Irresistible Montessori Nursery Ideas (With 7 Easy Rules To Follow)

Have you ever stepped into a Montessori nursery? If so, you probably immediately felt a sense of calm. But not only that, you also knew that this is the perfect space for the little one to grow, learn, and be nurtured. If an infant room like that left you inspired, we will break down exactly how to create that warm space for your own little bundle of joy.

What Is A Montessori Nursery?

A newborn Montessori room or nursery is a warm, calming, and minimal environment for your baby to grow, learn, and be nurtured. It would generally use natural materials and child-sized furniture and would be designed with the baby’s development in mind.

Following the Montessori method principles, the nursery would allow your growing toddler access to move around, explore, as well as dress themselves independently. Before the toddler years, your baby would probably not be as independent, but would still love their infant room which should have distinct areas: the sleeping area, the exploration and play area, and the physical care and feeding area.

The Montessori method centers around principles such as:

Respect for the child. That means encouraging your little one to be independent when they’re ready (like dressing themselves) as well as going with their own natural ebbs and flows.
The absorbent mind. The nursery should be filled with Montessori decor, books, and toys that inspire learning.
The prepared environment. Rather than having to wait for mom and dad to bring down a toy or take out their clothing, the Montessori nursery is prepared with kid-sized furniture that allows for independence.
Self-education. Your little one will have interests in different topics at different stages, and they’ll be incredibly motivated to learn as much as they can. Make sure you have toys and materials that meet them where they are. No pushing required.

Here are some simple rules and Montessori infant room ideas:

Keep the nursery minimal, uncluttered, and organized.
Use natural materials and make the space calming and warm.
Use child-sized furniture.
Use open shelves for easy access to toys, books, and clothing.
Hang Montessori décor at your child’s eye level.
Avoid overly-stimulating toys.
Set up distinct areas for: sleep, exploration and play, and feeding and physical care areas.

Your quick guide to an irresistible Montessori nursery or Infant Room

Sleeping Area

Everyone deserves a calming and comfy place to sleep, and a Montessori nursery will step up to that challenge.

In a traditional Montessori nursery, children’s beds are usually low to the ground so that they have the freedom to get up and out independently. (Also known as the Montessori floor bed.) You can even skip the bed rails. Montessori beds are also generally made of natural wood, and sometimes look like a house for an extra cute look.

Toddlers are ready for this type of bed from a very young age (so you could skip the traditional crib if you wish,) but you may still choose to use a bassinet in the early months – focusing on natural materials that are not overly stimulating.

We love the Micuna Tipi House Bed Frame ($380) because it’s a floor bed and has an adorable house structure that’s oh-so befitting of a Montessori nursery.

Montessori Nursery Bassinets

We love these bassinets from Amazon:

Montessori Floor Beds and Cribs From Amazon

While wooden bed frame prices are generally on the higher end, there is one highly-reviewed brand on Amazon – BusyWOOD – that delivers irresistible handmade Montessori floor beds and cribs in the $200 range (plus shipping.)

Exploration And Play Area

Even from her earliest weeks, your baby will crave to explore, and that’s exactly the need that a Montessori nursery aims to fill. Exploration and play build both language and motor skills, and help your little one figure out what she or he likes.

In the early months, the Montessori play area should have things like a tummy time mat, a play gym, a hanging mobile, and a mirror.

We love:

Play gym by LOVEVERY which is perfect for all of babies’ developmental stages AND it converts to a little play tent!
The Macrame swing
The balance board rocker by Finn+Emma – which your little one can use to play in their toddler years too!
The eco-friendly LEVO rocker

And from Amazon we love:

Baby mobile made with natural materials
A ultra-thick woven textured rug for sensory play (in 3 color options)
A ball pit for gross motor development (in 8 gentle color options)

As your newborn transitions towards the toddler years, the Montessori playroom should help them build their motor and language skills. So introduce items like a Pikler triangle or a climber, a table with chairs for crafts and learning, as well as Montessori shelves with educational toys and books.

Favorite items:

Cocovillage Large Montessori Triangle Climber – all the additional accessories, as well as the smaller version can be bought through Cocovillage too.
PlayArch Wooden Climber and Rocker
Playbox Wooden Climber set from All Circles lets your little ones arrange exactly how they want to play.

A Note on Montessori Toy Storage Shelves

Montessori shelves deserve a special lesson when it comes to creating a Montessori nursery. In order to foster independence, to allow your little one to choose what they’ll play with, as well as know how to put their toys away – the toy storage shelves need to be perfectly accessible. That means:

The shelves need to be the right height for your child.
They should be tall enough to fit the toys
They need to give each toy its own “breathing space” so that it is perfectly visible and accessible without knocking anything down. This may mean that some toys are packed away in storage.
And of course, any shelves for kids must be built with safety first.

On that same note, store your little one’s books in a low shelf that allows them to quickly see and pick up each book rather than have to look at a mass of book spines and wait for you to dig it out.

When it comes to Montessori toy storage, nothing compares to LOVEVERY. These shelves are not only the perfect size for kids to reach and choose their favorite toys, they have a storage space in the back – making toy rotation a breeze!

LOVEVERY Montessori Play Shelf

We also love the ultra-cool “Mini Library” by Oeuf, the line which brings the most nursery envy!

Here are some more great Montessori toy storage options from Amazon and other stores:

The Reading Nook Bookcase and toy shelf by Amazon Basics
The book sling by KidKraft
The open Montessori shelf by ECR4Kids

Physical Care And Feeding Areas

In a Montessori infant room, this is the area where you’ll bond and tend to your little one’s basic needs like feeding and diapering, so you would need a rocker and a changing table that are calming and nature-inspired.

As your little one strives toward his or her independence, this area would also involve getting dressed and storing their clothes.

Choose a kid-sized dresser, open shelves, or an open set of hangers that allow your little one to see and choose their clothing and get dressed independently. Bonus points if they can put their own clothes away.

This doesn’t have to involve additional furniture, you could install low hanging rails, and drawers in your nursery closet, allowing your young toddlers to be involved in their own physical care.

We love these for a Montessori nursery:

The Moses baby changing basket by Ecoade
The toddler wardrobe by Bush Acres
The Montessori clothing rack in the house design by BusyWOOD handmade

When it comes to rockers and gliders, we think these are perfect for the Montessori nursery:

Tuba Glider by Babyletto (in 2 natural shades)
Compass rocker by Nursery Works (in 5 neutral shades)
Sleepytime rocker by Nursery Works (in 9 gorgeous shades)

Montessori Nursery Décor.

In true Montessori nurseries fashion, the decor should be calm and natural, displayed at kid height, and offer learning opportunities.

Whether it’s learning letters, geography, or organizing, Montessori nursery décor is developmentally appropriate and child-friendly.

here are some Montessori nursery décor ideas:

And from Amazon, we love these Montessori nursery ideas:

An alphabet rug for language curiosity (available in 3 color options)
Rainbow stacking toy (in multiple color options)
Floating cloud shelf and hangers

Can You Get Montessori Furniture From IKEA?

If you’ve ever been inside IKEA, you’ll know that their children’s furniture really lives up to the Montessori nursery ideals. It may not have that typical “Montessori” aesthetic, but on the plus side they’re extremely affordable and they still deliver when it comes to: