Yayy! We completed three months. Like my munchkin, yours would have probably got used to a routine by now for eating, sleeping, pooping, etc. Don’t worry if you still haven’t got there, some babies can take up to six months.

We saw in month 3 how the neck muscles have become stronger and she has discovered and begun using her hands too. This opens up a lot of things for us in terms of development. There is a lot more we can now offer to our babies, some recommended ones are highlighted in this article.

Bell on a ribbon

This is simply tying a bell (ghunghroo) to a ribbon with a bit of elastic on the top. This is tied above the babies play areas within her reach so as to be able to grasp and pull it. The purpose of this is to encourage the baby to reach out and touch / grasp the object. It also helps with visual development along with auditory development due to the soft sound the bell makes.

Ring on a Ribbon

This can be introduced a little later. Similar to Bell on a Ribbon, a ring/bangle (preferable wood or metal) is tied to a ribbon with elastic attached on the top. The ring/bangle should be big enough for the baby’s hand to fit and to be able to grasp it. The benefits are same as the previous one except for the auditory development.

Grasping beads

This is basically five wooden beads threaded and knotted together. The child is able to hold this in their hand and the smooth surface of the wood is attracting to them. They will of course put it into their mouth and it actually makes a good teether as well. This basically encourages grasping and hence development of the hand.

Rattle with Bells

No, not the regular noisy plastic rattles. This rattle is simply made to be able to fit into the hand of the baby with a soft musical sound to it when shaken. It is a smooth rounded piece of wood with a bell (ghunghroo) attached at either end. Make sure it is rounded properly so as to not cut the baby. This helps in tactile (touch) and auditory development for the baby.

Infant Mobiles

You must wonder how many are there? There are about 8 to 10 in total, introduced at different stages. It is not really necessary for you to use all of them. See what interests your child and pick accordingly.

“The children’s eyes are like two stars, fixed, looking intently at something. The logical conclusion is that in order to grow, the child in this first period of life must see many things. He must look at the external world in order to be prepared for the future, a future where he will be capable of movement.” - Maria Montessori, The 1946 London Lectures

After the Gobbi, you can introduce the Dancers and then the Butterfly Mobile. Again, you can choose to do all of just choose which ones work for your baby and you.

The Dancers Mobile is made of metallic coloured paper. They are normally in shapes of human figures and because they move with the wind they come across to be as ‘dancing’. The light reflects off the paper used and it is this along with the movement that helps with visual development. 

You can make your own Dancer’s Mobile with the help of this link.

The Butterfly Mobile is made up of 4 to 5 real looking butterflies (coloured both sides). Like the others, it is hung out of reach above where the baby lays during playtime. They are quite large and hence the colours and movement are clearly visible to the baby. Helps in visual development, concentration.

You can make your own Butterfly Mobile with the help of this link.

Which Montessori mobiles do you use for your baby?

**Images used are for representation purposes.**

So we completed two months, she’s settled into her own house (remember I mentioned we were at my mother’s house) and we got her head shaved too (she took it pretty well).

Now is where the action starts! What do I mean?

Siyana’s enjoying every bit of her movement; she is able to grasp things with her hands and started tummy time too. I’m going to cover this and more today.

Tummy Time

She is now in her third month and we make sure we allow her a certain amount of tummy time each day (just turning her over from her back to her tummy). She is already able to hold her head up without help when on her stomach. Once tired, she simply puts her head down. We give her about 10 to 15 minutes tummy time at a stretch (unless she gets uncomfortable before that).

She loves being on her tummy as she gets to see a lot more of her surroundings on her own. You can actually see the sparkle and curiosity in her eyes. Tummy time helps strengthen the back and neck muscles and also aids in development for crawling. Some babies may not enjoy it this early and some may even start earlier – you will have to try and see when your baby is comfortable with this and start then.

So, these are my Hands? Interesting! Let’s see what I can do with them.

Do you think that the first time your baby used their hands to hold something is important? Would it be just as important as turning over, sitting up, crawling, etc.

We do not realize the importance of the use of hands in children. Maria Montessori says, “The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.” The hands play a very important role in a child’s development, assisting them to reach their potential. When each child starts using their hands, is different but every child will use their hands (and tongues) to explore their environment. Keep a look out on when your baby begins to discover their hands; a few things I noted with my munchkin were:

·Holding my hair when I breastfed her, sometimes even my clothes.

·Grasping the blanket we used to cover her.

·Consciously holding on to our finger when we gave it to her.

·Holding on tight to a plastic bag kept close to her.

·Beginning to put her hand into her mouth.

The interlocking discs are recommended to use for infants once they start grasping things. They are helped to develop wrist movement and lead them to voluntary grasping. They are light in weight so easy for the baby to lift up when ready. They tend to use it as a teether as well later on and once a little older transfer it from one hand to the other, roll it and so on.

It was a little difficult to find this in India and as an alternate I used a simple wooden bangle I had which was light in weight and easy for her to grasp on to.

You could also additionally give them a napkin to hold, they enjoy doing that too. I avoided using the regular rattlers as they are very noisy for this age (apart from being non-Montessori)

The Gobbi Mobile

This next Mobile is the visual series and comes after the Octahedron. It’s normally introduced around 8 to 10 weeks. These are made up of 5 or 7 balls in shades of one colour e.g. shades of green. The longest side will be the darkest shade and the shortest side is the lightest shade of the colour being used. The thread used to hang this should also be the same colour as used in the Mobile. This, like the others, benefits in visual development.

Language

I’ve highlighted the importance of language and talking to an infant in one of my previous articles as well. Babies being to communicate right from birth (rather before that) and it is imperative for us to provide them with a rich environment for language. We must speak to them just like we speak to others and not baby talk.

An excerpt from The Joyful Child, “In the first days, months, and the first year of life the infant is especially interested in the sound of the human voice and in watching the face and lips of a speaking person. It is not an accident that the focusing distance of the eyes of a newborn are exactly the space between his face and that of the mother while nursing. Perhaps the best first communication experiences are provided while nursing the baby.
We can feed the child's intense interest in language, and prepare for later spoken language, by speaking clearly, not using "baby talk", by not raising our voice to an unnatural pitch often reserved for speaking to pets, and not oversimplifying language in the presence of the child.”

Do you baby talk? How do you encourage language development for your baby?

The feeling of giving birth to a baby is an unmatched one. Siyana is my first child and she has brought so much joy in our lives!

We have tried our best to bring up our daughter on the Montessori principals. Belonging to a traditional Indian family, I was at my mother’s for the ‘40-day period’ and once I came back home, it took sometime till we settled in; hence we did not get a chance to start Siyana on Montessori from birth. We did however incorporate a few basics and kept adding more in during the course of time.

It’s been an amazing journey so far, each day giving more to learn and experience. My daughter is currently 13 months old and I am going to share things I have done with her for her development from the beginning. I will also additionally add some more suggestions on what can be done as each child is unique and not everyone has the same way of growth.

Today, I will mainly cover the basics of a Montessori Room for an Infant. Contrary to baby rooms, in a Montessori environment, you will not find flashy, noisy baby toys. Instead, you will find a soothing, peaceful, natural environment.

A list of things that are recommended to have for your baby’s development:

Floor Bed

A basic mattress on the floor. The idea of the floor bed is to encourage independence, allow the development of the child’s will, and support their need for movement. The floor bed allows the child the freedom to get in and out of bed on their own, thereby reducing dependence on adults.  

The right time to start a baby on the floor bed, is generally when they are a few weeks old. We, however, were not ready and used a crib for Siyana for a long time before we started her off on the floor bed. I will have to admit though that I did delay this and should have done it much earlier. The crib is not something supported by Montessori as it restraints the child’s movements and they are stuck there till we do not get them out. This works well for us but is not the best thing for our baby’s development. 

Montessori Infant Mobile

One of the first recommended mobile’s for babies is the Munari Mobile which can be introduced to your baby when he is about two weeks old.

The Munari is a black and white mobile made from 2 dimensional geometrical shapes.  The newborn is unable to see colour so the Munari is black and white in order to give the child the greatest contrast in shades.  It encourages focus and uninterrupted viewing time builds concentration

One of the special key factors about the Montessori mobiles is that we offer them to the child when he or she is awake and alert.  The purpose is to help the child learn to focus, track, and develop his or her visual senseso he or she needs to be actively engaged and not in the process of falling asleep.

Black and White Images

As mentioned earlier, when babies are born, they are unable to see colour. Hence, in a Montessori baby environment, you would often find simple high contrast black and white. These images provide some visual stimulation for the newborn and provide and opportunity to concentrate and focus.

Wall Mirror

A mirror placed low on the ground; underneath the mirror a soft blanket/mat for the baby to lie on. This is generally a place where the baby spends most of their awake time. You can add the Black and White images here and also the mobile (you can rotate them too).

The wall mirror gives the baby an opportunity to observe themselves, their movements and learn how to control them. It also helps to provide a full view of the environment (room).

These are some of the basic essentials of a Montessori Infant Room. What we try to achieve from the room is:

·Provide the child with a sense of order;

·Give the child an environment to facilitate their movement;

·Things to provide support for the child’s development;

·A separate sleep and play area;

·Provide a room that the child enjoys being in.

I personally did not manage to do most of these from the time Siyana was born and do hope I can with my next baby. This area does not always remain this way. As your baby will grow, you can keep adding in things in the room that will assist with their growth and development.

** Images used are from the internet and only for representative purposes.**