I’m the first to admit that I read hardly any baby books prior to the arrival of Jack. I started Bringing Up Bebe but never finished it. Then Jack arrived, and Google, fellow friends who had newborns around the same time, and mom blogs helped me navigate his first year.
Now that Jack is considered a full-fledged toddler (though, he’s still my baby), I’m finding myself gravitating to wanting to read more about the next stage of parenthood. Raising toddlers.
Over the past few months I’ve become very interested in learning about having more of a Montessori-home for Jack. I purchased and finished reading The Montessori Toddler after I experienced a few of Jack’s meltdowns. I was trying to figure out how to cope as a parent, but more importantly, how we help Jack through those moments.
I won’t get into it too much, at least not yet, as we try to implement some Montessori practices (open-ended play, setting limits, but allowing him freedom within those limits, etc.). However; I did take a page out of their book in trying to create a more toddler friendly play area for Jack.
We invested in a Pikler Triangle from Lily & River after Jack’s taken to new heights with his climbing abilities. We intentionally want to give him a space that is safe to play in and explore, climbing included (just preferably not on the side tables, couch, play table, or baby gate). If you are interested – you can use FATHERSDAY at checkout for 20% off your purchase (limited time offer)!
We also have a dedicated shelf for Jack’s toys. He can reach everything on it and I tried to pair down the amount of toys we have out so we can start to rotate through some of his toys. I swapped out a few items he no longer showed interested in (or that I think are an eye sore for our living space) for some wooden toys that encourage more open-ended play. I found that The Montessori Guide is a great resource in figuring out what toys or activities we can do with Jack now that he’s 17 months old! The Mama Notes also has a ton of great ideas for activities for toddlers!
UPDATE: To keep it real, his shelves no longer look like this, we’ve accumulated more toys or more have gravitated from his bedroom and I need to do another purge!
At 17 months, Jack is very into puzzles, climbing, balls (basketballs, soccer balls, hockey pucks, baseballs), Lego blocks, cars/trains, and he loves to read his books with his stuffed animals.
Jack’s Favorite Puzzles:
While we continue to educate ourselves and what works best for our family, I’m forever inspired by the images I’ve found on Pinterest. Here are a few Montessori play areas that are not only functional, but aesthetically pleasing as well!
Images Via Pinterest (here, here, here, and here)
