Welcoming a New Baby into Our Montessori Family

She’s here!!! My new granddaughter (and Zoey’s sister), Sophia, was born on Monday morning! She is adorable!!! We’re all totally in love with her.

Here are some ways we helped Zoey prepare for a new baby along with our welcome into the family.

 

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Using a Topponcino

A topponcino is a Montessori essential for families with new babies who have siblings. It’s wonderful for anyone with a new baby, though. A topponcino is like a security pillow or small mattress that gives the baby a sense of security, stability of smells, and an easy transfer from visitors who are holding the new baby. It’s also a safer way for a sibling to hold the new baby.

 

These are the topponcinos I got for Zoey’s family and my home. We have a mixture of eyelet covers and other covers.

 

 

Obviously, a topponcino still needs to be used with young siblings with lots of supervision. In this photo, you can see my husband, Zoey’s grandpa, on one side of Zoey. My daughter, Christina is on the other side.

Of course, we will have a Montessori baby space in our house with the topponcino on a floor bed when someone isn’t holding Sophia in it.

Our Baby Doll Washing and Baby Care Activities

I have a sweet video and lots of resources for preparing a baby doll washing and baby care activity. These sorts of activities are very helpful for bringing out the nurturing side of a new sibling.

Some of  Our Favorite Books about Welcoming a New Baby

There are lots of wonderful books to help a child prepare for a new sibling. Some of my favorite Montessori-friendly books are:

Family Members You’ll See on Living Montessori Now

The blog posts are all written by me, Deb Chitwood. I have blog posts for all ages, even a category of posts for babies. That category will be growing larger!

You’ll see Zoey (4 years old), baby Sophia, Christina (my daughter and Zoey and Sophia’s aunt) and (after March) Christina’s baby on our Living Montessori Now YouTube channel. Christina’s husband, Tom, composes the music for our videos through his site at MusicCatRF.com. (Note: Tom has lots of Creative Commons music that’s free for bloggers – or anyone – even for commercial use with attribution.) You’ll also see new photos of Zoey and Sophia on Instagram!

My husband (Grandpa Terry) and Zoey and Sophia’s parents, Will and Chea, are always there in the background giving love and support and working to follow the kids’ interests. 🙂

We hope you’ll join us as we continue living Montessori now!

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

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