In January we moved our family of five out of our home in Brisbane (Australia) to Wiltshire in England. Otto was three months old when we left. As you can imagine it's a big move that required a lot of planning. We spent over a month in temporary accommodation and much longer without any of our shipped toys and belongings. If I was going on a holiday for a week or so I wouldn't worry about bringing any mobiles or many toys or materials. But for a couple of those weeks, we were still in Brisbane, my husband was still... Read more →

There is no substitute for good Montessori materials, however, let's not be too precious about it, most of us have mainstream toys in our homes too. Today I am sharing some of the mainstream baby toys we have and are currently using. All of these have been carefully selected, but from Amazon or from other popular online toy retailers. They don't take the place of Montessori infant materials but each has a specific purpose, each brings something to the child. Most of these are suitable for 3-6 months+. Plan Toys, Grimm's and Brio are some of our favourite mainstream toy... Read more →

The Christmas and holiday period can be very busy and overwhelming for little ones. This is especially true if you travel or have lots of visitors or guests staying. It's often best to be upfront with family and friends about your expectations on how you would like your baby to be handled and cared for. Here are a few things we'd like to say... Dear Family, We love spending time with you. It's been a while since we have seen you so we would like to give you some guidance on holding, playing with and caring for our baby. We... Read more →

These large bells are hard to find in Australia... except at Christmas time. I hope you had a lovely day! Earlier in the year I almost ordered the bell from overseas, I just couldn't find one locally. I removed this bell from one of our old Christmas decorations, put some (Christmas) ribbon through the loop and here it is, a Montessori bell on a ribbon! Otto approaches his bell gently and slowly with an open hand. Otis used to really hit his with a closed fist. So different! So what is the Montessori bell on a ribbon? It's simply a... Read more →

Otto in the hug-a-bub Organic Ring Sling c/o Fertile Mind. My first mothers group consisted of ten to twelve mothers who had babies within a month of each other. Besides the timing of our baby's birth, we had very little in common. We met weekly and later fortnightly for over a year. I never really fitted in. I parented differently, I was on the outer of much of the conversation. I recently spoke to a friend who said she didn't fit in with her mothers group either. Her baby often cried through the gatherings, she felt like the other mothers... Read more →

When Otis found some holographic cardstock in his paper stash, he wanted to make a mobile for Otto. The Octahedron and Dancers Mobiles have been Otto's favourites so far and it is in part due to the nice shiny, metallic paper. While ours is not as elegant as the Dancers, nor as complicated to balance, Otis loved making it, Otto loves using it and I have to believe that it's somewhat age and developmentally appropriate for Otto. We used this holographic card (Australia) but similar can be found here. Otis used holographic card, stencils, pencil, scissors, glue, tape, fishing line... Read more →

Around here this week, this is just a snapshot of some of the materials Otto is currently using at three months! He constantly has his fingers in his mouth and is chewing on his hands. After finding Otto gnawing on the Skwish, I ordered what is known as a Montessori Teething Ball or the Perfect Pacifier. I ordered ours from here (Australia). I need to pass it to Otto but he can independently hold it, bring it to his mouth or throw it away. Montessorians prefer it as it is easily manipulated by the child, it provides relief (from the... Read more →

I want to share with you this cute mobile that Otto has been using and absolutely loving. We've used it hanging on the play gym and now over the movement area. The child can bat at or pull on the ring to make the wooden bells (or chimes) ring. The sound is lovely although Otto, like most children I'm sure, gets a little vigorous and swishes them around. He also tries really hard to put the ring in his mouth, he's definitely teething. Like most tactile mobiles this is good for developing concentration, coordination, arm and core strength, visual tracking... Read more →