20 Best Montessori Infant Toys

Best Montessori Newborn and Montessori Infant Toys

Looking for Montessori newborn and Montessori infant toys? As an adult who attended Montessori school as a child, I can reflect back and see how that experience shaped me for the better. Personality traits like self-confidence and independence were nurtured early on in the Montessori environment.

The Montessori newborn and Montessori infant toys listed below are a collection of items I’ve bought for my first child as an infant as well as the items found in the Infant Montessori classroom of my second child. I’ve organized by age group, for simplicity. Note: not all items have links.

Montessori Newborn

Floor mat next to a window

(I used the mattress of a playpen covered with a fitted sheet or simply detached the floor mat from the activity gym)

With floor mats, Montessori babies have unlimited movement and when they get older they can practice pulling themselves.

Being positioned near a window allows Montessori babies to see the outside environment—the moving clouds, the swaying trees and the bright sky.

High Contrast Mobile

(I attached this to one of the rungs in the activity gym)

The mobile is a great focal point of interest. Plus, high contrast mobiles are easier for a Montessori newborn to focus on. Buy a few different ones you can change them out a couple of times a month, which will aid in your baby’s visual development.

Pregnancy Body Pillow

(I reshaped it into a honey bun and nestled the baby in the middle)

By creating a honey bun shaped pillow, it allowed my Montessori newborn to move his arms and legs freely. It also boosted him up a few inches, allowing him to get closer to the hanging toys in his activity gym.

This was important, because without the lift of the pillow, he was too far away to successfully bat at the hanging toys, which frustrated him.

Mirror

(I bought a full-length dorm mirror and placed it lengthways in front of the floor mat. This is perfect when practicing tummy time with your Montessori infant.)

Not only are you giving your Montessori newborn an opportunity to see himself when his head is lifted, your baby can see the entire room he is in! As your baby gets older he will be able to associate the movements of the baby in the mirror, as his movements!

High Contrast Books

This was one of my favorite high contrast books.

Because black and white images stimulate the development of the optic nerve, you are helping encourage the development of their vision when showing Montessori babies high contrast books!

Pro Tips:

Don’t forget your natural gift: your voice. Sing nursery rhymes, children’s songs or make something up in the moment!

Take your Montessori newborn for stroller walks. Let them see the clouds moving in the sky; feel the wind on their face; hear the leaves rustling in the trees.

Montessori Babies: Ages 2 months – 5⁺ months

Activity Gym

(It has suspended toys to grasp)

Shag or Textured Rug

Woven Baskets

Keep one in each room of your home containing household items from that particular room. Rotate items every few weeks.

It is incredible to see how a Montessori infant will play with the same toys differently, after a familiar item is re-introduced to them, weeks later.

Ball

Wooden Teething Toy / Cylinder w/Bell / Rattle

Montessori Babies: Ages 6 months – 9⁺ months

Rattle

When it comes to sensory exploration, rattles are a great replacement for mobiles. Montessori babies feel the smoothness of the wood, the sound the rattle makes, and how it feels in their hand (temperature/weight).

Ball

Try putting the ball slightly out of reach of your baby and allow your baby to try and get it on her own.

Wooden Ring

(I used the detachable wooden ring from the activity gym)

Your Montessori infant will probably enjoy putting this ring in his mouth. Notice how he grasps the ring differently, over time.

Object Permanence Box w/ Drawer

These next two items help your Montessori infant experience cause and effect, object permanence, and eye-hand coordination.

Object Permanence Box w/ Tray

Support Pillow for Sitting

Wooden Egg in Cup / Wooden Box in Cube / Wooden Ball in Cup

These activities help Montessori babies enhance their eye-hand coordination. Start with the egg and cup and once your Montessori infant has mastered that, move on to the other activities.

Montessori Babies: Ages 10 months – 12⁺ months

Wooden Rings on Dowel

Wooden Baby Walker

(Try to find one that doesn’t ‘run away’ from a beginning walker)

Using a walker inside on carpet or outside on grass will slow the walker down.

Ball / Bench Xylophone

(Remove mallet and allow child to push balls through the hole).

Final Thoughts on Montessori Newborn and Montessori Infant Toys

When you are raising Montessori babies you might be searching for toys that will aid in their development. Introducing certain Montessori infant toys at specific ages will help them master their environment.

We’ve listed 20 Montessori newborn and infant toys that you can introduce and re-introduce to your baby from birth through 12 months. Each of the stages Montessori babies cycle through require different needs, and these toys will help your baby as they move from one stage to the next.

Pro tip:

Let your Montessori infant stand barefoot in the grass or the sand. It will help them better understand the world around them.

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