Today, I met a 1-yr-old who has only been allowed to feed herself cheerios. She is spoonfed the rest of the time. Her mom tells me she doesn’t like to eat, I told her it’s bc she hasn’t experienced the pleasure of food. When M&B eats, they grab it with their fingers, smear it on their face, some ends up on their chin, cheeks, legs and up their nose. They feel the cold wetness of watermelon, the warmth and slipperiness of farfalle pasta, and they love to squeeze their fingers through bananas! Brooke’s first word was, “Yummy.”

The “aftermath”

My children show me what’s possible: a 7-month child old can get their own toys off the shelf to play, help feed themselves anything you put in their hand, help bring a bottle or cup to their mouth to drink, put themselves to sleep and sleep through the night. A 7 month old child can be SO capable, when given the right environment. Grateful for the wisdom of my mother, my siblings and Montessori.

If your baby doesn’t sleep in a floor bed, I highly recommend it! It is SUPERB for developing their movement and excellent for your sanity. They’ll be independent and free, which means they won’t disturb you quite so early in the morning! M&B will play in their floor bed for 30-45 minutes in the morning before making a peep because they have easy access to their toys AND they can roll around and entertain themselves!