BABY MONTESSORI PLAY AREA

All done! Loren now has her own play area! She is now 5 months old and I can no longer keep her on the sofa or let alone the bed.  She's at the stage of rolling over and going in circles.  I wanted a Montessori based play area for Loren and though her current play area is not as Montessori as I want it to be, I am very happy with the results. 


To create a space for Loren, I had to rearrange the whole living room.  I gave her a 4 x 4 ft in a corner.  I would say its an ample space for now since she is not that mobile yet.

I baby proofed her space with foam.  I could not do the colored alphabet tiles. I just can't.  I'm just not a color person.  I will die to even see it in my living room.  So after searching the internet, I came upon foamtiles.com.  They have a wide array of colors to choose from.  Of course, I went as neutral as I could -- gray.  This is the thickest that they have I think, 5/8.  It is slightly thicker than the alphabet letters that they sell at ToysRUs.  The ones I got came with edges so the mat looks finished. 

 
I put up a mirror on one wall and the other wall I covered with pillows.  Just regular sleeping pillows to make sure that the LO doesn't bump her head when she explores her surroundings.  I also use the pillows to prop her when we're working on her sitting.  They are also very cozy to lay back on as I watch Loren play.  

On the third wall, there's a shelf, a basket and books.  According to Montessori, toys and furniture should be on the child's level.  The shelf that I have is really a chest that I took apart and  placed sideways.  The basket used to be my mobile office bin.

Loren does not really have a lot of toys and what little toys she has makes it to the shelf.  I limit the toys to 2-3 for now and they fit nicely in the shelf.  The toys that Loren has for now are not very Montessori but I'm filling my Amazon cart as I write this (they are just so expensive that I am really justifying which toys she really needs now).  She has about 6-7 cardboard books but I've noticed she only gravitates towards the feel and touch ones.  

 

This project took a while to finish but it was worth it.  I also did not have to spend a lot except for the foam tiles and the mirror since I had everything laying in the house.  I also love how the area blends with the living room and all her toys are in one area.  I would love to hear from you if you have a similar play area for your LO so we can exchange ideas!.