Montessori Mattress
Are you just now planning to set up a Montessori-inspired nursery for your infant? Are Montessori Furniture options even upon researching on several websites too overwhelming to choose from?
If yes, then do not worry, you are not alone. It can be a pretty perplexing task to choose the appropriate furniture for your child that not aligns with the Montessori Principles but also promote holistic development for your infant.
Montessori Floor Beds are an integral aspect of a Montessori Home environment or Nursery Environment and often sit pretty in a Montessori Bedroom or Montessori Nido Classroom.
Whether you have a Montessori Crib for your infant or a Montessori Floor Bed for your toddler or preschooler, a mattress that provides comfort is integral.
With multiple aspects and factors to consider, finding a mattress for your own adult-sized bed can be a daunting task for the best, even as an adult.
Montessori Cribs and Montessori Floor Beds are mere wooden structures without a comfortable, soft, and cuddly mattress.
But where does one begin and how does one find a child-sized mattress that only fits into their tiny house bed or floor bed but also aligns with the Montessori philosophy?
Here is a complete guide to choosing the right cozy, cuddly, and comfortable Montessori Mattress for your child’s Montessori Floor Bed.
Contents
What is a Montessori Floor Bed?
First things, first, before jumping on an expedition to choose the right Montessori Mattress for your child, it is important to learn about what a Montessori Floor Bed is.
The use of the Montessori Floor Bed is in the name of the Montessori Furniture itself. A Montessori Floor Bed is simply a child-sized Montessori bed frame or a mattress situated near the ground.
This Concept of a Montessori Floor Bed was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori an Italian Physician to allow the child to become independent and confident.
Unlike traditional tall cribs for infants and toddlers, a Montessori Floor Bed is a simple low-sitting wooden bed frame with a child-sized mattress that does not fashion any high bars or railings that limit the child’s learning and developmental process.
Montessori Floor Beds are incorporated into a Montessori Prepared Environment that provides freedom within limits and does not restrict the child’s movement and mobility.
What are the Benefits of using a Montessori Floor Bed?
A Montessori Floor Bed is suitable for parents who want to integrate aspects of Montessori into their home or want to bring up their child the Montessori way.
The Montessori Method of education lays heavy emphasis on a Prepared Environment to encourage the optimum development of the child.
For these reasons, Montessori Floor Beds are an essential part of the Montessori environment.
As different as the concept of Montessori Floor Beds may sound, these beds incorporate several benefits.
1. Freedom of Movement:
Unlike traditional infant cribs that have high barred walls and railings which often restrict the baby’s movement, Montessori Floor Beds allow children to move freely.
Montessori Floor Beds provide children with freedom of movement, encourage children to venture out and explore the surroundings, as well as foster independence in children from a very young age.
2. Encourages Decision Making:
The establishment of decision-making values in a child during the early ages of development is integral for their future prospects.
Montessori Floor Beds provide children with choices and decisions from the very moment they open their eyes in the morning.
3. Safe and Secure:
Infants and children have the tendency to constantly move around or roll around in order to explore their surrounding environment.
The rigid walls, elevated height, or railings of playpens and cribs can have unanticipated consequences where the child easily injures themselves. Montessori Floor Beds and mattresses that are simply situated on the floor significantly minimize the risk of injury to the infant or the child.
4. Unobstructed View:
With the lack of safety walls, railings, and bars the child can have an unobstructed view of the surrounding environment.
The Unobstructed view of the environment can provide sensorial stimulation as well as cater to their natural curiosity.
What type of Montessori Mattress can be used with a Montessori Floor Bed?
Choosing the right mattress for any type of bed can be a daunting task, let alone for a child-sized floor bed.
From the comfort level, coziness, quality, firmness, thickness, and size of the mattress there are several factors to look for when choosing the right kind of mattress to go along with your Montessori Floor Bed.
To help you determine the right kind of Montessori Mattress for your Montessori Crib or Floor Bed, here are some factors to look for:
1. The firmness of the Mattress:
The firmness of the mattress is integral as it helps an individual develop a proper posture as well as promotes the spine to remain straight.
It is important to avoid a mattress that is too soft for your infant, instead, it should be firm enough to allow the infant to develop good back, spine, and neck support.
Toddlers on the other hand can benefit from medium to semi-medium firm mattresses.
2. Materials and Quality:
Another important factor to look for in a mattress is the material the mattress is made from.
Good quality material will in turn provide you with a good quality, nicely constructed, lump-free, and durable mattress that will last up to years.
Other than the longevity and the quality of the Montessori mattress, the material mattress should also be manufactured from non-toxic, organic, naturally-sourced, and eco-friendly materials that align with the Montessori Principles.
3. The thickness of the Mattress:
While some people prefer to buy a thicker mattress for their Montessori floor bed or Montessori Cribs, a comparatively thin mattress can also work wonders.
If you prefer to buy a thin Montessori Mattress for the optimum safety of your child, you can add extra layers of a rug, mat, or insulated mats underneath the Montessori Mattress.
4. The Right Size of the Mattress:
It is important to choose a Montessori Mattress that sits just perfectly in your Montessori Floor bed or Montessori Crib.
It neither be too big that it sits outside the base of the bed nor too small that it exposes the hardwood of the base of the bed, as either of the cases may pose a risk of injury to the child.
5. Different Features:
Other beneficial features when selecting the right Montessori Mattress for your child are health-related.
The Montessori Mattress should be hypoallergenic and breathable for the child to avoid any allergic reactions.
Different Sizes of Montessori Mattresses:
Montessori Beds are not a one-size-fits-all, in fact, there is a wide range of Montessori beds in different sizes and shapes available in the market.
From Montessori Cribs that fit a toddler to full-blown king-sized Montessori House beds, there are myriads of sizes of Montessori Mattresses available in the market that accommodate your child’s developmental needs.
Just like the different dimensions available, Montessori Mattresses also come in the corresponding sizes to sit perfectly into the Montessori bed.
Here are specific dimensions to look for when purchasing the right Montessori Mattress for your child:
- Montessori Crib: Length- 52 inches; Width- 28 inches
- Twin Size floor Bed: Length- 75 inches; Width-39 inches
- Twin XL Floor Bed: Length- 80 inches; Width- 39 inches
- Full-Size Montessori Bed: Length- 75 inches; Width- 54 inches
A list of the best Montessori Mattresses:
Montessori Mattresses are simple child-sized mattresses that sit perfectly on the Montessori Floor bed and align with the Montessori Philosophy.
There are a wide variety of Montessori Mattresses available in the market that encompass different materials, and firmness.
If you are looking for a Montessori Mattress for your child’s bedroom or your infant’s nursery but do not know where to begin, look no further, here is a list of some of the best Montessori Mattresses:
1. IKEA Minnesund Folding Foam Mattress:
IKEA offers some of the best Montessori and Montessori-inspired furniture options in their store.
The IKEA Minnesund Folding Foam Mattresses are a great way of promoting independence for your child.
This wonderful mattress is made from soft memory foam which provides great support for the spine but is not extremely hard.
The IKEA Minnesund Folding Foam Mattress comes in twin sizes and is 74.⅜” in length, 38,¼” in width, and 3.⅞” in length.
It is also foldable, extendable, and easy to wash as it incorporates a nice cover with zippers that can be easily removed.
2. 5 Little Monkeys Mattress:
Are you looking for a thicker Montessori Mattress that can sit perfectly on the ground on its own? Then the 5 Little Monkeys Mattress is yours to go for.
This Montessori Mattress is a whopping 8 inches in terms of thickness and comes in both Twin and Full-Size Montessori Floor Bed sizes.
3. Graco Premium Foam Mattress:
The Graco Premium Foam mattress is one of the crib-sized Montessori Mattresses available in the market.
This Montessori Mattress is firm in terms of firmness making it the perfect partner for infants, 5 inches thick, water resistant, and easy to wash.
The Graco Premium Foam mattress is made from high-quality breathable foam and is tested as well as certified.
4. Linenspa 8-inch Hybrid Mattress:
The Linenspa 8-inch Hybrid Mattress is a great and affordable Montessori Mattress that comprises a spring body with a layer of foam on top.
This wonderful Montessori Mattress comes in both twin and full sizes, it is firm, 8 inches thick, and has a 10-year warranty.
5. Nod by Tuft and Needle:
Last but definitely not least is the Nod by Tuft and Needle Montessori Mattress which is another great affordable variant of the Montessori Mattress.
It comes in two sizes- Twin size which is 6 inches thick and Full size which is 8 inches thick.
It is also hypoallergenic, made from organic materials, quite affordable, and free from any harmful chemicals.