Montessori Simplified: Why Use a Floor Bed?

Whenever I post anything about the floor bed on Instagram, I get all kinds of incredulous questions, and I have always been a little hesitant to talk about it because I know sleep can be kind of a controversial topic.

However, over the past few months of experiencing what sleep is like without a regular bed for Ignatius, and as we begin transitioning him to a floor bed once again, I am really aware of the differences between using sleep containment devices and the freedom of the floor bed. Especially when it comes to our mindset as parents.

I thought it would be helpful to explore why Montessori families opt for a floor (or low-to-the-floor) bed.

1. Freedom of movement from birth

From birth, Montessorians believe in giving babies freedom of movement. This is why many Montessori families avoid using baby containment devices as much as possible, such as bouncing chairs, swings, or pack and plays. For full disclosure, we do use a swing in this family, as it is something I have liked to have on hand when babies are fussy and I need to be making a meal or helping another child and the movement area isn't appealing to them at that moment.

There are a whole host of reasons for this belief in giving babies freedom of movement, the most important being that it supports the natural development of the baby, allowing them freedom to use their bodies, develop their muscles, and have a full range of motion as they develop it.

Babies who use a floor bed have so much more opportunity to practice rolling, crawling and walking as they reach these developmental stages.


2. Independence

As babies gain the ability to get in and out of bed, using a floor bed allows them the freedom to leave their beds when they are not tired or are done sleeping. From my experience, this is the aspect of the floor bed that gets the most backlash.

Is it safe for babies to be free in their rooms?
Will babies choose to sleep when they need to, or will they be too busy exploring and playing?

When using a floor bed, the entire room should be prepared to be safe for exploration. This means that any cords are attached to the wall, furniture is anchored, and any toys or items that could pose a choking risk are removed from the room.

After this, exploration should be expected and embraced. With the understanding that children, even young babies, are capable of following their body cues when given the opportunity to develop this bodily awareness, parents can be assured that babies will sleep when they feel tired.

Many Montessori families will prepare the room with a dresser or wardrobe which the child can independently reach when they are old enough to start dressing, and a few simple works or books for the child to use when they are not sleeping in their room.

This is definitely where that mindset shift I mentioned above comes most into play. When we are used to placing our babies in a crib when we want them to go to sleep, it can seem counterintuitive to expect them to not always go straight to sleep, or stay sleeping, when they are in their rooms.

But in my experience, my babies have been rockstars at putting themselves to sleep in their rooms when they are tired, and even eventually learn to climb back into their beds to do it. (They've all gone through stages where they just fall asleep on the floor in the middle of exploring.)


3. Removing negative connotations 

Containing babies to their beds and expecting them to go to bed can carry all kinds of negative or stress connotations from parents, and babies are certain to pick up on these.

Rather than making sleep a thing we force children to do because they have nothing else to do once they have been placed in their beds, using a floor bed from a young age empowers children to choose to sleep when they are tired.

Of course, many families who use a floor bed still close the door so that the child does not have the freedom to leave the room (an important aspect of Montessori is always freedom within limits), but having the amount of freedom that the room provides is often all a child needs to feel respected and in control.

4. Freedom of choice

When children can walk to their own beds and climb in, I have found it is much less of a struggle to get them there. For both Benedict and Ignatius, I would say, "time for bed. Let's get your water and your blanket." And as soon as they would see their bottle of water, they would often walk to their beds and climb in.

I distinctly remember when Benedict reached the age where he started protesting going to bed and all it would take was for me to ask him if he would like to be carried or walk there on his own. Giving him this aspect of choice took away that power struggle.


5. Removing the transition later on

Lastly, the transition from the crib to the regular bed is often a dreaded and stressful experience for parents. For all those months of the baby's life, the parent has instituted a familiar bedtime routine and likely been in control of the baby's sleep habits.

When a child transitions, they may test limits and boundaries, trying to escape their rooms or allowing themselves to become overtired because having that freedom is such a novelty.

Along with this, parents will often have unmet expectations about how bedtime used to go and should continue to go, which always results in frustration and heightened anxiety, which will not be positive for either the parents or the child.

And finally, many children have a hard time getting used to sleeping without the walls of a crib around them, and it may take them awhile to feel safe and comfortable in an open bed.

For all of these reasons, I think it makes a lot of sense to skip the crib altogether and avoid having to transition later on down the road. After all, everyone has to sleep in a regular bed eventually, so why not make it as natural as possible and get children used to this completely normal process from the start?

What do you think about the Montessori floor bed? Have you used one in your family? What was your experience?

Links you may be interested in:

1. A bed similar to the one we have from KidKraft
2. This beautiful bed from Little Colorado, you might want to cut the legs down to make it lower to the ground, but it is so classic and lovely, I just had to include it.
3. A toddler sized pillow from Celeep
4. Toddler bedding from Ikea simliar to what we have
5. For those of you asking, a play barn similar to what we have in Ignatius' room by Schliech
6. Schleich farm animals (or this set) from Schleich
7. Ignatius' current favourite bedtime read, Autumn by Gerda Muller

This post includes affiliate links. The Fishies in a Row earns a small commission on products purchased through these links and are so thankful for your support. 

Thank you for reading! For more posts in my simplifying Montessori series: Using Breakable Dishes | The Beginning of Normalization | Following The Child | The Work Cycle | The Value of Concentration | Obedience and Self-Discipline





If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. And if you are interested in following along in our daily adventures, follow us on Instagram where I post daily.

God bless,
Olivia Fischer