How to Design a Practical Montessori Toddler Room

The Montessori method uses unique ideas to stimulate learning from a very young age. You can recreate this method at home with a Montessori toddler bedroom!

The job of a Montessori room is to provide the tools of exploration. That’s why so many parents are becoming interested in bringing this philosophy home as their baby begins exploring! Having those same kinds of tools right in their room is an excellent way to enhance your kid’s ability to learn.

If a Montessori preschool is out of reach geographically or financially, this is a great way for your child to enjoy a similar environment. Benefits of a Montessori bedroom include:

• Opportunities for your toddler to make choices, inspiring critical thinking
• Development of physical coordination through freedom of movement
• A lack of clutter, which leads to focused learning and easier cleanup
• A sense of independence for your toddler

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Top Picks for a Montessori Bedroom

Transitioning from a Nursery to a Montessori Bedroom

If your nursery wasn’t set up with the Montessori style in mind, the transition can feel pretty dramatic. You’ll likely need all-new pieces of furniture and a new paint color. Wall decor may need to be moved to a lower level – or removed altogether.

It’s also time for the glider or rocking chair to go. A Montessori room is all about having items that are kid-sized for their use, not yours.

The Toddler Floor Bed

A Montessori bedroom layout generally includes a floor bed. This gives your child the independence to climb in and out of bed on their own.

Age-Appropriateness

Believe it or not, there is no “too young” for a floor bed! There are cots designed for floor placement with mesh siding for babies. So there’s no reason you can’t put your baby to sleep in a Montessori-style bed.

But cribs are definitely the most common first bed for your baby. A floor bed is often a brand new experience. For babies who still wake frequently, this can mean a lot of long nights ahead. You’ll need to have an abundance of patience.

Low-Sitting Crib with Toddler Rail

Creating a Montessori bedroom doesn’t mean you can’t just use the common toddler bed with a rail. In fact, you may not even need to get rid of your crib!

For my son, we simply purchased the toddler rail that matched our 4-in-1 crib. We removed the front piece of the crib, moved the link spring for the mattress to the lowest possible setting, and installed the toddler rail. Then he could easily get in and out, and he was still sleeping in a familiar bed!

Types of Montessori Floor Beds

The Ground-Level

A partially enclosed floor bed is the go-to for authentic Montessori style. Rails keep your child from rolling onto the bare floor. But openings allow them to get in and out of bed on their own easily, fostering independence.

I’m a big fan of the full-size floor bed so I can still lie in bed with my baby at bedtime. A book, some cuddles, and a plushie are all your little needs before falling asleep on their own.

The Lifted Toddler Bed

A floor bed for a toddler doesn’t have to literally be flat on the floor. There are tons of super-low bed frames that still allow a toddler the freedom to get in and out on their own.

A common concern with floor beds is mold, which can breed unnoticed underneath a direct-to-floor mattress. Carpet and humid environments make this more likely. Running a humidifier also increases the risk of mold.

The Wardrobe

Both of my children were extremely slow to potty train, and we had to use pull-ups well into their third years. That doesn’t mean you need a changing table, though, which is a bulky piece of furniture and decidedly anti-Montessori.

The floor works just as well for a diaper change. Plus, a toddler practicing independence and motor skills may want to take off their own wet pull-ups and put fresh ones on themselves anyway. If you can get rid of that tall, bulky piece of furniture, I recommend doing so.

When the Bedroom Has a Closet

In a Montessori bedroom, clothes storage may or may not be in the closet. If you choose to use a closet, you’ll need to make sure your toddler is able to open the door(s) on their own. You may also need to install a lower rail for hanging clothes where your toddler can reach them.

Another option is putting a bin system in the closet so your child can easily pull out bins to get the clothes they need.

If you don’t have a closet, don’t worry – you still don’t need a big dresser.

When You Don’t Have a Closet

A safe solution to storing clothes in a toddler bedroom without using the closet is to get a mini wardrobe. They can be anchored to the wall to ensure they don’t tip over.

The wardrobe above has an acrylic mirror on the far side that won’t shatter, a pole for hanging shirts or dresses, space for shoes, and shelves with bins for pants, pajamas, socks, and underwear.

But a toddler doesn’t need tons of clothes to choose from. Don’t stuff the rack with hangers or make the shelves impossible to navigate. I recommend keeping about 7 outfits’ worth of clothes – a “capsule wardrobe” – in this kind of armoire.

Making Room to Move

You should set up a Montessori bedroom in a way that allows your child room to move around and play. Keep a space free of furniture and clutter, even if it’s a small perimeter.

Primarily, you want the space in front of the available toys to be open. A great way to identify this space is to put a rug down and show your toddler that the rug is their “play space.” Even in a carpeted room, a rug with a different texture from the carpet can create a nice feel and depth to the room.

This faux-fur rug has a 4-foot diameter and soft, plushy feel. It works perfectly in front of your toddler’s toy shelves or bins as a safe space for playtime.

A Montessori room layout doesn’t have to be set in a particular grid pattern or “feng shui” style. As long as everything meets the aesthetic and is reachable for your toddler, you’re doing fine. You just need to incorporate the basic furniture in whatever way they work for the room you have available.

Layout Inspiration

Here’s a sample Montessori toddler bedroom to give you an idea of what they often look like.

The Indoor Tent for Toddlers

You may have noticed a lot of Montessori toddler rooms have an indoor tent! My daughter had one herself. If you can fit one in, they can be an excellent addition to a toddler room. They provide a cozy space that may be more enticing for naps or bedtime. It’s also a great spot for them to curl up with a book as they get older.

This teepee tent is an excellent choice for a Montessori toddler room – the structure is made of natural pine wood with a cotton beige covering for a neutral, clean look.

Montessori Toys

Toys are an essential part of a Montessori room! It just might look a little different than traditional kids’ bedrooms.

You don’t have to get rid of all of your toddler’s many, many toys. Just keep some in storage in your own closet or basement and rotate them out every few weeks. I’ve got a super in-depth article on toy rotation that includes a free rotation chart to get you started!

Rotating toys adds another benefit: your toddler will constantly have new, exciting things in their bedroom to interact with!

And make sure to fill your toddler’s room with books. You may not consider them a toy, but that’s pretty much how they’ll be used for a while. Board books are best at this age; while not indestructible, they will have a much longer life than paper pages. The ones below were my kids’ favorites!

You can probably fit books somewhere on the toy shelves. If you’d prefer something separate to help keep things organized, a toddler-accessible book rack is an excellent choice. The one below comes in many color combinations!

If you’re working with a small room and need to save floor space, I also really like this one that attaches to the wall but is still easy to reach.

Other Furniture Options

The floor bed and the mini wardrobe are all you really need. But there’s probably a couple more things you’ll want if you have space.

The goal is for everything to be on your toddler’s level. You don’t want to overwhelm them with excess, either.

Pay attention to smaller details from your toddler’s perspective. Will the knobs and handles on the wardrobes be easy for small hands to pull on? Is it worth hanging that expensive piece of artwork up high so your toddler can’t reach it if they can’t even really see it properly? Stick to durable, affordable items for the time being.

With that in mind, here are a couple more furniture pieces I recommend for a Montessori toddler room.

Toy Shelves

I say shelves instead of storage or bins because ideally, the toys will be visible, easy to grab, and easy to put away for your toddler. Bins are for storing large numbers of toys in a single space, whereas a Montessori bedroom should have just a handful of toys present at a time. This helps prevent clutter, makes cleanup easier, and keeps your toddler from being overwhelmed by choice.

These shelves have that wonderful natural wood perfect for a Montessori bedroom. It’s no taller than a one-year-old, and just the right width to hold a variety of toys. You can place toys directly on the shelves for easy access, or you can add shallow clear bins to help contain smaller items better.

Workspace

An often forgotten element, a toddler room can benefit tremendously from a dedicated workspace. Your toddler can draw, color, and sticker on their own table, in their own tiny chair, in the comfort of their room. The Delta set below is very cute, natural-looking, and affordable.

If you’re worried about a mess, well, you should be! But making messes is part of learning and maturing. Help mitigate the mess by taping paper to the wall around the workspace and putting a washable rug underneath. Pottery Barn has a lot of really beautiful ones.

Crayons, paints, and stickers can be kept out of reach until it’s time for art. Then you’ll be able to stay in the room and keep an eye on your toddler. Just don’t keep them somewhere your toddler can see but not reach! This will lead to frustration and negative energy for your child.

Montessori Decorations

There are more essential items for a Montessori toddler room than just the furniture! The way it’s decorated also needs some careful thought. Get down on the floor on your toddler’s level to see the world through their eyes.

Blackout Curtains

This is a more controversial topic amongst Montessori enthusiasts. Many purists will tell you to never use blackout curtains because children will nap or sleep when they are tired, regardless of light conditions in the room. But sheer curtains simply did not work for my children!

With my son in particular, the slightest bit of light would have him wide awake, both at night and in the morning. Blackout curtains were our savior. Just don’t leave them closed all day, because natural sunlight is an important part of a Montessori bedroom. Open them either as soon as your child does wake up, or at a reasonable hour, like 7:00AM.

Montessori-Style Artwork and Prints

Stick to cheap replicas and unframed photos for decorating the walls. That way, if your toddler chooses to remove them from the wall, nothing of great value is lost. But you shouldn’t leave the walls bare; stimulating visuals are important for brain development.

When choosing artwork for your toddler’s bedroom, stick to things that are natural or soothing. Images of all kinds of animals are a great choice, as well as flowers, trees, and bodies of water.

Etsy is full of images you can print (and reprint) from home. Use some glossy photo paper and set your printer to “Fine” or “Best” for some very nice-looking DIY wall art. Don’t forget to include photos of your family!

Mirrors

Mirrors are a very important, specifically recommended item in Montessori rooms. They allow children to see themselves in action, which can help them coordinate and refine their motor skills. When dressing themselves, they’re able to get an idea of how the outfit they’ve chosen looks!

Toddlers are generally fascinated by mirrors, too. Just make sure it’s hung at toddler level and is acrylic or shatterproof, like the sheet below from Home Depot.

Night Light

Since your toddler is going to have the freedom to move around the room, they need to have a little light at all times to see what they’re doing.

Green and blue lights give off a cool, calm light that’s less harsh than standard white lights. This LED night light can change to any color of the rainbow! If a particular color seems to help your toddler sleep better, stick with it.

More Montessori Goodies for Toddlers

These are some other small things I found very helpful when my children were toddlers. They will help you design the ultimate Montessori bedroom for your toddler!

The Montessori Bedroom Aesthetic

Neutral or Natural Colors

The paint, flooring, and large furniture pieces in a Montessori bedroom should be white, beige, or grey. You might also incorporate muted hues of blue, green, yellow, or other earth tones.

Creating a Montessori room will remove a lot of the focus from making your toddler’s room for a “boy” or a “girl,” because neutral tones are the most soothing to your toddler’s senses. These colors will also allow your toddler’s attention to be drawn to the toys, art, and photographs in the room instead.

This does NOT mean you can’t have pink, purple, or red items in your toddler’s bedroom. You’ll just want to avoid bright colors in items that aren’t toys or clothes. Ensure that a calming, natural tone is the primary vibe of the room.

Natural Finishes

When choosing furniture, opt for finely sanded natural wood over plastic or painted finishes. Choose natural fabrics for the bedding, blankets, and rugs, like wool and cotton.

Don’t be afraid to include a live plant, either! There are soil protectors to help mitigate the mess in case the plant is knocked over.

Simple and Uncluttered

These days, most children are showered with toys by their families. However, Montessori is nearly synonymous with minimalist. You don’t have to get rid of all those gifts, though! Keep some in storage and rotate what’s on display every so often. This is a perfect practice for Montessori rooms.

Everything Within Reach

From toys and clothes to artwork and pictures, everything in a Montessori room should be within your child’s reach. Having things in reach removes your toddler’s frustration at not being “big enough” to do things for themself. It scales the world down to size, creating a sense of calm as well as independence.

That light switch on the wall? Your kiddo can’t reach it yet! Fortunately, there’s a genius out there that invented light switch extenders. Whether you’ve got traditional light switches or the wider soft-touch kind, there are extenders available for you!

Room to Play and Move

Since everything will be in reach, your toddler will need space to explore all the things! And once you remove bulky furniture like large dressers and changing tables, it’s usually easy to incorporate some open space into the layout.

Montessori Bedroom Tour

Check out this gorgeous, simple 2-year-old Montessori bedroom shown in a very detailed tour. The room is small and efficient, and the mother goes over every single furniture and decor decision. It’s also a girl’s room, and incorporates subtle “girly” things while keeping to a very natural, neutral overall tone.