A Montessori Home

Henry's Montessori room

Since we're officially putting our home on the market right after Labor Day, we might be moving as early as October. Craziness!

Before we move, I want to come up with a plan for how to make space for Henry in our next home. We'll need to think about his developmental needs and craft the environment in a way that meets those needs. We want to help cultivate his independence as much as possible, and we want him to feel like a valued member of our family.

Perhaps I should go room by room:

Henry's Bedroom:

• He'll need a floor bed. Right now he uses a crib mattress on the floor, but I want to upgrade to something bigger, since it's hard to breastfeed him and read books to him on a small mattress. I think I'm going to order an eco-friendly, latex sofa mattress. That way, it will be thinner and lower to the ground. I'll want to get a cute duvet cover or quilt and some pillows for his bed (that we can easily remove for naps and at night) because I think a big, bland mattress wouldn't be too aesthetically pleasing.
  
• If we have wood floors again, I'll need to get a cushy rug to soften the transition from Henry's bed to the floor when he rolls or crawls off.
• We'll keep Henry's low shelf, so he can access his toys.
• He'll need a small laundry basket, so he can help with his laundry when he's old enough.
• We'll need to figure out how to store most of his clothes and then make a few outfits accessible at a time, so he can pick for himself. I think this will depend on the type of closet he ends up with in his room.
• Beautiful pictures hung at his level
• Books
  

Bathroom (hopefully it will be big enough to fit this stuff!):

• His toilet on a waterproof pad
• A little stool so he can sit down to take his training pants off
• A mirror with a little shelf (for a brush and some tissues), so he can take care of his nose and hair (this might have to go in his room, depending on space issues)
  
• Maybe a station for hand-washing? I doubt I'll have room for this in the bathroom, but maybe in the hall? Or should I just use a tall stool so he can reach the sink with supervision?
• A hand towel on a hook at Henry's level
  
• A bath towel on a hook at Henry's level
  

Entryway:

• I want each family member to have our own separate space to store our bags, shoes, umbrellas, and jackets. I'm not sure what I want this to look like, since I don't know what kind of space we'll be working with. I'll have to keep this in mind. I'll definitely check out Pinterest when I know what I'm looking for.

Living Room:

• Henry's toys on the bottom row of all our bookshelves. Each toy with a separate spot (no big baskets full of toys).
  
• Movement mat with mirror + a bar for Henry to pull up on when he's learning how to walk
  
• Ottomans instead of a coffee table
• A plant that Henry can help water
• A betta fish, so Henry has another pet to take care of (I'll wait until he gets older to add this)
  

Dining Room:

• A little table for Henry to eat his snacks and meals at (with a stool for me to sit on)
• A high chair that Henry can independently climb into when he's ready

Kitchen:

• A low shelf with a basket with kitchen utensils that Henry can explore, a basket of spices and citrus that Henry can smell, a squash or other vegetable to explore, and a basket of books about food
  
• A low cabinet dedicated to Henry's snacks so he can access them himself
• A system so Henry can feed Hoss the right amount every morning and evening
• A hook for aprons
• A child-size broom and dust pan
• A self-service water station (with a water dispenser, basin to catch water, and a place to put the glasses)
  
• A basket with rags so Henry can clean up his messes (and another place for dirty rags)
  
• A place for Henry's dishes, napkins, placemats, and glasses, so he can set his own place at his table
  
• A place for Henry to clear his dishes to
• A small table for cooking activities and doing dishes (I'll need some bins for water)
  

Outside:

• A shelf with gardening tools
  

Miscellaneous (i.e., wherever it will fit in the house!):

• Art easel
• A nature corner for Henry to set up the things he collects outside
  

Our Bedroom:

• Nothing! This will be a space for Matt and me.

I know Henry won't be able to use a lot of this stuff for a while, but I want to plan for it now. It's easier to leave space for it while moving in than it is to rearrange and make space for it once we're already moved in.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

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