When I was pregnant with my first baby, a friend sent me her registry recommendations. I scanned the thorough list and realized there wasn’t a crib on it. She told me they’d chosen not to use a crib for their babies, instead, they opted to have their babies sleep on a floor bed. I thought she was joking because I thought cribs were like car seats – a must!
I started reading about the benefits of floor beds but found it was pretty hard to find information about them online. Most pediatricians recommend that babies sleep in cribs, so it’s pretty hard to find parents who openly write about their experiences. I stumbled upon an Instagram account that not only talked about floor beds but shared video footage of her baby’s experiences sleeping in one as early as 4 months old. She convinced me to give it a try.
When our first baby outgrew his bassinet at about three months, we started moving him to his floor bed for naps. I wasn’t ready to do it at night though, so we had him sleep in a pack and play until he was a little sturdier. We moved him fully to a floor bed when he was 10 months old. We made sure the room was 100% baby-proof and installed a camera to be able to check in.
Below are some reasons why having a Montessori floor bed is hard:
They fall off
They don’t get hurt because it’s not too far off the ground, but it does disrupt their sleep. After a few weeks, we decided to get a toddler bed rail. We took it off during the day to ensure he didn’t attempt to climb over it.
They can get up as they please
This is actually the point of a Montessori floor bed. Like all things Montessori, the intent is to encourage independence and freedom of movement. Instead of the crib being a place they’re “put” – the bed becomes a place they “choose” when they are tired. Generally, it’s great to see them climbing into bed on their own, climbing out to grab a favorite book, or amusing themself with a toy after waking up in the morning. Of course, there are middle-of-the-night moments when they’re crying at the door and I’m questioning why I signed up for this. But like everything in parenthood, it’s usually just a phase.
Here are a few reasons why I think having a floor bed is great:
You can lie down with them
This is our go-to spot to read books before bed. It’s the best feeling to cuddle up together at the end of the day. If he wakes up in the middle of the night I can lie with him. I can soothe him much easier in the floor bed.
They learn how to manage a bed BEFORE they can open doors
There were nights when I felt frustrated with my son because he would wake up. He would march to the door crying for us. But I’ve heard from friends that inevitably this happens with all kids as they get used to sleeping in any bed. An advantage of doing this when they’re little is they can’t let themselves out of the room yet.
No crib assembly
One less user manual to keep track of! Also, one less potential argument between me and my husband.
