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Brain Development from Birth to Three years (Montessori Voices Magazine version)

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The crucial importance that Dr. Montessori gave to the first few years of life, a century ago is resurfacing in today’s neuroscience. Dr. Montessori said that it was in these early years that the nervous pathways are established and the basic associative structures of the brain are completed. This will then serve as a foundation for how each experience for the rest of our life is processed, registered and recalled. The latest findings in neuroscience reiterates the same and that 85% of brain development happens in the first three years of life.

Dr. Montessori said that the significance of the first three years lies in the fact that child has an “unconscious absorbent mind”, which means that everything that is received from the environment is processed and stored in the brain cells with no effort. Neuroscience calls this “tacit (non-conscious) time frame”, where child absorbs how the social world works and this gets wired into how the brain works.

Since these first years are so crucial, here are some ways teachers and whanau can support the child during this period:

1. Pregnancy/ prenatal life- Dr. Montessori recognized these nine months as crucial for a child’s brain and emotional development. She said mother’s attitude and acceptance towards the baby played a vital role in babies development.

“It is very important to talk to the fetus and it is equally important to sing to him; this stimulation is like a massage for the brain and body.”- Understanding the Human Being.

Today, neuroscience confirms that a positive environment, mind set and experiences for a mother during pregnancy will have lifelong consequences for the child. Moreover sensory stimulation like talking and singing to the fetus aids in development.

2. Prepared Environment- Dr. Montessori emphasised that one of the key roles of an adult was to give the child a “prepared environment”. In the first year, this environment includes an area for rest (floor bed), area for change (change mat with supplies), area for feeding (comfortable chair) and an area for movement (horizontal mirror and a shelf with developmentally appropriate material).

“The most important way to achieve a better use of brain is to give it information of better quality and quantity in the first years of life. It is especially in this period that the brain shows a great capacity for developing very specialised functional circuits.”- Understanding the Human Being.

Today, neuroscience confirms that an important factor in stimulating the nervous system to develop and help human beings to progress and evolve is the kind of environment offered to them.

3. Responsive care and communication- Dr. Montessori famously said…

“Of all things love is the most potent.”

Research in neuroscience has proven that a child’s relationship with the adults in their life is the most important influence on their brain development. With responsive care, the brain’s systems learn to work well and keep the person healthy and socially engaged. What is learned in the early life will be applied ever after to relationships.

“Human relationships are NO 1 ingredient of child’s future success”- Theodre Roosevelt.

Talking to your baby not only helps in brain development through language information it has received but also helps in building neural networks as baby starts to make sense of the world around her. A child also absorbs the “emotional environment” of the home, so positive attitudes and emotions of the family members are crucial.

4. Observing and Responding to the child– Dr. Montessori emphasised that when a young child is observed and then responded to at the earliest, it helps them build trust in the world that their cries are heard. This also shapes their perception of the world, whether they will view the world in positive light and become optimistic or not.

Today, neuroscience agrees with this and further states that ‘when young babies cry they are not having tantrums or being emperors. They have needs and communicate them the only way that they can.’

5.  Play/ work time- Dr. Montessori stated “Play is a child’s work” and the Montessori Method is based on this. Today, neuroscience emphasis on the same. While baby plays, the sensory information she receives establishes important neural connections. These experiences provide a critical foundation for future development. 

Neuroscience agrees with Dr. Montessori that babies are ready to play from birth and it is their method of learning self-control, social skills and building intelligence.

6. Providing opportunities for development- Montessori emphasized on the importance of ‘freedom of movement’ for a child’s growth, which meant maximum awake time on tummy/ floor and no use of containers (walkers, swings, bouncers etc). 

Neuroscience confirms the above and today more and more pediatricians all over the world recommend using minimum contraptions and giving babies freedom to move, which is essential for their growth.

7. Outdoor time– Dr. Montessori emphasized on the importance of nature for a child’s development and said…

“The best way of invigorating a child is to immerse him in nature.”

There is so much research in neuroscience that shows the connection between physical exercise/ movement and mental acuity. The brain loves exercise and research has shown it increases brains executive function anywhere from 50%-100%. Once a baby is comfortable with bright day light, letting her spend some time regularly outdoors is great for her sensory development and for gaining an understanding of the world. As it is rightly said, trees make the best mobiles.

8. Face to face conversations rather than screen time– Dr. Montessori said that children in the first plane of development (birth to 6 years) are sensorial learners. They need to touch, feel, taste, smell, move and experience the real world. And no screen can provide this information in a natural or full-sensory way.

“There are many who hold as I do, that the most important period of life is not the age of University studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed….The child has an intelligence of this unconscious type, and that is what brings about his marvellous progress. It begins with a knowledge of his surroundings.” – Maria Montessori

CDs and TV programs promoted as “educational” and aiding development have now taken away those phrases because they don’t. Neuroscience says that screen with animated characters teaching them colours and numbers is a means of passive absorption and can never replace a face to face real life interaction for learning and brain development. Although screen time is a very sensitive topic and for many families it can’t be eliminated altogether. Preferably no screen time or very minimum supervised time is recommended specially in the first 3 years.

9.  Follow the child– Dr. Montessori always emphasized on “following the child”. She said every child has their own innate nature and it is part of education to recognize and utilize these predispositions, because education can aid and direct nature but can never transform it.

Every child has their own innate timetable and latest research in neuroscience shows that comparison or pressure could actually be a roadblock to their natural brain development. Observing, following and supporting a child through their personal and unique needs is optimum for their development.

10. Hold them- Dr. Montessori time and again recognised a baby’s need to be physically close to their whanau and stated…

“One observes, too, that the little one, going about with his mother, never cries unless he is ill or hurt in some way. Sometimes he may fall asleep, but he does not cry.”

Today, neuroscience reiterates that babies are meant to be held. There has been a lot of recent research which show that daily separation/ isolation for extended period causes enough stress in babies to induce epigenetic effects that heighten stress reactivity, causes deficits ion memory function in adulthood, causes underdeveloped serotonin receptors, endogenous opioids and oxytocin (happiness hormones) and influences the presence of various hormones and neuropeptides right when systems are being established.

Montessori philosophy is based on the child reaching their highest human potential. We have one hundred billion cerebral cells and we use only 2-4% of them. And a better educational environment, from the very beginning, is the only way to realise this potential. Neuroscience has established that the experiences that a child has in their environment determines the connections that are made in their brain. The richer the experiences and the more she experiences the more the connections are made. Within our brain, we have synapses which connect neurons together and allow signals to travel. In the first 2-3 years of life there are an immense number of these connections being made, a process known as synaptogenesis, which aids the child to adapt to their time and place. In conclusion, it is safe to say that much before neuroscience proved the above, Dr. Montessori made the above known through her extensive work and scientific observation with children.

Here is a brief timeline of brain development from conception:          

Pregnancy- during this crucial period 20,000 brain cells are being added every minute.

First 3 years- A staggering seven hundred new neural connections (synapses) are formed in the brain every single second, equating to over one thousand trillion synapses by a child’s third birthday

Observations at 7 Months Old

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Babies are amazing! Everyday, they seem to be doing something new. Below are just few things that I can remember for what Anika got upto at 7 months old….

  • First intentional word was Tasha (Sasha whole patting our dog). She does make sounds like mama and dada but they are not intentional yet.
  • Loves giving cuddles.
  • Directs her day by pointing to what she wants to do next. Ex- points to CD player when she wants music on!
  • She has started showing a very cheeky side! She bites and then gives big cuddles. She offers food and then takes it away!
  • She recognizes many words and points at them correctly. Some of them are- stars, light, daddy, Sasha, dog, cat, birdie, mama….
  • She lifts on all her fours. Tummy crawls backwards and in circles. 
  • She spends a lot of time doing push ups.
  • Anika absolutely loves social interactions with babies and adults. 
  • She shows a clear preference for wanting to go outside at all times.
  • Recognizes people she sees every week and extends her arms out when she wants to be carried by them. 
  • Loves to throw everything, including her food!
  • Hates wearing a bib! Loves feeling the food while eating it.
  • Got her first tooth and the second one is on the way.
  • Loves small things like a speck of dirt! Loves to play with hoodie strings, labels, zips and clothes.
  • Recognizes herself in the mirror and pictures and loves it!  
  • Loves holding things in one hand and manipulating it with the other hand.
  • Dancing is her all time favorite thing to do.
  • Recognizes all her favorite rhymes.
  • Enjoys putting the ball in the hole, in object permanence box. 
  • Loves taking out rings from a stacker. 
  • Plays peekaboo by herself and invites others to join in…
  • Loves taking out all the tissues from the tissue box and tearing it into pieces.
  • Flip fingers was her all time favorite Montessori inspired toy. We are so grateful for this amazing gift from Every Educaid.
  • She also explored a whole lot of treasure baskets.

Why sitting baby up did not work for us and transitioning back to floor time

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Most websites on google will tell you that ‘sitting’ is a developmental milestone that comes before crawling and babies generally start sitting independently once they turn 7 months old. I knew, I would never prop my baby to sit but at the end of 5 months, Anika could sit independently (without propping) and she loved it, so I helped her to sit up from supine position whenever she requested (extending hands and arching back).

I knew something wasn’t right. But I told myself it’s just a phase, she does not like floor time and it will get better soon. Like this few weeks past by, no signs of wanting to go back to floor time. Sure her sitting posture improved and she wanted to sit for even longer each day. But having to put her up in a posture that she couldn’t get into or out of, just didn’t feel right. What was I doing wrong? Many books and most sites on google say, sitting comes first before crawling….but my heart was aching and I knew I was doing something wrong. It was a light bulb moment for me, when i joined all the dots and realized…Anika started disliking tummy time only once she could sit. There was a direct link! Sitting wasn’t helping her get more mobile or independent, which meant it was a bad move. I started researching this and found this article by RIE expert Janet Lansbury, please read it.

  • Sitting is much easier than back time and also better view, so why will a baby want to go back on their tummy or back? I wouldn’t either.
  • Anika needed to depend on me to sit her up, which does not encourage independent play.
  • I always have a pillow behind, “just in case” she falls back, which takes away her and my confidence in her sitting ability.
  • She has been tummy crawling backwards since last month but things have not moved forward from there because she is not getting substantial tummy/ back time (prerequisite to crawling) to progress.
  • She moves 360 degrees while sitting and she can get into crawling position from sitting but if done organically it should happen the other way around. That is, she should crawl before being able to put herself into the seated position.

Decision was made it took me 4 days to undo her sitting habit. This is how I went about it…Firstly, hubby and I were convinced as could be that we had to stop seating her. There was no 2 ways about that…

Day 1– was the hardest day. On an average she would spend 30% play time (not counting meal times as sitting is a given) on floor and 70% seated. We pretty much did a 50% seated and 50% floor time on Day 1. She complained and every time she did, I would just lie down and put her on my tummy and start interacting with her. This was the only way we were getting through this…Anika never complains because she honestly believes that mama makes the best mattress 😀

Day 2– 60% floor time and 40% seated time. I continued putting her on my tummy when she complained. I also started going down to her level (on my tummy) and interacting with her. I got some new work material out to keep her interested and busy.

Day 3- 80% floor time and 20% seated time. Babies are creatures of habit! It’s amazing how quickly they adjust! Very few complaints and I continued to engage on her eye level when she did fuss.

Day 4- today was 100% floor time while playing. Not too many complaints. So happy it’s progressed well. 

It might not be a 4 day transition for every baby. They all are so different but here is a blog I wrote few weeks back on “20 ways to Encourage Tummy Time“, which will also be helpful. Here is another great read to go about the transitioning back to sitting by Janet Lansbury.

My aim of wanting to transition her back to floor time is not so she can crawl faster but I would love for my daughter to have graceful, organic movements which come when a baby is allowed to develop at their own pace.

What next? A very clear focus on NEVER putting her in any position, she cant get into by herself. This means not standing her or walking her either. Hubby and I have been pulling her to stand (naughty, naughty!) while we dance with her. Last 4 days, I go on my tummy/ back and dance with her she does not seem to mind. I think I might look like a drowning octopus though haha. I also plan to share these articles on why I wont walk, sit or stand my child with my in-laws because they spend time with her every week. Its important everyone is on the same page. Hope this blog helps someone <3

Montessori Baby Timeline- Our favorite Montessori Mobiles, Rattles and Books for the first 6 Months

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I recently had the opportunity to work together on Instagram with some amazing Montessori mum’s who shared lots of fantastic information for our miniseries called ‘#themontessoribaby’. Check it out if you haven’t already! I enjoyed sharing timelines for most topics as a way of reflecting back on past 6 months depending on what has been Anika’s favorite and how each book, mobile and rattle has worked for her developmentally. Montessori mobiles, rattles and books are baby’s “main toys” for the first 6 months and here is our timeline for each….

Montessori mobiles timeline

Babies have an immense capacity to concentrate for long periods of time and these early years are a sensitive period to build concentration. Montessori mobiles are scientific in the sense that they are developmentally appropriate to a child’s growing visual sense. Here is the sequence we introduced the Montessori mobiles in…

  1. Munari mobile– We introduced this to her when she a month old. Since babies can see only high contrast colors in early days, this black and white mobile was perfect for developing tracking skills and concentration.
  2. Octahedron Mobile– introduced at 6 weeks old. Babies eye sight develops at rapid pace. This mobile introduced primary colors in 3 dimensions.
  3. Gobbi Mobile– introduced at 8 weeks old. Gobbi introduced gradation of colors from the darkest to the lightest.
  4. Rainbow mobile– introduced at 9 weeks old. Introduces secondary colors and was Anika’s favorite mobile.
  5. Dancers mobile– introduced at 11 weeks old. It shows realistic shapes, movements and bodily expressions.
  6. Wooden figure/ whale mobile– introduced at 13 weeks old. Represents concrete and realistic form which aids in visual development and tracking.
  7. Ring on ribbon or bell chimes mobile– introduced at 15 weeks old. Strengthens grasping skills that is developing at around this time.
Baby Books Timeline

We have read heaps of baby books from day. 1 and we have read lots. Anika showed a preference for the following during each month….

  • 1 Month Old and 2 Months Old– We loved reading black and white books as she could only see in high contrast. She also enjoyed concentrating on high contrast flash cards. She enjoyed the visual aspect more than the oratory, so we spoke little and watched more.
  • 3 Months Old- She could see primary colors well and we loved reading small simple books with 1 picture per page and no words. We started talking a wee bit more about each page.
  • 4 Months Old– She started grasping everything. We loved reading the ‘indestructible series‘ for grasping and chewing. Instead of constantly saying No, we choose books that were safe for her to mouth and chew on.
  • 5 Months Old– She was fascinated with ‘lift the flap books’ which made her an active participant in our reading time. For the first few weeks, she watched me open the flaps and slowly she started trying to do it herself. I have written about our top 3 favorite lift the flap books here. She also enjoyed visual as much as oratory, so we talk heaps. I also added a lot of synonyms and actions into each page; example- elephant was too big is described as he was huge, gigantic, humongous, massive (with actions) etc. She seemed to understand some words and many actions, even if not she enjoys the description.
  • 6 Months Old- She was fascinated with body parts and loved to stare and play with my eyes, nose, ears etc. So we loved reading “My first Body” book along with some other favorites from the Indestructible series and Lift the flap series.
Montessori Rattle timeline

Rattles help in strengthening hand muscles and developing baby’s grasp. 2 Montessori concepts we always follow with any material are:

  1. Are they ready for it?- Never set them up for failure! It should be doable, not too easy (results in boredom) and nor too difficult (results in low self esteem).
  2. Order of introduction- Every material is introduced in order from the easiest to the most difficult, when they are ready for it. So here is the rattle timeline that we followed with Anika…
  • 2 Months old- We introduced the soft crochet black and white rattle. This soft and light weight (and safe!) bell rattle perfectly fit in small hands.
  • 3 Months old– We introduced the stick rattle. We love this willow rattle and also the wooden rattle. The stick is a firmer texture for a babies growing hand control and excellent for grasp refinement.
  • 4 Months old- We introduced circular rattles, which gave her a different grasp to work with. It also gave her an opportunity to practice hand to hand transfer.
  • 5 Months old- Anika could grasp and hold things with both her hands and the egg rattle was great to practice that skill.
  • 6 Months old– Anika was slithering and the rolling rattle encouraged her to move more.

Observations at 6 Months old

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My little girl is growing too fast! I miss all the cuddles in the carrier all afternoon already! Well, she is happy to sleep in bed now. My cuddle time is replaced with lots of food preps and cleaning time cause little Anika loves to eat by herself and I love to cook for her. Its a way to love her, if you know what I mean?

Here are some observations at 6 months old:

PHYSICAL

  • She rolls both ways swiftly and can roll all the way across the room.
  • At the start of this month she could sit independently for 5-10 minutes. At the end of this month, she hardly ever falls back for long periods of time. I still do place my breastfeeding pillow behind her just in case.
  • She has started staying in push ups (while on tummy) for lot longer and also comes on to her knees. She can slither if she wants to but its a very frustrating experience for her.
  • Anika can stand when supported for few seconds. Loves playing sit and stand game.

OTHERS

  • She is obsessed with dots and moles.
  • She seems really fascinated with body parts. We read lots of books and sang songs for the same.
  • Her favorite hangout changed from her Montessori room to our bathroom! She can stay playing there all day.
  • She takes all her day naps in bed, unless unwell then she wants to go back in the carrier.
  • First few months, people really intimidated her and she preferred to stay with me and my husband. This month, she has loved interacting with people. So we have had lots of outdoor adventures.
  • She absolutely loves her food and feeds herself during all the three meals.
  • Shows that she understands some words. Ex- Sasha (family dog, looks around for her), scream (responds by screaming when we row row row the boat), trees, lift, pull, push (does all the actions correctly), come……
  • Shows that she has a good memory. Ex- searches for the converter in the wall socket that was there yesterday. 
  • Reading books, dancing, gnawing in her teethers, exploring treasure baskets and understanding the cause/effect of everything at home were her favorites this month. 
  • She loves action songs and her favorite for the month was ‘wheels on the bus’.
  • Shows strong logic/ reasoning and keen interest in making sense of the world. She looks below the basin to see where the water goes. She cries if we put music on our phone without showing her where the voice is actually coming from.
  • Pulls the neckline of my tops towards her when she wants to feed.
  • Loves playing with strings, zips, labels and keys.
  • She directs me towards where she wants to go with her arms and legs (extended out or flexed back) and her eyes. 
  • She loves discovering every little detail at home. She has learnt to pull and push most doors at home! Her current favorites are watching me manipulate the pedal to open and close our rubbish bin, pulling out the toilet paper roll and watching the shower water disappear in the drain! She guides me to these favorites and demands I show her or let her do it 😀

She is shown her personality more and more this month. She feels so aware, so happy and so strong-willed. I am sure there are heaps more which I cannot recollect at the moment…but all in all time is passing by too fast and I am trying to make the most of the days, when I can still call her my ‘baby’.

Observations at 5 Months old

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Anika is 6 months today. I feel so elated and grateful. She is everything and more than what I had prayed for. I am so grateful for these wonderful 6 months, where has settled in well and has been so healthy too. Months seem to be passing by faster and faster. Everyday, I am grateful for this little girl and the joy she brings to me. The happiest thing for me about this month was that she is napping heaps more in bed (about 50% bed and 50% carrier, which is huge) and also that she is happy to be in the car seat now. The hardest thing about this month has been the huge amount of clean up required after every meal 🙂 Here are some observations at 5 months.

COMMUNICATION

  • I have used the word “come come…” before picking her up from birth. Now she understands this word (and few more) and extends her arms when I say it.
  • She also extends her arms when she wants to be picked up.
  • Anika is constantly finding new ways to communicate. She often ‘head bangs’ when she wants to entertain/ make us laugh.
  • Extends forward when she wants to touch something. Flexes back when does not want it. 
  • Laughs out loud when she finds something funny or when we kiss her.
  • Her babbles sound more like language. My favorite word of the month is ‘gugu’.
  • She is constantly testing her pitch. Loves making loud voices. 

MOVEMENT

  • Can sit unaided for 5 minutes at a time. I only propped her to sit once at the start of 5 months but it didn’t feel right, so I never did it again. Last week, I let her sit on bed and was surprised to see how long she could balance for.
  • She does not need the harness in her high chair anymore. She sits upright very well.
  • She has started lifting up on her arms during tummy time.
  • Rolls smoothly from tummy to back on both sides. Still figuring out the other way.
  • Does not like being physically constrained at all. High chairs or car seat.  Although we have made a HUGE progress with car seats recently.
  • Puts her toes in her mouth.
  • She can do a 360 degree turn when we play our movement game. She can push with both her feet, while on her back to go upward.

OTHERS

  • Tries to take the balloons out of the books and mole from my skin ;-D
  • Towards the end of 5 months, she has started attempting to feed herself. She gets annoyed when the banana slips off her finger and absolutely loves holding her broccoli (like a flower) and munching on it. She gets annoyed if I feed her! Miss independent 🙂
  • Loves tapping with her legs and hands on different surfaces to hear the sound. 
  • Loves lifting things to see what’s under.
  • Fascinated with labels and zips.
  • Particularly loves lift a flap books. 
  • Stares at light bulbs and loves when I dim and then brighten our bed lamp.
  • She is settling so well and has actually started enjoying other people, babies and new places. We have started going to markets, library, supermarkets and lots more play dates.
  • Loves putting her hands in my mouth while she is feeding. 
  • She is obsessed with finding the source of sound. It helps her understand how the world works.
  • Her 3 most favorite things are brushing her teeth, trying to flush the toilet and she loves to play with the (computer) mouse. It tells me that babies learn by imitating.
  • Likes routines and familiarity, ex- same books.
  • Has gained a good understanding of ’cause and effect’ in the home environment. We do water play in the sink after breakfast and she loves to take the plug off to see the water disappear.
  • Loves playing peekaboo by herself.
  • Can take a scarf away from her eyes and face.

That’s all I can think of. I look forward to lots more months and years of observing my child. Being able to do it so closely and consistently, it almost feels like a miracle is unfolding- so special!

Three Ways to make Car rides entertaining for Babies

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Some babies dont like being physically constrained in any way and Anika is one of them. Since birth she disliked her baby bath, so we moved her to the adult bath, with just 2 inches of water, a cloth underneath (to prevent slipping) and over her tummy (to keep her warm) and since she has loved baths. Play time has always been on floor and we have never used swings, bouncers, walkers etc. She is OK with going in her stroller as long as she can see and admire trees 🙂

Car seat has been the hardest battle and the most difficult to figure out. For the same reason, we had kept our outings to a minimum but that is not really feasible long term. I have tried heaps of things and the following 3 ways have worked well for her…Now Anika is ok to travel in car seats for an hour at a stretch and also sleeps in them. Life has become so much easier since! We now visit shops, supermarket, friends and also go for baby sensory classes. These ideas are only inspired by following my child and seeing what she was interested in. But, I thought maybe this would work for more babies, so I should share 🙂

  • Silk scarf– Her MOST favorite toy of all time is this silk scarf. She loves the colors and the texture. We love that it stays in her lap (its soo long) and does not slip down even if she lets go of it. She loves chewing on it and playing peekaboo by herself.
Babies love seeing other babies. Anika loves watching her car friends 🙂
  • Pictures of babies- Babies love looking at other babies. My purpose of sticking these pictures (found on google images) was to aid her developing vision, concentration, acceptance of others and imbibe diversity at a young age. Well, she has loved looking at her ‘car friends’ and I highly recommend this.
Allowing her favorite objects to grasp while in the car seat- spoon and toothbrush
  • Toothbrush or spoon– Babies learn through imitation. And the things that fascinate my little one the most is holding a spoon (and eating) and bushing with a toothbrush (like she sees me doing everyday). Letting her practice grasping her 2 favorite objects in the car seat has made it much more entertaining for her to be in there. As a reminder, I would only give this to a baby if its safe for them. (i.e.: they dont hit their face accidentally anymore)

Other than above, if Anika gets unsettled and I am driving, I sing to her and that works too. It has been 5 months of repeated exposure to the car seat for brief periods and also an understanding that I am still around in the drivers seat, but the above has helped heaps to ease the transition of being ok in the car seat. Hope this was useful to someone 🙂

Montessori Shelf at 5 Months Old

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Anika is 5 months old already! It reminds me to savor moments like these….

Love cuddling her when she is asleep and awake!

Anika is rolling over and has got a lot more mobile on her tummy and her back. So it was time to make some important changes in the room. While Anika slept in the stroller this morning, I quickly re organised her room and shelf. The final look for this month is…

The 2 most important changes in the room are:

  • We replaced our much loved rainbow wool rug with this large thick play mat (PVC and phthalate free). So she now has more space to explore her movements. We found this rug at Baby Show in Auckland last year, but you can find similar one here.
  • I have placed my breastfeeding pillow, near the shelf. We now spend 5-10 minutes every work cycle doing assisted sitting practice. Sitting is the only gross motor skill that babies need to “practice” with help before they can master it on their own and 5 months is the perfect time to start this. To be honest, 2 pillows joined at an angle will work just fine.

For a few more days, her favorite bell chimes mobile stays because she absolutely loves working with it. I am always in the room with her, so it’s ok but generally as soon as babies start to roll over its safer to take all the mobiles out.

Practicing assisted sitting with pillow and my hand

Now time for our exciting shelfie!!

Shelfie at 5 months old

We were very happy to receive some amazing rattles from Sarah at Every Educaid. I love this company and all their beautiful natural and hands-on educational resources. Anika has come a long way with her grasp this last month, so these beautiful rattles are just perfect for 5th month to further refine her grasp.

Thank you Sarah (Every Educaid) for these beautiful rattles + wooden spiky balls for heuristic basket
Top shelf

Top shelf Details:

Wooden bowls- are from flea markets in Bali.

First bowl– Playsilk since Anika is REALLY into peekaboo atm. She is trying to make sense of order permanence.

Second bowl– Interlocking discs. During 5th month a very important thing happens with hands- TRANSFER FROM ONE HAND TO ANOTHER. So if there is only 1 resource I recommend for this age, it would be this beautiful discs designed ideally for hand to hand transfer.

Third, fourth, fifth and sixth bowls- are all rattles from Every Educaid. Anika hardly misses grasping what she wants now. These rattles are much more trickier to hold than her previous ones, which will further refine her grasp.

Bottom shelf view

First box- has willow rattle (from Every Educaid) and wooden rattle from Essential Montessori.

Hug a Planet– We LOVE this cloth ball. It gives a great height and support to work with specially when Anika is practicing sitting.

Skwish Toy– Still a favorite at 5 months!

Montessori Perfect Pacifier– we use it as a teether and its easy to hold and great to gnaw on.

We have another basket with toys in the living room. That includes her all time favorite teether- Sophie the Giraffe and lots of books! Happy Wednesday everyone.

Settling a newborn- the Montessori way (Montessori Voices magazine version)

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I love writing for Montessori Voices (NZ Montessori magazine). I am grateful to have met Cathy, the lovely editor and executive direction of MANZ, NZ at our AMI 0-3 certificate training last year. My first article was released at the start of this year on “Preparing a Montessori Newborn Space” and I choose to write the second article on ‘Settling a Newborn-the Montessori way” because I found the birth month really hard and was immensely grateful to have read about the Montessori way and the crucial importance of those first few weeks of life. I hope you find this article useful and please do share with any new mum you know…

Article in the magazine
Article in the magazine

Symbiotic Period is the first 6-8 weeks in a newborns life that have a significant impact on their overall development depending on the level of care provided by the mother/primary caregiver. The mother-child relationship is established through the following three forms of contact:

  • Holding- The body language from the primary caregiver as she holds it provides the newborn information about their caregiver’s attitude and feelings towards the baby. When a newborn is held with loving kindness it provides them a reassurance that they are accepted and loved.

Much research has shown that the extent and quality of care the mother provides the child are strongly conditioned by the amount of time they spent together during the first days after birth.- Dr. Montanaro.

  • Handling- A caregiver’s positive involvement while changing, dressing and bathing the newborn becomes another vital tool for the baby’s smooth transition into their new environment. By involving a newborn in his/her care routine by slowing down and letting them know what is going to happen to them next helps the baby feel secure and respected.
  • Feeding- Breast milk is recommended as the most optimum food for an infant. Apart from it being the most appropriate biological food, it also gives the infant and mother a sense of unity which helps in building secure attachment. If, you need to bottle fed, it is recommended that the primary caregiver feeds the infant during this period.

If all these experiences have been positive during the Symbiotic Period then the necessary integration between the child’s mind and body has happened and this becomes the moment of their psychological birth. The profound meaning of what happens in this period will have an effect throughout life.

Here are some Montessori guidelines that ease the transition during the Symbiotic Period:

Observing, Responding and Following the child– It is important to pay attention and be intuitive about our babies. A fantastic aid in the beginning few weeks while we got to know and understand each other was the Dunston baby language. All babies have a similar voice/ cry for the same reason. Once we understood the reason for the crying, we responded immediately.

Baby Voices

“This basic trust produces optimistic individuals who will perceive the world as a beautiful place and who believe, no matter how difficult circumstances become, that external help can be found.”- Dr. Montanaro.

Freedom of movement is crucial from birth. So minimal or if possible don’t use of mittens, pacifier, swaddle, containers (swings, bouncers). Instead baby uses the floor bed and movement mat on the floor to have a complete view of their environment and freedom to move their body. It is also crucial that their “points of reference”, which is their memory during their time in the womb, are always available for a smooth transition during this period. These are mother’s voice, her heartbeat and freedom to touch their own body.

Importance of concentration– A newborn has an immense capacity to concentrate for long periods of time and Montessori mobiles are a great aid to concentration. The role of an adult is to not disturb the baby once they start concentrating. The scientific sequence to Montessori mobiles is developmentally appropriate to a child’s growing visual sense. Here is the sequence we followed:

Birth to 3 weeks- the child absorbs the environment, while placed on a movement mat.

4th week- introduced Munari mobile (black and white)

6th week- introduced mobile (introduction to primary colours)

8th week- introduced Rainbow mobile (introduction to secondary colours)

9th week- introduced Gobbi mobile (introduction to gradation of colours from darkest to lightest)

11th week- introduced dancer’s mobile (realistic shapes and represents movement, flexibility, bodily expression and potency).

This is followed by batting and grasping mobiles.

It is our capacity to become altered by sustained attention to our surroundings that is the most spiritual quality of human beings.- Montessori from the Start

Respect the child- Respectis a crucial part of the Montessori philosophy. Some ways to respect a newborn are:

– Follow the child: It is developmentally not possible to spoil a baby! So when a baby wants to cluster feed or be held for long periods, follow the child because that’s what they need to feel secure in this new world.

– Communicate and involve them during personal cares: Letting them know what is about to happen to them before actually doing it lets them know what to expect and lays the foundation  for their self-esteem and respect in relationships.

– Respect their need for personal space: It is recommended to keep visitors at a minimum in these first few weeks. Bonding as a family and keeping this personal space is crucial and eases their transition in the new environment. Close family and friends use a topponcino (security pillow) to carry the newborn so the child is handled securely.

Adjust the environment- Adjusting the home environment to bea little warmer, lights little dimmer and less noise will provide the child a smooth transition from their life in the womb.

The family is certainly a prime determinant for the positive development of the child. The parents should therefore understand that they hold the key to the development of a happy, integrated, strong human being.
                                                                        Dr. Montanaro

The first few weeks are crucial and challenging period not just for the baby but also for the new mother/primary caregiver, who has a great responsibility of settling the baby while still recovering from birth. This article is only a guideline because every child and family works differently and have diverse circumstances. Along with a primary caregiver’s intuition and Montessori principles of following the child, respecting the child, observing and responding appropriately and freedom of movement a newborn settles in their new environment with ease.

20 Montessori Inspired Activities at 4 Months old

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At 4 months old, babies have discovered their hands and feet, they are refining their grasp and are very aware/fascinated with the outside world. Since Anika’s awake time has increased to 2 hours, we can do lots more than feed, change, concentrate on Montessori mobiles and tummy time 🙂

At 4 months old, Anika is obsessed with hands and feet. Here she is catching her toes and watching how mine move..

I recently posted several activities we love doing at 4 months old on Instagram. I am thrilled with all the feedback. Anika will be 5 months on this weekend, so I thought I should share all the various activities we have enjoyed doing this past month. To reiterate from my last post, these are all extra’s, the most important thing a baby needs is you (primary caregiver) and your loving attention.

Let’s start with the activity that got over 30 K views and 750 likes on Instagram :-O

  • Balloons loosely tied to the wrist- Between 3 and 6 months, the robotic arm and leg movements begin to disappear and this is replaced by more conscious and graceful movements. One of our favorite ‘rainy day’ activity for concentration + movement refinement is exploring loosely tied helium balloons on wrist. If you watch the video, you will see how much babies enjoy balloons. Any play with balloons should always be supervised.
  • Dance with bell socks- Here is a proof that babies learn through imitation. That’s why its always important for me to reflect on all I do and say. Dancing together with bells is a great way for us to connect and for Anika to practice rhythmic movement. She had been gifted these rattle socks and I made mine from inserting 2 loose bells in a pipe cleaner and tying it around my ankle.
  • Wooden figure mobile– Mobiles are a wonderful aid to concentration in the first few months of life. We have loved the Montessori mobile sequence during the first 3 months. At 3.5 months, we changed to this whales mobile, which helped in visual development through realistic shape and movement. At 3.5 months Anika started ‘grasping’ the whales instead of watching and batting them, so we changed to the ring/ bell chimes mobile.
Her longest loved whale mobile
Whales mobile provides a great stimulation for ‘grasping’ and
when they do, its time for bell chimes mobile
  • Bell chimes mobile– This is a fun and exciting extension to the Montessori ‘ring on ribbon’ mobile. I did a DIY ‘elastic on ring’ mobile, but Anika didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as she loved clashing the bells (cause and effect) on her bell chimes mobile.
Bell chimes mobile has been great for grasping with
a very pleasant soothing effect of the chimes
Still a great challenge to grasp during tummy time but its work in progress…
Anika enjoying a simple DIY Montessori elastic on ring mobile
  • Provide grasping opportunities on back and tummy– At 4 months, it’s all about ‘grasping’. Apart from trying to grasp everyone’s nose, lips and hair :-D, Anika has loved working with a variety of grasping toys.
Anika loves grasping her Hevea star ball which can be easily attached to any playgym
Tie double knot to silk scarf and hang it on your playgym. They are great for grasping and mouthing 🙂
All down 🙂
  • Water play in the sink- One is never too young for water play! Most babies love playing with water. At 4 months old, babies can’t sit independently but they are developing stronger spine muscles to hold the supported sitting position for few minutes. We do a short water play in the sink every afternoon before getting changed and recently its become the highlight of the day for Anika. She splashes with her hands and feet and loves feeling her hands under running water. She is incredibly fascinated with the tap as well and is trying to figure it out.
Never too young for water play 😉 Sink works well at this age.
  • Go Outside- We go outside everyday (unless windy) and Anika kicks with excitement as soon as I bring her warm clothes out. She cooes and chats with the trees and loves each minute outdoors. I have spoken more about exactly why and how we do it in ‘Forest school for babies’.
Nature is a great tummy time incentive
  • Play with various textured balls- Balls are such a wonderful open-ended and sensorial toy. At 4 months old, we are using them to refine our grasp, feel different textures, taste them 😉 and encourage movement.
Grasping the crochet ball during tummy time
Since babies love bringing their hands together at 4 months. Holding various textured balls with both hands strengthens their hand muscles.
  • Science for babies- We have not introduced any bath toys yet. Anika is too busy cooing with me, splashing or chewing on her face cloth during bath time. So this set up with stones sinking at the bottom and duck floating was really fascinating for a little 4 month old.
First experience of sink and float for babies
  • Let them feel– the world and people around. Babies love feeling people’s faces, hair, clothes etc with their hands. They also love feeling everything in the environment, from a metal tap, wooden door to sand. Since their hand to mouth reflex is still not super quick, this is a wonderful age to let them feel their world.
Let them feel various textures in nature.
This book is our current favorite with lots of different textures to feel
  • Introduce the home environment- In the first 6 months, babies make a mental picture of the home environment so they are ready to go, once they start crawling 🙂 Anika absolutely loves it when I take her around the house and show her how the washing machine works or how to rotate the door knob. These are their “first practical life” lessons. We aid this by baby wearing and doing tummy time in various nooks and corners of home.
Anika gets to touch and feel all things around home and food is her favorite 🙂
Tummy time at random places around the house keeps her entertained without toys+ encourages new discoveries. Here she discovered, her hands slide under the mat and disappear!
  • Give them real-life things to explore-More than any toy, Anika loves to observe us do “real-life” things, like eat and brush. What intrigues babies the most at this stage is how our hands and feet move while doing those things. With the recent introduction to solids, she is figuring out how to hold a spoon and loves exploring this. She also loves playing with random things like my wooden bangle, house keys, remote control for heat pump etc. Please note, we only started giving her these ‘real objects’ towards the end of 4th month, once she had mastered the hand control enough to not hurt her face/ eyes.
Exploring a spoon and working out ‘the hold’
  • Let them watch the world- At 4 months old, babies are now more comfortable with the world around them. Every little thing amazes them, so we try to give Anika as many real-lie experiences as possible. She loves watching rain fall, watching cars drive past, people walking by….
Watching the rain fall is a wonderful sensorial experience for babies
At 4 months, babies can perceive the world of smooth transitions and love watching cars and people pass by..
  • Yoga with mum- For the past 3-4 months, I have found it impossible to take out time for self-care (yoga for me). Until recently, I figured yoga with Anika on the same mat would be kind of fun + my bit of ‘role modelling’. Yoga has had an immense impact on my life and as Anika is busy absorbing everything I do, I hope this becomes an integral part of her life too. Anika is obsessed with hands and feet and seeing my body move in different ways and from a different angle inspires her to move and ‘experiment’ more with her body too. Sometimes we do it for 2 minutes and sometimes 10 minutes, but something is better than nothing. For Anika, she is fascinated and trying to move too!
Watching mama’s hands and feet do funny things!
Never too young for yoga! Role modelling encourages her to move too.
  • Give them pictures to look at- We have loved these black and white cards from etsy in the first 4 months. Since she now moves 180 degrees and sometimes even moves 360 degrees during tummy time, I set up various cards/ pictures to encourage movement.
Looking at our favorite black and white images, which is a great tummy time incentive to move
  • Give them space and time to work on themselves- As a rule of thumb, Anika does tummy time (since day 4) as soon as she wakes up from a nap. We dont disturb her concentration, unless she calls us. This time/ space is essential for babies to work on their skills. We let her do this wherever we are and always respond to her needs but if she chooses to just work by herself, we respect that too. If you do use swings, bouncers or walkers, ensure that baby has ‘floor time’ as it is crucial for their growth and development.
All of this month has been about doing the ‘flying’ move during tummy time to build core strength for rolling + crawling
  • Practical life for babies- is watching adults do chores. In a Montessori classroom, adults do “presentations” to demonstrate the work. In home environment a baby is constantly watching the adult and absorbing “how things are done”. We like to include Anika in our daily life by getting her on our eye level while one of us do the chores and let her see us. This absolutely fascinates her! Concentration while absorbing chores is 100%.
Practical life for babies= watch us do chores
  • Sing and play instruments- We can’t play any musical instrument but randomly strum this ukelele (last Christmas present for hubby) and sing songs and dance every night. Hallelujah to screen free house! And I promise, babies think music is music even if you don’t know what cord you are playing 🙂
Trying to strum the ukelele like mama and daddy
  • Play dates- While babies love looking at other babies pictures in the books, what they love even more is seeing them in real-life. At 4 months old, babies are increasingly aware and bonding with other babies is a wonderful opportunity for them. During Anika’s first play date, she and her little buddy looked at each other and both simultaneously squealed in excitement and disbelief!

Hope this post gave you some ideas on fun ways to explore the world while aiding your babies development. Even though, I have tagged this as ‘4 month old’ activities, these will be enjoyed on repeat for us till at least she is 6 months old. Any more to add?