Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three
- Downloads：5637
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-21 06:55:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Paula Polk Lillard
- ISBN：0805211128
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
What can parents do to help their youngest children in their task of self-formation？ How does the Montessori method of hands-on learning and self-discovery relate to the youngest infants？ This authoritative and accessible book answers these and many other questions。 Based on Dr。 Maria Montessori's instructions for raising infants， its comprehensive exploration of the first three years incorporates the furnishings and tools she created for the care and comfort of babies。 From the design of the baby's bedroom to the child-sized kitchen table， from diet and food preparation to clothing and movement， the authors provide guidance for the establishment of a beautiful and serviceable environment for babies and very young children。 They introduce concepts and tasks， taking into account childrens' ''sensitive periods'' for learning such skills as dressing themselves， food preparation， and toilet training。 Brimming with anecdote and encouragement， and written in a clear， engaging style， Montessori from the Start is a practical and useful guide to raising calm， competent， and confident children。
Reviews
Sierra
，
The charts with developmental staples were useful。 The rest was a little over the top for me。 Montessori education is one thing。 Doing everything in the standardized way the book advocates for is not for me。
Maddie
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Some great one-liners。 Many Montessori principles explained and examples given。 Surprisingly fast and easy read for myself。 Found it to be one of the Montessori books that seemed to explain the philosophy behind the principles well。 The categories for chapters felt logical and helpful。 Chapter on “The developing will” I found to be quite helpful。 Gave a smaller amount of “practice” applications， but philosophies worded well so one can apply them to multiple scenarios/different kids。
Chantal Vázquez-waldropt
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Definitely one book I will revisit from time to time。
Kady
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Great read and very detailed。 However at times it was overly detailed。 What bothered me about this book is the attention to weaning。 Please do not take breastfeeding advice from someone who is not an IBCLC。
Mimi
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Insightful book about Montessori philosophy， regardless whether you agree with the theory or not。（On some points， I do， on others I don´t。）Nevertheless， a few practical tips on implementing the philosophy in he first few years， and the text as a whole managed to solve a few questions I had， so at this point， it was helpful to me。
Drew
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This really gave me a lot to think about。 I can't say I agreed with all practices is advocates， but it strikes me as a fully formed school of thought that offers tangible benefits。 I will be adjusting my parenting plan broadly in line with these principles。 This really gave me a lot to think about。 I can't say I agreed with all practices is advocates， but it strikes me as a fully formed school of thought that offers tangible benefits。 I will be adjusting my parenting plan broadly in line with these principles。 。。。more
Daniel
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A fantastic framework for thinking about the work of childhood as self-formation。
Brittania
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It's basically an interpretation of the Montessori method for ages 0-3。 In terms of practical advice， it does have quite a lot of specific suggestions （skip the toddler bed， put a mattress on the floor for baby！）， although in the conclusion the book is careful to mention that the underlying philosophy and method is the important take-away， not the specific details。 （The underlying philosophy is: observe the child， prepare the environment to meet the child's developmental needs， and give the chil It's basically an interpretation of the Montessori method for ages 0-3。 In terms of practical advice， it does have quite a lot of specific suggestions （skip the toddler bed， put a mattress on the floor for baby！）， although in the conclusion the book is careful to mention that the underlying philosophy and method is the important take-away， not the specific details。 （The underlying philosophy is: observe the child， prepare the environment to meet the child's developmental needs， and give the child space to develop independence in order to complete their "work"。） This book is helpful for someone becoming familiar with the Montessori method and looking for ways to implement it for the toddler or infant。That being said， given the abundance of specific details， it's a bit easy to get lost in the implementation suggestions and lose sight of the bigger picture。 Furthermore， while this book does go to some effort to indicate the actual developmental needs of the child at each age， it did not provide specific citations or evidence （for my taste） to justify the assertions it makes regarding child development。 It is therefore unclear what assertions are evidence based and what are merely anecdotal （observed by the author or by Maria Montessori， etc）。It's worth reading （especially for some inspiration） but I wouldn't consider it the most authoritative source。 。。。more
Lacy
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While the book can feel very black and white in the Montessori methods - it is discussing the exact techniques to establish with your child after all - much of it is encouraging observation of the child and his/her independence and contribution in the world。 Overall， these are all things that can help establish a confident and self reliant child while also helping parents become teachers rather than servants to their children。 Establishing these techniques at an early age allows for both the par While the book can feel very black and white in the Montessori methods - it is discussing the exact techniques to establish with your child after all - much of it is encouraging observation of the child and his/her independence and contribution in the world。 Overall， these are all things that can help establish a confident and self reliant child while also helping parents become teachers rather than servants to their children。 Establishing these techniques at an early age allows for both the parent and child to form an understanding of one another and the world around them。 While it may seem like common sense， as parents， we often feel lost and these methods can help ground us in how we approach different stages of the child’s development and tweak it to fit the family needs。 。。。more
Magdalene Lim
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When you have no money to send your kid to Montessori school， you read a book and hopefully try to absorb some tips to use。 My conclusion - there are so many things to do as a Montessori parent that paying the big bucks to put your kid into Montessori school actually seems worth it？This is based on the theory of an absorbent mind - everything you do will be picked up by the baby。 If you want your kid to read， you better be seen reading yourself too。 Get your life in order aka keeping to a strict When you have no money to send your kid to Montessori school， you read a book and hopefully try to absorb some tips to use。 My conclusion - there are so many things to do as a Montessori parent that paying the big bucks to put your kid into Montessori school actually seems worth it？This is based on the theory of an absorbent mind - everything you do will be picked up by the baby。 If you want your kid to read， you better be seen reading yourself too。 Get your life in order aka keeping to a strict routine/schedule so that your kid feels comfortable as he/she knows what to expect。 Give the kid heavy wooden toys， not plastic ones with the flashy lights and sounds。 The kid won't know how the toy with light operates as the technology is all encased in the plastic。 I didn't know a play mobile is to train focus and later give the kid something to grab at。 That's what I've picked up so far， though I'm sure there are many more tips waiting to be implemented。 What I liked about it was that it was more application-based compared to the "original" Montessori book。 。。。more
Sara
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Overall the book provides a good background on giving children their independence and explains how to and why。 The later chapters are more realistic。 Some parts are overly perscriptive which takes away some stars for me。
Joanna Branch
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This was my first Montessori parenting book and it seemed like a good introduction to the principles you can apply to your baby's environment。 I find it nice to think about the ways you can do little things to help your baby have a good time developing their mind and body。 Still has all the parenting book pitfalls of having opinions on things that don't make much sense， or only relate to specific kinds of families of course。 This was my first Montessori parenting book and it seemed like a good introduction to the principles you can apply to your baby's environment。 I find it nice to think about the ways you can do little things to help your baby have a good time developing their mind and body。 Still has all the parenting book pitfalls of having opinions on things that don't make much sense， or only relate to specific kinds of families of course。 。。。more
Lilly
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Absolutely atrocious breastfeeding advice！！ But the content itself was exactly what I wanted - a super detailed practical guide of how to do almost everything baby related the Montessori way。 I quite liked the fact that it was very straight to the point about what the optimum was instead of mincing around about how every choice is okay。 I enjoyed it and I’ll be referring back to it frequently。
Ann Li
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This book gives some basic ideas of Montessori。 Actually this is my 2nd book about Montessori。 However it’s quite hard for me to see the structure per topic， loose paragraphs stacked and I got lost easily。 I wish the main idea could be summarized upfront。
MrsMJ
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This is a challenging review to write because I simultaneously liked and disliked many things about this book！ It was insightful and informative， applicable， and straightforward。 I found it very insightful。 So I give it a solid four stars* for that… But at times it was also harsh， rigid， and judgmental， so I removed a star and knocked it down to three stars。 God forbid parents go to the gym for a few hours per week to take care of their own health， or have their kids in a playpen to stay safe wh This is a challenging review to write because I simultaneously liked and disliked many things about this book！ It was insightful and informative， applicable， and straightforward。 I found it very insightful。 So I give it a solid four stars* for that… But at times it was also harsh， rigid， and judgmental， so I removed a star and knocked it down to three stars。 God forbid parents go to the gym for a few hours per week to take care of their own health， or have their kids in a playpen to stay safe while they grab a quick shower or cook something。 Or have a baby in a stroller to go for walks。 Or （gasp） bottle feed or use disposable diapers。。。 Informational texts should inspire and provide insight， not belittle the reader。 So it lost a star for that。 Although， I do respect the authors choosing a solid viewpoint and sticking to it， even if it was rigid and harsh at times， so that’s why I only took away 1 star for judgmentalness。 Making it a solid 3-star rating*。Other than the rigidity of it， I think this book has many good concepts that can be applied， and I really like that they explain the “why” behind each of the strict recommendations。 So I gave it 3 stars overall*。 Here are some other resources that I would more highly recommend: 1） Baby’s First Year Milestones （Aubrey Hargis）， 2） The Montessori Baby， 3） The Montessori Toddler， 4） The Hapa Family vlog on youtube。 The first book is fantastic！ Provides info on development and corresponding activities to try with Baby。 Very concise and easy to keep up with each month。 Super applicable。 The second two are books that have all the same info from this book， but in a better format。 More concise， applicable， practical， and less judgmental。 The third resource is a series of videos with practical， realistic application。 And since it is a series of videos， you get to see the principles being applied in a realistic way。 All three resources contain the same info as this book but in a more practical and less rigid/strict， judgmental way。*I reserve 5 stars for books that are life changing and that I would read again multiple times。 So a 4 star rating is actually a solid good rating， just not a life-changing status rating。 And then as mentioned， minus 1 for being judgmental， brought this book to a solid 3 stars。 Still a good read， with a lot of good info， just don’t feel discouraged if you aren’t able to do every little thing their way。 。。。more
Mikayla
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A great introduction to Montessori principles！
Kelsey LaCourt
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Really interesting ideas。 Won't be going 100% Montessori， but will implement as many ideas as possible。 Really interesting ideas。 Won't be going 100% Montessori， but will implement as many ideas as possible。 。。。more
Thomas
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Some very good insights and advices among a lot of opinionated principles that does not resonate with me （and it's ok）。 The conclusion states that you should follow those advices as you see fit， and this should be in the introduction。 Some very good insights and advices among a lot of opinionated principles that does not resonate with me （and it's ok）。 The conclusion states that you should follow those advices as you see fit， and this should be in the introduction。 。。。more
Bethany
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I appreciated the detail in this one。 It’s very explicit about how to raise kids the Montessori way。 I don’t plan to do it all by the book， but I like the overall philosophy of treating a small child with respect and giving them the space to meaningfully participate in their world。
Christopher Pope
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Mostly worthwhile and a good reference of all the big ideas。
Alaina
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While some advice or philosophical methods are out of date （ie weaning from breastfeeding early）， it’s helpful to know that Montessori is meant to guide you and your child。 It’s not one size fits all， and the authors do a good job encouraging readers to apply this philosophy to their own families as it works for them。 I feel confident in my own choices to baby-wear and extend nursing into toddlerhood as it suits my own children， for example， but I still feel through reading this that I can creat While some advice or philosophical methods are out of date （ie weaning from breastfeeding early）， it’s helpful to know that Montessori is meant to guide you and your child。 It’s not one size fits all， and the authors do a good job encouraging readers to apply this philosophy to their own families as it works for them。 I feel confident in my own choices to baby-wear and extend nursing into toddlerhood as it suits my own children， for example， but I still feel through reading this that I can create a Montessori home that fits the individual needs of my family。 Totally worth the read！ I checked out a library copy & already purchased a copy for myself to highlight and use as a reference guide。 I know I’ll be returning to this again & again for pointers and reminders！ 。。。more
Julie
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The book contains both useful information and scientifically inaccurate information。 It may be triggering for many parents who struggle with development anxiety and comparison。 Many of the ages they state are not within the expected range or are the youngest end of the range。 It becomes more shaming and prescriptive as the book goes on （ex。 Parents using disposable diapers change their children less which is not good because it means they interface with their child less- paraphrased， which is an The book contains both useful information and scientifically inaccurate information。 It may be triggering for many parents who struggle with development anxiety and comparison。 Many of the ages they state are not within the expected range or are the youngest end of the range。 It becomes more shaming and prescriptive as the book goes on （ex。 Parents using disposable diapers change their children less which is not good because it means they interface with their child less- paraphrased， which is an inaccurate and grossly overstated assumption）。 。。。more
Joanna
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Odnoszę nieodparte wrażenie， że wszystkie amerykańskie poradniki o wychowywaniu dzieci są w większym lub mniejszym stopniu podporządkowane temu， by dzieciok jak najszybciej przestał zawracać gitarę i drzeć papę， a rodzic mógł natentychmiast wrócić na zakład。 Bo jak inaczej zinterpretować rozdział o wypłakiwaniu się， tresowaniu dziecka do snu i sugestiami o tym， że młodego nie można uspokajać kołysaniem， bo się przyzwyczai （trochę za późno po tych 9 miesiącach， c'nie？）。 No więc ja trochę inaczej Odnoszę nieodparte wrażenie， że wszystkie amerykańskie poradniki o wychowywaniu dzieci są w większym lub mniejszym stopniu podporządkowane temu， by dzieciok jak najszybciej przestał zawracać gitarę i drzeć papę， a rodzic mógł natentychmiast wrócić na zakład。 Bo jak inaczej zinterpretować rozdział o wypłakiwaniu się， tresowaniu dziecka do snu i sugestiami o tym， że młodego nie można uspokajać kołysaniem， bo się przyzwyczai （trochę za późno po tych 9 miesiącach， c'nie？）。 No więc ja trochę inaczej podchodzę do budowania samodzielności。 W sumie to polecam， sporo ciekawych tropów， ale nie warto traktować jako objawienie i koniecznie trzeba czytać z filtrem na amerykańskość。 Montessori ma w końcu przygotowywać dziecko do funkcjonowania w danym czasie， miejscu i kulturze - i trzeba brać poprawkę na to， że u nas jednak trochę inaczej niż u nich。 。。。more
Lauren Hightower
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Exactly what I was needing。 Focuses on Montessori in the home-not creating a homeschool in the house。
EMitro
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Please keep in mind that this book was published in 2003 and I personally found it very outdated。 Having a 8 month baby， I already have red some books about breasfeeding and taking care of an infant。 The information about breastfeeding in this book is outdated and judgemental。"The mother who feeds her child without making the least effort to teach him how to hold a spoon for himself and to try to find his mouth with it， and who does not at least eat herself， inviting the child to look and see h Please keep in mind that this book was published in 2003 and I personally found it very outdated。 Having a 8 month baby， I already have red some books about breasfeeding and taking care of an infant。 The information about breastfeeding in this book is outdated and judgemental。"The mother who feeds her child without making the least effort to teach him how to hold a spoon for himself and to try to find his mouth with it， and who does not at least eat herself， inviting the child to look and see how she does it， is not a good mother。"I do not find appropriate to judge how much successful a mother is by her decision to feed her child in a way or another。 "In adulthood she is destined to live a chaotic life devoid of constancy， sense of security， and trust in self and others。"I find this book very intimidating when I read quotes like this。 Of course I have established a routine for my child， but If on Saturday we decide to visit grandparents and on Saturday we go for a walk not in the usual time I don't think I will undermine her future at that degree of chaos。 Moreover， the structure of the book is very repetitive and the style is plain and boring。Although i didn't find the examples in the book particularly helpful， it gives some useful insights about how the baby and toddler brain works。It also contains some strong opinions about breastfeeding which， even having succesfully breastfed my baby， I found them extreme and mixed with some incomplete information。 。。。more
Dulce Maria Larrrañaga
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Tiene muchos ejemplos y es buen complemento para conocer el método Montessori
Felipe
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Excellent inaights on Montessori method。 Good learnings and useful to read for new parents！
Ariel Jensen
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Although this is an okay overview of Montessori principles from birth to age 3， I was hoping to gain a deeper and more specific understanding。 I’m vaguely familiar with many Montessori practices， but I didn’t find the examples in this book particularly enlightening， inspiring， or memorable。
Sasha Gillespie
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Some interesting ideas to take， some impractical ones to leave。
Zeynep
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