Montessori at home with a 3 month old baby is the end of the newborn phase and the beginning of alert exploration, bring on those adorable big baby smiles!
Baby’s become more intentional with objects they choose to interact with and ready for new challenges in play.
With Montessori in mind, it is about creating a prepared environment that your baby can access and explore with their newfound focus.
Supporting baby with Montessori toys that support their development provides more ways to practice their new skills. Here is how we prepared our spaces for our 3 month old.
We LOVED this phase, their true personalities started to show and the smiles were heart melting!
(This post may contain affiliate links where we earn a small commission from your purchase at no cost to you. Feel free to check disclosure for more info! )
Montessori Toys for 3 Month Old
Here you can see my boys together enjoying a Montessori moment. When you do Montessori at home with multiple children they often will interact with each others materials at times.
As long as the other isn’t preventing focus I don’t interrupt moments like these. Montessori at home doesn’t have to reflect the exact same rules as Montessori House (preschool/daycare).
This was our DIY Mobile with an added grasping ring alongside a floor mirror. Our room arrangements changed a bit as different ages and stages occurred between the two boys, as the shared a bedroom.
Options to Offer at 3 Months Old
Gobbi Mobile
If you have been tracking along using Montessori mobiles, now might be a great time to introduce the Gobbi mobile to your baby.
Dancers Mobile
Depending on how long the Gobbi Mobile keeps their interest, you also might introduce a Dancers mobile in your baby’s 3rd month.
With observation you will be able to tell what interests your baby, use the mobile that keeps their interest the most.
Grasping Toys
There are a few options of Montessori aligned grasping toys you can consider at this point:
- Rubber Balls
- Skwish
- Patchwork ball
Things to Do with a 3 Month Old
- Grasping Toys
- Play under Gobbi Mobile
- Patchwork ball
- Wooden rattle
- Wooden or fabric book
- Walk with baby carrier
- Tummy time in front of mirror
- Tummy time in the yard/park
Montessori at Home with Multiple Children
If you have multiple children and are doing Montessori at home there are a few more things your 3 month old may enjoy doing each day.
When we had our 2nd he was so intrigued by watching his older brother play at times throughout the day.
At 3 months he would have so much focus watching his older brother, and his older brother began to enjoy showing his different material to his baby brother.
It was a great learning moment for both of them.
Another great moment they often shared together as brothers doing Montessori at home together was our quiet time with books after lunch.
In the photo above they are 3 months old and 2 years old (26 months to be exact). The 2 year old is point out the things in his board book to his little brother (yep, this mama’s heart melted).
So, don’t feel they have to do everything separately when doing Montessori at Home. Some materials can be enjoyed together, and creates a more impactful moment of learning for the siblings.
Practical Life with 3 Month Old
Babies at this stage are still mainly just observers when it comes to practical life. You can baby-wear while doing certain household chores and this gives them opportunity for visual learning.
Outdoor Play with a 3 Month Old
Babies love being outside in good weather! I often would take a blanket out in the backyard and lay in in the shade while watching 2 year old play.
When it was just B I would lay a blanket in the shade near me while I would garden or read a book.
3 months old enjoy outdoor play and exploration just as much as older kids, it just looks different. Our boys would love watching the big tree ‘s leaves sway in the wind.
When both boys were this young we also took them camping with us, yep we took babies camping.
It was a great stress break for me to now have “housework” surrounding me for a weekend, and the boys enjoy looking, touching, smelling the new surroundings.
Don’t be afraid to take babies out of the stroller when you go on a walk. Go to the park and lay out a blanket and give them a stretch break.
Let them stay put for a moment and observe their surroundings. Give them a leaf to grasp.
Below is when my eldest was 3 months old, we used this blanket all the time in our outdoor play. If he felt up to it he scoot his way to the grass and explore if he wanted. Follow their lead and interests.
Daily Life
Feeding
At this stage babies are still consuming only milk, thus either bf or formula is main feeding option.
This photo below looks weird, but I had been breastfeeding baby L while older brother and I ate yogurt at weaning table.
I usually tried to feed at the same time as meal times for 3 month old, as well as on demand any other time in the day.
Giving a milk feed while watching his older brother eat is what I considered a good way to promote his future understanding of the weaning table being associated with meals.
Sleeping
At this stage we still have our babies in our room.
This makes it easier for me to do night feeds and everyone gets more restful sleep. Because our room is not baby-proof our bubs have slept in an Arms-Reach co-sleeper cot in our room with us.
Personally, I take the most recent health advice about safe sleep seriously and would not consider a floor bed safe for a baby this age. A lot has been learned about safe sleep since Maria Montessori’s days, and as a health care professional herself I believe she would take this into account for modern recommendations.
Changing Nappy Area
I used a change table for both of my boys, it was easier on my back. I used a 4 basket method for their cloth diapers/nappys and found it easy to keep up with.
If you want to know more about our experience with cloth diapers see my post about the 4 basket method I used (which is really 6 if you count the mini baskets haha!).
Montessori Baby Routine for a 3 Month Old [example]
Example Routine
Follow the child, find a rhythm that suits your baby and family.
Observe when your baby is most active and interested in focused “work” playtime, and when they are sleepy or want more time with parent.
Create a rhythm/routine around that. Below is just an example for those who would benefit from a visual example.
When your baby wants to sleep let them sleep, fit that in whenever your baby likes to nap/sleep.
Example routine:
- 7am – 9am : Feed, Burp, Cuddle & Chat | Activity Time with Mobile
- 9am – 11am : Take a Walk | Practical Life with Carer
11am – 12pm : Prep Lunch & Eat Lunch
12pm – 2pm : Grasping Activities | Tummy Time with Mirror- 2pm – 4pm : Errands | Practical Life with Carer
4pm – 6pm : Cuddle & Chat/Sing/Read | Prep Dinner
6pm – 8pm : Have Dinner | Bath | Calm Activities
What to Expect from a 3 Month Old
Here are some of the developmental stages you can enjoy at this time in your baby’s life.
Body Movement
Baby is able to start holding head up longer during tummy time and when being held upright has better head control.
Social & Emotions
Baby enjoys listening to your voice and watching your face when you speak. Your baby may begin expressing more emotions such as seeming excited when they see a familiar face coming to them.
Language
Your baby may being to “respond” more when you speak to them with “coos” and “gurgles”. Engage your baby in this “baby talk” by chatting with them and leaving a pause for them to “respond”, this aids in their development of speech.
- Want more information? Here is a List of Best Montessori Books for Parents!
- If you want an EASY plan to follow for toys to offer and when check out LOVEVERY.
If in Australia check out Monti & Me !
Save for Later
