WHAT TO PACK FOR THE BABY

The LO just had her first family vacation.  We visited her uncle, aunt and cousins in Arizona.  It was a week of firsts -- first airplane ride, first swim and first trip to the shopping outlet.  It was also a first for my husband and myself to travel with an infant and did we screw up!

I'm not going to lie, but I may have over packed for the LO. I think 1/3 of our checked in luggage was her clothes alone and she only got to use half of it.  I also brought a lot of just "in case" clothes that were not even weather appropriate.  And don't get me started with the burp clothes!  As a general rule I think, it is better to have packed more than she needed.  But nevertheless, it is a lesson learned -- pack what is just needed.

DIY SENSORY BOTTLES

I made the LO these sensory bottles out of water bottles to heighten her sound awareness.  She is now 7 months and at this age, she is highly receptive to the sounds she hears around her. 

TOYS FOR 6-12 MONTHS

After weeks of research, I have narrowed my list for the ideal Montessori toys for the LO.  The LO is now 6.5 months old.  She is at the "I want to eat everything" stage and "I'm a wiggly worm" stage.  I had to take these two factors into consideration with my choice of toys. 

PLAY AREA FOR 6-12 MONTHS

The LO is now 6.5 months and is ready for a play area upgrade.  I recently got her some toys and I needed to make some changes to her current area to accommodate them.

DIY CARDBOARD SHELF

I think I outdid myself this time. I made a cardboard shelf. I am upgrading the LO's play area and I needed a shelf to store her new toys.  The LO has started to crawl and explore her surroundings and I am not comfortable with a shelf where she could hit her head.

B&W CONTRAST PICTURES

When my baby girl was born, I went crazy looking for ways to stimulate her (yes, the teacher in me just had to!).  Upon research, I came across black and white contrast pictures.  As newborns, babies do not have the visual acuity to see the things around them.  What stimulates them are high contrast colors, like black and white. (I have a free printable at the bottom of the page!)

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. 

MAKING A MONTESSORI PLAY AREA

My baby just turned 4 months last week and I can no longer keep her by the sofa because she has realized that she can now move around by rolling over or pushing her legs on the sofa arm rest.  I've decided to make her a play area in the living room to give her the space that she needs where she could explore her environment.  Upon research and consideration, I've decided to adapt the Montessori approach in making her play area.

I am more familiar with the Creative Curriculum being that it is what I use in my classroom, but I am gearing towards the Montessori approach because I like the idea of less is more.  Here are some inspiration pictures to get me started, these websites offer invaluable information on using the Montessori approach at home and I am very excited to learn even more. 

The Imagination Tree

Itty Bitty Love

Montessori on a Budget

I am so excited to do this project.  It will be a challenge being that we're short on space but I really want this space for Loren and I know it will be really worth it. Wish me luck!