At just shy of two years old, my little girl has become obsessed with all things “big girl.” The potty, utensils, and now blankets, just to name a few. I’ve been reluctant to switch from the small, baby blanket even though I know she’s old enough to not smother herself. Still, a mother worries.

I heard that using a duvet with a cover is a better idea than sheets and a blanket – less to get tangled in, less to wash, easy to make. So, we’re giving it a try.

Off to Ikea I went and found a duvet (sterilized, no less) and a really sweet, cheap 100% cotton duvet cover. It’s white with a small checked pattern in white thread all over it (hard to see in pics). White? Yes. White. I’m a bleach kinda girl.

Like a fish to water, Sophie’s taken to the big girl blanket. And now, her stuffed doggie and elephant get tucked in at night with the baby blankets. She even “helps” me make her bed. Oh, and if you’re wondering, she sleeps in a floor bed, so she’s already used to the freedom of sleeping on her own mattress.

Everyone is happy!

Almost a year into the floor bed and things are still going strong. I wrote previously on the Montessori floor bed and a little of why we chose to go that route instead of with a crib (see post). Well, the decision was made and we have never looked back.

At first, I was nervous that the floor bed would give our daughter too much freedom in her room. The purpose of the bed is to instill the ability to make decisions and allow the baby to experience independence, albeit independence with limits. Yes, we baby proofed the whole room, but still, it’s a bit nerve racking to think of the baby deciding to get out of bed on her own to explore her room…and we don’t even have a video monitor!

I decided to put some board books and toys on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf in the room, that way, if Sophie wanted to play with something she would have a selection of things that were virtually indestructible. Recently I’ve added a few wooden puzzles within her reach and her favorite stuffed animals. Also, at night, I move the pillows (purely decorational) along with her blanket to the top of the changing table so she can’t get in to trouble with those.

This is how her typical morning goes: she wakes up, starts singing and babbling. She stirs, probably rolling around for a bit until she decides to crawl over to her bookshelf. Sophie is walking now, but she prefers to sleep with her sleep sack on and it’s difficult for her to walk in it – she has figured out that crawling still works fine. So, she’ll crawl over to her bookshelf and throw just about everything on the floor, sifting through each book, puzzle or animal deciding what to play with. I know this because I hear her on the monitor doing this. Then, she plays…and talks to herself. She’s been able to go for almost a whole hour at a stretch while my husband and I slowly wake up and roust ourselves. Now, I’m not sure how babies react to the morning in cribs since I have no experience with one, but our mornings are really good this way. She wakes up on her own time and is learning to amuse herself – no Mommy or Daddy to make her decisions for her. I think that is a valuable lesson, one that may just serve her well throughout her life.

I’d be lying if I said she never cries in the morning, but those seem to be getting fewer and farther between. It’s as if she knows that we’re here for her even if she doesn’t see us.

I should mention that naps are a different story. Sometimes it is the exact same routine as the morning. But, there have been plenty of days where she just won’t go to sleep or stay asleep. She refuses! And, those days she gets herself out of bed and throws a fit by the door. I know this because 1) I can hear her voice get louder and louder as she tries to look under the crack in the door to the hallway and 2) I’ve hit her with the door as I’ve entered the room. (FYI, I open the door very, very slowly now). But, I figure any kid refuses sleep some days and in a crib she’d throw the same tantrum, she just would have less mobility. Good, and bad.

Sophie has now taken to marching herself over to her bookshelf and playing during naps. Ultimately I’m OK with that as she is making her own decisions (within limits) and we stick to her schedule regardless if she gets a nap…if she’s extra sleepy when bed time comes around, then maybe she’ll eventually learn that nap time combats that. One can hope.

Overall, the floor bed is indeed teaching our daughter the lessons we wanted to teach her. Consequences stem from her own actions – not from some arbitrary “rule.”

And lastly, an added benefit I hadn’t realized: the bed is great for us as well. When she’s sick my husband and I have alternately curled up beside our daughter and rubbed her back during the night, comforted her in the wee hours of the morning while laying down, and lounged in her room while we play together. We are on the floor, yes, but not stooping over a bed rail, feeling our backs get increasingly sore. My knees talk to me more now but honestly I’d rather have that then back trouble!

I’m no expert in Montessori but I’m extremely interested and have been trying to put fold some principles in to the way we are raising our daughter.  I know, I know, you probably can’t cherry pick these things but for what it’s worth, I am and it seems to be working OK for us.  So, here’s our experience with the Montessori floor bed and how we incorporated the idea into a room that is actually quite cute.

Why a floor bed?  As my cousin (the real expert and the one I look to for advice – her blog is www.mommybahn.blogspot.com) says “a montessori infant should be able to get in and out of bed on her own power.”    A crib hampers a child from making their own decisions.  Essentially, you’ve made all the decisions for them – you put them in the crib and you take them out.  With a floor bed, they are empowered.  A double edge sword, you might say.  Nonetheless, a floor bed allows your child to begin to understand their power.

We put a single futon on the floor and placed it in the corner of the room, up against 2 walls.  I contemplated getting a floor bed frame but decided a futon on the floor would suffice.  Yes, it’s a little college for an infant.  But, for us, the frame wasn’t necessary to the principle or the design.  I must say it has far exceeded my expectations and my daughter loves loves loves it!  She sleeps soundly, hasn’t rolled off on to the floor yet (except when she intends to) and can entertain herself in the mornings quite well.  I should mention here that we close her bedroom door because her room is on the 2nd floor and ours in on the first so I can’t have her roaming about the house on her own…one reason why I cherry pick what principles we follow and what we don’t.  That said, the entire room is baby proofed.  You could, I guess, call the whole room her crib but that is getting way too technical for this mom and there are way more qualified Montessori gurus out there.  I offer this just as a real world implementation of the Montessori floor bed. Our family couldn’t be happier with this sleep solution.

UPDATE: Just to bend your ear about safe sleep, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association has a great resource on crib (and other sleep solutions) safety.