Comments on: 365 days of the Montessori Floor Bed: is it still working?

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:20:00 +0000

OOHH. Naps can be a problem, huh? What I did, and I don’t know if this is bad or good, but I put her to sleep as best I could, got her good and ready to sleep by telling her a story, firmly telling her it was bedtime, rubbing her feet a bit and singing her a lullaby. Some days, though, she just didn’t nap and I had to be OK with it. Let’s face it, you can’t force a kid to nap even if they sleep in a crib, so I figured she was keeping herself happy in her room, what harm was there. That said, this was the exception because she’s now almost 4 and has just given up her nap. Like a month s ago, just! I’d bet your little guy is getting enough sleep if he sleeps through the night. Sleep begets sleep, so you could try to put him down earlier at night and see if that gets you anywhere. Or, schedule morning activities to keep him up till mid day and see if that gets him good and tired. Hope this helps. Lemme know!

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:34:49 +0000

Help, help, help! I have been doing the floor bed for a while now (I have a 9 month old), but I am having a lot of trouble with naps. Any suggestions? Should you follow a nap routine and just leave him in his room for a nap time, even if he isn’t sleeping? I don’t mind that he doesn’t take naps (we’re running on one very short morning nap, as I type, and it’s almost 5pm), but I’m worried he’s not getting the rest he needs. I would appreciate any help.

By: Louise Allana

Louise Allana — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:57:58 +0000

Re the mould issue, it depends a bit on your climate, but I live in Melbourne, Australia (temperate climate) and I regularly prop the mattress up against the wall, allowing it to air on both sides. Every time I change the sheets and also at other times (since the sheets don’t need changing a lot). In a humid climate this might not be enough and I might find I needed to either have a base or air it every day. It’s definitely a worry. If your child is getting chest infections etc its definitely the first thing I would look at as a friend of mine discovered that mould (not in the bed but in the gutters) was the cause of her families continual illness.

By: Louise Allana

Louise Allana — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:54:11 +0000

“as she tries to look under the crack in the door to the hallway”

So cute. Yes, our baby does the same thing. I first caught him doing it when he wanted company at night, so I pretended to be asleep in the middle of the floor, and he crawled to the door and did some minor gymnastics to try and see under the door. Gorgeous.

As for naptimes and babies that want to play, I put him in his room when I think he is tired (or should be tired), and shut the door. He plays quietly and then in ten or fifteen minutes is usually asleep. Now that he has hit ten months he usually puts himself on his bed to sleep too. Occasionally he cries and there is difficulty, but that is rare these days.

I wrote up a big post all about it and keep on adding updates here: http://louiseallana.com/tag/roos-room/

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:15:26 +0000

@Andrea You bring up a very, very good point. First off, mold is a serious issue and I hate to admit that I actually cultivated some of my own, come to find out. I think the extra frame difference is minimal, and you should do it. I mean, the baby is already going to have to get used to 6″ so what’s another 2? Just watch out for how hard edged the frame is, considering how often your baby’s noggin will bump against the side of it. Thanks again for bringing it up. And do tell me how it turns out.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:19:16 +0000

I am considering doing the floor bed for my second child. I found a naturally made 6″ high mattress. I am going to go with twin or full size so that I can lay with the baby and it can be used later on. My only concern is mold/mildew growing at the bottom of the mattress if placed directly on the floor. I have contacted many mattress manufacturers and they have advised against placing their mattresses directly on the floor. I am thinking of building a 1.5″/2.0″ low profile bed frame/foundation to allow for some air flow. From your experience, do you think 7.5″/8.0″ (mattress+bed frame) is too high for an infant?

By: Baby Room Tour – Hanford, CA Home

Baby Room Tour – Hanford, CA Home — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 06:32:13 +0000

[...] Montessori Floor Bed in Action and a later Update After a Year [...]

By: On Baby Gifts and Registries « A Life in Season

On Baby Gifts and Registries « A Life in Season — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:05:08 +0000

[...] Brest Friend, or organic nursing pillow? Did we want to use a bassinet, Moses basket, crib, or floor bed? Did we want to have a separate nursery, room-share, co-sleep with a co-sleeper, or co-sleep in [...]

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:26:09 +0000

Let’s see – advice for a smooth transition? Yes, ear plugs! No, no, no, just kidding. I remember that at 7 months, the world is pretty interesting (well now, it’s pretty interesting all through life, isn’t it?) and boogie-ing is way more fun than sleeping. My best advice is to be consistent and have patience. Truly. I know that may not be what you’re looking for. My experience was this: I’d get Sophie all ready for sleep and as soon as I put her down she’d want to crawl. In fact, she’d be rocking on all fours, crawling in her sleep. I’d go in there, put her back down, rub her belly or back (whichever was up) and then leave again. Finally, after umpteen times trying to get her to sleep lying down, I just gave up and allowed (funny use of that word) her to crawl. She eventually tired and fell asleep. Not necessarily on the bed, but it didn’t bother her so I tried to not let it bother me.

I will say that each time I went in there to soothe her, I put her back on the bed so she would learn that bed is where sleep “should” happen. It took a while for the message to get through, but it did get through.

Best of luck and remember, your son is asserting the independence that you are fostering, so keep him safe, reassure him if he gets scared and go with him.

By: marla

marla — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:08:52 +0000

i am starting the transition from bassinet to floor bed for my 7 month old son. do you have any advice for a smooth transition? I like to put him down after i nurse him and rock him a bit to get him calm so he can put himself to sleep. However, all he wants to do is crawl off the mattress and boogie. Do you think i am jumping the gun with the floor bed at 7 months? LOve your blog – i am a montessori teacher and new parent so i love the idea of “cherry picking” what works best

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:07:04 +0000

@Ktpix – Thanks for the reference to Dr. Ferber and the sleep training in the montessori bed. Love the help! Thanks for your blog!

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:03:14 +0000

@Emily – Check out the Ikea florvag – While 6 inches is good, 4 inches might be a little more manageable for the little one to get in and out of at first.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:47:37 +0000

I like the way you’re thinking: keeping chemicals out of your baby’s environment. For the most useful mattress, I’d go with the 6″, though I’m not sure it will really matter in the long run. What I’ve noticed with our futon is that the edges get smushed and become flattened. It doesn’t matter to our little one though, as she delights in rolling off of it when she plays in there. And, (you may not like this) she sometimes sleeps on the floor with the edge of the mattress as her pillow. This, I must admit, used to concern me, but now I go with it. She still gets a good night sleep and I figure I can’t control when and how she sleeps, only what time we put her down in her room to sleep. The other stuff she’s going to have to learn on her own…Part of sleep training. Hope this helps!