Montessori Movement Area for Newborns: How to Set up with these 3 Essentials
Follow these 3 essentials to create a Montessori Movement area for newborn babies or twins. In their movement area, they will have the opportunity to experience and explore with their mobiles, themselves and twins, with each other! Here are the 3 essentials to a Montessori movement area for twins or any baby! As well as some explanations about how to prepare and use the space!
What does a Montessori movement area look like for newborn twins?
When bringing home twins, I knew that I would need a safe, welcoming and peaceful place for my babies to play and work. For a newborn, their play is their movements. There are 3 essential components of a newborn movement area: floor space, a mirror and mobiles.
What are Montessori mobiles?
Montessori mobiles are beautifully created (or purchased) materials that your baby will work with for the first few months of life. They support the ever-changing developmental needs of your baby. Offering opportunities for motor development and visually engaging.
For more details on how to make this Munari baby mobile, check out this DIY project to make your own!
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How to Prepare a Montessori Movement area for Twins
Our movement area for the twins has continued to evolve and change as they rapidly change. This bothered me at first, because I wanted everything to be set up and prepared for when we arrived home from the hospital, but the truth is, I have moved our space around dozens of times. In all of the rearranging, the essentials are the same: floor space, a mirror and a way to hang mobiles for the babies to work with.
Where do I set up a Montessori movement area in my home?
Consider where you anticipate spending most of your time. Initially, I wanted it in the nursery, but I knew I probably wasn’t going to sit in that room all day. Instead, we started with it up in our loft area, which was close to my bedroom. This was great for the first month or so postpartum because I tried to make things convenient and accessible as I was healing. When I was ready to spend more time in our main living space I then moved the movement area into our living room. Since then, I’ve moved things around multiple times, but the essentials have remained present in all of these spaces. This is part of the process of preparing the environment. You need to observe how it is working for your you and your baby and make adjustments as needed.
How much will it cost?
You can do it very cheap! I invested in a mirror that would have longevity for our family, but that wouldn’t be necessary! A cheap mirror from Walmart would do the trick. I try to save money everywhere I can, so did DIY mobiles (more about that in another post!) And the floor space is included in your rent or mortgage!
Things to consider when setting up your movement area for your twins or baby
With twins, I knew I would need a little bit more space for them both to move freely. Having a space that is well-lit with natural light is ideal as well as somewhere in the home where they won’t feel isolated. They must have a good view of the room so they can start connecting the different areas in your home; in Montessori, we refer to this as their “point of reference”. You can place the mirror on the wall. Lay down a quilt or blanket on the floor. If you have hard floors, a mat like this may be nice. We had carpet so I got away with just using a quilt or blanket.
How do I use Montessori mobiles?
Montessori mobiles are intended to be used while your baby or babies are alert and awake. This is contrary to the culture’s view on mobiles which are traditionally placed above the crib. A Montessori movement area with mobiles is separate from a Montessori sleeping space. Mobiles need to be able to move freely. They move beautifully with the natural airflow of the room. It is not necessary to spin them or turn them for your baby, my husband loved to do this for the twins. I would remind him that they are not capable of tracking objects at such a fast pace, they are only a few weeks old! Consider your baby’s ability to track moving objects, for quite a few weeks they will just be working on developing the ability to focus on one thing.
Get more details on all of the Montessori visual and tactile mobiles here!
Considerations when hanging Montessori mobiles
Initially after birth, babies can only see objects about 12 inches in-front of their face. Hang mobiles accordingly.
Consider how will you hang your mobiles. You can use a mobile hanger like this, or hang them from the ceiling.
Choose a room with natural light will help some of the mobiles to be more engaging as the light will reflect beautifully on the surface of the mobiles.
What is the purpose of the mirror?
The mirror is my favorite aspect of our movement area. It allows the baby or babies to see themselves and become aware of their movements. With twins, this is especially fun because they will look at each other and smile and giggle. The mirror encourages tummy time as well. Our boys really enjoyed tummy time and often preferred it to being on their back. The mirror gives the baby a point of reference in the home which provides added comfort as well as a greater sense of security and various points of interest.
What are the benefits of a Montessori Movement Area?
The greatest benefit I have seen from our movement area is how it supports the development of our twins! Babies grow at an astonishing rate, changing everyday. They need the time and space to explore with their bodies freely, without restrictions such as swings, bouncy seats, etc. Some “containers” such as a car seats are required for the safety of your baby, but so many “baby containers” are obstacles to a babies natural motor development. Floor time is so important for your developing baby; and cheaper!!
Encouragement as you prepare your Montessori Movement Area for a Newborn or Twins
Just remember that Montessori looks different in every home! When changing something or setting up a new area I like to think about it through the lens of what the current needs of my children are. If we keep their needs and abilities at the forefront of our preparations we will be able to create a beautiful space that supports and meets those needs! I’d love to see your Montessori movement areas! Feel free to post a picture in the comments or tag me over on Instagram @themontessoritwinmama
This is perfect for my baby! Thank you for sharing, very helpful 😊
I am so glad it was helpful!