Setting Up an Infant Environment at Home:
The infant environment at MACH is a deliberately arranged space in which our young learners can safely and independently explore. I hope that with this guide I can assist you to come up with a “school-like” environment at home where your infant can occupy themself as you need space and time to complete your own work and routines. Many of my suggestions will be things you know and/or common sense, but I hope that reading this guide will at least help you to organize your thoughts and plan for an environment that works for your space and family.
Making Space
The first thing you’ll want to consider is where to set up your child’s workspace. If you find that you’ll also need to complete your own work tasks at home, where can you set up your work comfortably in tandem with your infant’s? How can you best accommodate all of the plugs and technology you may need while still keeping an eye on your child? Living and dining areas are usually the most convenient, but your home layout might have somewhere more adaptable, so take a look around. Choosing a space with natural light will be soothing to both you and your child and will help them to wind down when it’s time for naps.
Once you have chosen a space, decide which area (away from any relevant work supplies), can be most easily baby-proofed. In our classroom, the children are able to have free range of movement because there is nothing in the environment that might hurt them. Shelves are low, plants are out of reach, objects are all acceptable mouth toys. Make sure that any fixtures or furniture that might get pushed around are secured or removed. If you have them, take all of the baby gates in your house and section off this area.
As a hypothetical safety check, you should feel comfortable placing your baby in this space and walking into the other room. From where you sit and work (or observe), you should have a clear view of this area and feel confident in its safety. Whenever you start to feel like you can’t keep your eyes off it, remember that you’ve already done a thorough check; there’s nothing there that can hurt your child, so you can take some time to focus on your own tasks and needs. To summarize, your space:
Has a place for you to sit and observe (or perform your own work tasks if needed)
Has a place for your child’s area
Is totally baby-proofed and blocked off
Ideally has a source of natural light
Is in proximity to a bathroom and the kitchen
Montessori Work at Home
Next you will be filling your child’s environment with works and activities. It may seem counterintuitive, but the fewer things you provide, the more likely your child is to stay occupied for longer. Go through the toys that you have and choose a variety of favorites (avoid toys that make electronic noise, as these can be disruptive both to you and to your child’s concentration). Young children are easily visually overwhelmed. Couple that with the instinct to dump everything out and pretty soon every toy is spread out on the floor and they’re bored because they can no longer see what’s in front of them. Choose mostly open-ended things such as tupperware with lids, balls, solid blocks (no more than about five), and soft objects. If your child is very young and without much mobility, place a gym over then with bells and hanging objects they can reach. Remember that they will still need some rattles and bells, so test everything out to make sure the sound isn’t going to be grating on you. Out of the variety of works you choose, fill the space with about five or six at a time, rotating them out regularly. Again, here is a list of work suggestions:
Containers with lids (2-4)
Blocks (5-6)
Soft animals (3)
Rattles or bells that make a pleasing sound (2-3)
Board books (3)
Balls (1 or 2) especially if they can fit inside any of the containers
A large pillow to jump or lay on (12 months and older only)
A gym with hanging objects (3 months to walking - if they are walking, skip this one, they will try to push it over)
Wooden spoons from the kitchen
Plastic or metal colander
Metal mixing bowl (this one can get loud, so beware)
A mat or blanket or soft carpet underneath
Put-and-takes and/or object permanence activities (putting balls through holes, etc.)
Every work you leave with your child should be something that you would feel comfortable leaving them alone with. As I said, you will be rotating these activities. Choose a few categories at a time or take only a few objects from each category. Place the activities in their own baskets or containers so that they appear separate and the child can distinguish between them.
Creating Focus - Starting Your Child’s Worktime
Before you can “leave” your child to independent exploration, you will need to set aside some time to get them settled in. Think of this as their “drop-off.” Bring your child into the area you have created, sit down with them, and calmly and quietly show them the materials. Try not to speak too much, as children have a hard time listening and processing visual information simultaneously. Take one or two of the actives out and show it to the child. Maybe tap your fingernails against a plastic container, or open up a board book, maybe hold a soft toy aloft for them to reach up and grab. Keep your own presence as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. Don’t judge or instruct your child on what to do, just let them explore. You want them to focus on the material, not you, because after they are engaged, you are going to quietly slip away. Climb over the barrier, and if your child looks to you, calmly smile and wave but move over to your work station. You may have to repeat this step several times before they settle in. Don’t worry, sometimes drop-offs take time. Whatever time you usually dedicate to taking your child to school, reserve this for getting them settled in to their space at home.
Letting Them Be
Believe it or not, but when your children are in our classroom, they are able to work on their own for long periods of time, needing only occasional reassurance, hugs, or eye-contact from us. Often, all they need is a smile and a wave or a silly face and a quick redirection back to their work. You may or may not be used to leaving your child to entertain themselves, but I guarantee you that they are capable of doing it. Moreover, working independently in this way is the best way to build their attention span and independence. Don’t feel guilty that you are not on the floor with them interacting the whole time. The more space you give them, the more they will learn to occupy themselves. Remember, if children need something, they will let you know! Babies never suffer in silence. You may hear them making noises - that’s okay. Allow them to self-soothe whenever possible. Like I said, they often require only a small interaction to help them redirect.
Schedule
Try to set up a schedule and work from it as much as possible. If you know when your child is going to need to eat or sleep, you can build breaks into your day around these times. Save household tasks or work that requires your deepest concentration or fullest attention for when your child is sleeping. If your child is eating adult food, you can have your meals together. If your child is having purées, consider climbing into the enclosure with them and feeding them there in your lap to give you more control over the duration and clean up. If you’re working from home, going in and out of your own routine may seem like a huge interruption at first and you may feel as though you’re never going to figure out how to balance care of your infant with your workday. After a couple of days adjusting, however, the schedule should start to kick in for both you and your child.
Tag Team
Is there another adult in your home? Set up a schedule where you take turns observing or working in the space beside your child, perhaps two hours at a time. This will give everyone a break in time to focus on what they need to focus on.
Troubleshooting
These are guidelines to help you create an environment like the one we have in our classroom. Following them, of course, doesn’t mean that your infant is going to work peacefully for two or three hours at a time without needing anything. There will definitely be interruptions and frustrations as you learn to balance your own work and prioritize life alongside your own needs. Here are some common problems and possible solutions:
My child is screaming because they can see me but they can’t get to me through the gate:
try practicing being in the space with them but not interacting. Maybe bring some documents that you need to look at into your child’s space and sit down on a pillow to read, offering them hugs and touches and smiles when they ask for them but keeping your space and your distance. When they are occupied, try moving quietly back to your workspace. If none of this works and they’re still screaming and trying to get to you, you can either try letting them self soothe or extend the gate around the table you are working at. After a while, they will begin to move around.
It makes me nervous or frustrated that they are banging and throwing the materials around.
Try not to let their exploration get to you. Remember all of the objects you chose for that environment are completely safe. You can allow them to work with anything that you gave them without supervision. Remind yourself of this over and over again until it sinks in.
I feel weird or guilty not playing with them.
Don’t. Remember that your child occupies themself for a large part of every day at school. They just need to practice doing it at home, and over the next couple of weeks, they’ll get lots of practice.
My infant is very mobile and the area is not satisfying them. They are easily bored and need more space.
- if you have to, you can put your older infant in their bedroom with a baby monitor and block the door with a gate. As long as the room is totally baby proofed and they have no electronics that they could get into, consider this option.
Have other questions or concerns? Are things coming up that you didn’t expect? Please email me, or we can schedule a time to talk through whatever it is that you’re struggling with. The MACH team and I are here to help you navigate life with your infant.
Best,
Annie
agreene@haggarchildcare.com