Montessori Mobiles

Montessori mobiles are seen as a key element in the early Montessori environment. Each mobile is designed to follow the progression of the child's visual development. The progression outlined in Lillard's Montessori from the Start (2003) is as follows: 1) flat black and white geometric shapes and a glass sphere (aka The Munari Mobile), 2) three metallic paper octahedron in primary colors, 3) five Styrofoam balls covered with embroidery thread in gradations of the same color hung in ascending order from darkest to lightest (aka The Gobbi Mobile), 4) light metallic paper figures and 5) pastel wooden figures. It is suggested that the mobiles should be changed every two weeks and older mobiles should be revisited. Little Red Farm has a great blog post on Montessori Mobiles For Babies that further outlines other mobiles used to stimulate an infant's visual development.

I love the use of Montessori mobiles and intended on providing them for my Peanut, however, as seen on Little Red Farm's post, they can be quite expensive. I attempted to make the six listed below but let's face it, being a stay-at-home mom is time consuming (some are linked to a DIY tutorial I found during my research). With our upcoming move and temporary housing situation, it hasn't and probably won't happen. I hope to still make one or two mobiles for use in Peanut's "learning space" when we land in our next home. By the time this happens, Peanut may have already moved beyond this learning phase but it can't hurt to give her something to study/ discover. If I am able to complete a mobile, I will post a pictorial.

Montessori Mobiles
1) The Munari Mobile
2) The Octahedron Mobile
3) The Gobbi Mobile
4) The Dancers Mobile
5) The Flowing Rhythm Mobile
6) The Whale Mobile

Co-Sleeping and The Early Montessori Environment

We are a co-sleeping family. Bug co-slept with my husband or I (never together) in our Queen- sized bed until he was 8 months old. His transition to a separate sleeping space happened out of necessity (he started crawling) and was quiet easy. Both my husband and I were disappointed as we enjoyed sharing our space with the little guy. There was never a doubt in my mind that co-sleeping with Bug was the right thing to do. He always slept through the night, was easy to feed and accepted our household rhythm as he was always a part of it.

When we learned we were pregnant with Peanut, we were elated by the possibility of sharing our bed with her. We even upgraded to a King-sized bed so there would be enough room for all three of us. Sometime during my pregnancy I became a little obsessed with whether or not all three of us would be able to sleep together comfortably in our ginormous bed. I decided that we needed a co-sleeper like The Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. Fortunately, it wasn't in our budget so I started researching other styles of co-sleepers. I discovered this amazing blog entry on "How to sidecar a crib." A few days later, I located a drop side crib for $30 through Craigslist and my side car crib was born. I am so happy with our side car crib that I tell everyone who is considering co-sleeping about it.

Sleeping or co-sleeping using any type of off the ground bed is not the ideal Montessori way but as I have said before, I do what best fits my family. In short, I am more dedicated to co-sleeping in my own bed with my husband than I am a Montessori lifestyle. It's what works for us. However, I whole-heartedly believe in providing a stimulating environment that includes a mirror, Montessori mobiles, and engaging prints. I didn't get around to researching infant's early environment until just recently as I have been so focused on creating a early preschool environment for Bug. Peanut is now 13 weeks old and I am finally getting around to it.

Pairing Peanut's side car bed with the early environment items has proven difficult. First, we are renters and I am more than hesitant to hang anything from a wall or ceiling. So, I will have to settle for a mobile that attaches to her side car crib. When researching Montessori mobiles, I discovered how amazingly expensive they are. So I have to get crafty and make my own. Thanks to a number of Montessori blogs and free resource sites, I believe I can make all the same mobiles sold on The Michael Olaf Montessori Company. Mine won't be as fancy but they will work for the limited amount of time that Peanut will need them. See Montessori Mobile for more information. Second, putting a mirror in a crib is pretty dangerous as it cannot be securely fastened the same as it would be next to a child's floor bed. My remedy to this problem is to purchase a mirror specifically designed for safe use in a crib. We plan to order a double sided Wimmer-Ferguson mirror from Genius Babies for Christmas. Lastly, the side car is not butted up to a wall or other flat surface where I can safely hang a print. However, I believe it is more than reasonable (and safe) to hang a small, soft visually stimulating book on the inside slats of the crib (also a planned Christmas gift).