babies

[Rose-Roget]

I know, I really need to read the books - or at least one. A friend of mine mentioned that his almost 1 year old goes to Montessori, and I wondered what exactly M does for a baby that other good/stimulating environments do not offer.

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by Rose-Roget

I know, I really need to read the books - or at least one. A friend of mine mentioned that his almost 1 year old goes to Montessori, and I wondered what exactly M does for a baby that other good/stimulating environments do not offer.

I think this is a hard question to answer because many people adopt ideas about infants similar to how a Montessori setting is run for the infants. Helping the infant achieve independence is important. What you often see in the Montessori classroom are:

--Low beds or mats for the children to be able to get in and out of on their own to rest when they need to.
--Providing the infant with small cups at a young age rather than sippy cups. The child pouring his own drink is also done when the child is ready.
--Even if the child is spoon fed, the child is also provided with a spoon to hold if he or she wants and often begins to see the connection of using that spoon to feed himself.
--A small step to help the child when he or she is ready to walk and climb.

These are just some examples of ways the Montessori teacher helps the child become more independent that many centers do not do.


A focus should also be placed on parent education and making sure the parents understand the needs of their child. (That's not unusual or unique to Montessori, though)


Montessori infant programs still have many of the same things you will see in a regular program, such as rattles, mobiles the child may lay under, etc. The key difference centers around helping to promote independence. I think if you observed a well run Montessori infant environment, you'd see many little things they do that add up to make a big difference.

[BCFD]

The infant room at DD's school has some plastic toys, but they also use most of these:

http://www.montessorioutlet.com/cgi-...?category=1100