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January 31, 2023

A Montessori Baby Dressing Area

As Penelope has gotten older and more physically independent, it has become important to adapt her Montessori spaces to her skills. Some small changes can really open up a world of independence for a small person. This doesn't have to be something huge, but just giving the opportunity to participate can make for a much different experience. 

When my babies are born, we use an adult height changing table for diaper and clothing changes. Since the baby's participation is minimal, I don't find the adult height to be too restrictive for them. But, as they grow, and start to become more active participants in a diaper change, or in dressing, changing the environment is really important. 


A Montessori Dressing Area for Babies 


Once Penelope could stand firmly (while holding on to something) we moved to her baby-sized Montessori dressing area in her bedroom instead of changing her clothes on a changing table. There are several advantages for making the change to a baby-sized dressing area including: 

  • allows for safer movement - no risk of falling off
  • baby can get a better balance and participate more fully 
  • baby can learn process of dressing in a more realistic way - I certainly am not laying down to get myself dressed 
  • easier to move on to independent play/activity once they are done - they can just crawl off 
  • leads to other practical participation - like putting clothes in laundry basket or diaper in pail 

Our dressing area is really quite simple. We use a small corner in Penelope's bedroom. Our Montessori baby dressing area includes three simple things. One, a simple wire basket for dirty laundry. Two, an easily attached pull up bar for extra support. Three, a small toddler chair

And, that's it. We now do most of our dressing in this area. Penelope can participate a lot more freely. I don't have to rush as much because I'm not worried about her falling off of something up high. It's been a simple change as we move closer and closer to toddlerhood. 


How are you dressing your older baby? 

This post is week 45 of my weekly Montessori baby series with Penelope.

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