly makes life more peaceful for you and baby.
Incorporating Montessori principles with babies looks like:
- Creating a consistent, intentional environment for baby to move and explore freely
- Incorporating toys (known as materials in the Montessori world) that support baby’s current developmental stage
- Offering purposeful and connected interactions with baby that lead to a strong attachment
- Honoring baby’s sensitive periods – a term used to describe a time in development when baby is unconsciously driven to a specific part of their growth and learning
- Honoring baby within everything we do
- Honoring yourself as an vital and beautiful piece your and your baby’s journeys
- And MUCH much more!
One of the main themes in bringing Montessori to your baby is the idea that your baby is an incredibly capable member of their family community.
When we implement these principles; baby, you, and the environment around baby ends up flowing together in this rhythmic wonder that perfectly supports baby as they dive deeper and deeper into their unconscious mission to learn about their world.
And when all of these Montessori ideas come together, it truly is something special. And why I’m so passionate about teaching you the steps to starting Montessori with your baby in my free Montessori Babies Masterclass!
I had lots of experience with children prior to my journey as a Montessori teacher and let me tell you, building a connected, peaceful journey with baby where you’re flowing together through the wild ride that is infancy is totally possible in Montessori.
I’ve experienced it myself with the hundreds of Montessori babies that I was lucky enough to teach, but also with my own son at home. It truly is a game changer because in Montessori we are always following the child, or using observation to see what our specific child needs.
By implementing Montessori principles with your family, you’ll be honing in on things like:
- Baby’s development of concentration
- Supporting free and big movement (that babies need for healthy brain development)
- Enriched language during language acquisition
- Peaceful freedom within purposeful limits that you set
- Effortless joy through honoring of how baby naturally grows
- Development of their grasp
- Respect of self and environment
- And so much more for you, baby, and your environment!
What Parents Have Said About Doing Montessori With Their Baby
I’ve had countless parents tell me how Montessori has transformed their experiences with their babies. Many parents say how taking the Montessori approach helped them release the pressures of early parenthood, that their children are constantly told how advanced they are for their ages, that their home environment transformed from a chaotic messy space to simple, free flowing environment perfectly set up to support baby’s development, that it’s given parents and caregivers some well deserved peace of mind, and so much more!
It is simply an approach that supports the needs of both you and baby. So everyone ends up feeling the amazing short and long-term effects.
Do I recommend Montessori for babies and new parents?
As you can tell, my answer is a really big YES! What I love about this approach is that it’s aimed at optimizing how our babies naturally and beautifully grow. Plus it brings just as much amazing transformation opportunities to us as their parent + first teacher as it does to them.
There’s no teaching at the median in Montessori because we are using observation to know what our unique baby needs in their developmental journey. And what’s incredible is once you learn how to do observation, it’s really easy to know what baby needs!
“The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth. From this almost mystic affirmation there comes what may seem a strange conclusion: that education must start from birth.”
-Dr. Maria Montessori-
As a mother and an advocate for our tiniest humans, I can honestly say that using this approach has made my own Motherhood experience truly peaceful. The tools that I have learned and currently teach in The Montessori Babies Course not only has helped my son to be a truly joyful, self-driven child, but it’s given me the tools I need to gracefully navigate anything that is brought my way as a parent.
And let me tell you, I’m so thankful for having had those tools for my own parenthood journey. I am now so passionate about sharing it with incredible parents and caregivers like yourself so you can have them too!
If you’re looking to learn more about Montessori for Babies to decide whether or not it’s right for you, or if you want to know what you need to get started, I encourage you to join my FREE Masterclass! We go over all of those things. You can register for my masterclass on the 6 Steps To Begin Montessori With Your Baby at the end of this article!
Sending you a giant virtual hug, friend! Just remember, whatever you decide is best for your unique baby is what’s best! You’ve got this.
Xoxo,
Bianca A. Solorzano, M.Ed.
Your Baby Your Guide and fellow Mama