A New Approach to Baby Proofing!

I sinned. I am coveting my neighbor! (although this particular neighbor lives 45 minutes away)

They have this amazing play area for their 2 children. Sooo jealous! A played here the whole time we were at their house for one of their sons birthday parties. The play area has this cube wall with lots of baskets full of goodies, a fun rug, a mounted TV, a bench, and a pretend kitchen!

On the 45 minute drive home all I could think about is how I wanted that! I want an area where A can play safely and where all of her toys and activities are organized. Her toys are currently all tossed in a wicker basket…when she wants to play she dumps the whole basket out on the floor and crawls away! I digress…A needs a play area!

Our home does not have the amazing layout that our ‘neighbors’ does so we have to improvise. First idea, make like Harry Potter and put A under the stairs! Meh, no go. I got that whole area cleaned out and put down her ABC foam floor and it still looked like a closet under the stairs. No direct sunlight. I can’t see her. I wasn’t happy with this.

So, I started Pinteresting (is that a word? Kind of like Googling?) and found some great ideas!

Since A was born I kept hearing about this Montessori thing. I originally thought it was just a school but now I am learning its kind of a way of life education. A way in which A can be respected and treated as an equal in our home. In short, Montessori believes that children (infants included) have developmental opportunities during their lifespan.

I am going to quote this so I get it across correctly “Montessori education is fundamentally a model of human development, and an educational approach based on that model. The model has two basic elements. First, children and developing adults engage in psychological self-construction by means of interaction with their environments. Second, children, especially under the age of six, have an innate path of psychological development. Based on her observations, Montesori believed that children at liberty to choose and act freely within an environment prepared according to her model would act spontaneously for optimal development.”

Another AHA! moment for me! This makes perfect sense! To simplify this – instead of creating just one play area/room we have decided to make the whole house a play area! We want A to feel comfortable and safe in her home; not only in a small confined place that we created for her.

Our first step is to Childproof everything. I’m not talking putting locks or anything on doors or cabinets. We are going to put anything that she is in danger of playing with at levels she can not reach. Doing this will give her access to things she can play with without hearing NO! <–such a dirty word!!!    For example, in the kitchen we are creating her a drawer where her apron, utensils, and some pretend food items will be kept. When DH and I are cooking dinner- she can help too! In the bedroom, we are creating her a quiet space with a bookshelf and a sitting area where she can relax, read, and enjoy the sunshine through the window. In the bathroom we are making the bottom drawer hers – it will have her pj’s, diapers, and toothbrush. I think you are getting the idea!

We are so excited! Planning a trip to Ikea tomorrow to get this vision underway! I will keep you updated throughout this process!

This website (through Pinteresting) was my inspiration:

http://jen-peacefulparenting.blogspot.com/2011/01/our-montessori-home.html