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Originally Posted by alisaterry  I just finished M From The Start and was actually disappointed in some of the things I read. The author seemed to be against extended breeastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping, and pro-baby scheduling. Have any of you practicing mommies been able to reconcile the AP/NFL lifestyle with these things or have you found that embracing them has been good for your infants?
This is not a criticism, per se, as I am largely pleased with the Montessori methods and have incorporated many of them in my customized program for my 12 month old. I just think perhaps these two ladies would say I was spoiling my child, and as one of their instructors says in the introduction, "No one is going to want to be around this child!"
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I hear you! For me, Montessori has been something that has worked really well for my children from the start, BUT, I have adapted things to suit. We never put dc on mattresses on the floors in their own rooms as they co-slept with us and my dear friend who has been a Montessori directress for toddlers for many many years, had her children on the floor on a mattress in THEIR room not the children's. So while in principle, the children were free to move around, they were also co-sleeping!!
As with babywearing, I have only had experience with Montessori and my dd with this because she is the only one of my children that we have put into a toddler program, and even then, only at 2 when I know some start younger. i think the difference here is that even if she is being worn:
a. she will want time to lie on the floor, so these can be the sessions where she can be stimulated.
b. When she is being carried she is continually observing me and what i am doing around the house, so surely that is a very important part of montessori?
c. She was the first of my children to walk and climb anyway, so obviously had plenty of "down" time to be able to practise this.
She adapted to the classroom environment no problem at all. i suppose she had been used to being carried there (feeling of security) then seeing her older siblings happy there too, so by 23 months when she started, she was more than ready to go. She is active and a happy participant in all the activities, there were no separation anxieties that were displayed, and she loves to imitate the work she does in the classroom at home.
This is only personal and is a family adaptation. Don't forget that even Montessori styles and teaching do vary. There are experts on here that can answer your question correctly, I am just trying to put across what we did from a family perspective.
