Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen

Book Overview

Based on Dr. Maria Montessori's philosophies for nurturing babies and toddlers, this practical and useful guide is brimming with instructions, anecdotes, and encouragement for raising calm, competent, and confident children--from designing the baby's bedroom to encouraging life skills such as dressing themselves and working both independently and collaboratively.

What can parents do to help their youngest children in their task of self-formation?...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805211128
• ISBN13: 9780805211122
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.9" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Well-written and practical introduction to the Montessori method

I am a big fan of this book even though I can't claim to follow all of its advice (no floor beds or real drinking glasses for my kids, although I don't disagree with them in theory). The book provides a brief but comprehensive review of the Montessori philosophy but - more importantly - contains a lot of practical information about raising young children in a Montessori inspired home. The book is well-written and I actually found its clear message and practical approach quite reassuring. It is true that the authors of the book present their message in very absolute terms, which may cause some parents to feel attacked for not following all of the suggestions provided by the book. I did not quite read the book in this way but instead got the impression that the authors were simply trying to be clear and straightforward in their presentation without adding to many ands, ifs or buts. The most fundamental lesson that I took away from this book is to respect your child and his/her ability to learn and live up to his/her potential. All of the authors' advice emphasizes that children should be given space to explore in a calm and unhurried environment without continuous interference by adults. This does not mean that parents should not be a warm and caring presence in their children's lives; the authors simply encourage parents to observe, follow their childrens' leads and provide them with a thoughtful environment that encourages the child's curiosity and independence. Polk and Jessen emphasize that children benefit when they are allowed to do things for themselves. Again, the authors emphasize that the goal is not a young toddler who dresses himself and cooks his own meals. In fact, they readily admit that letting young children do things independently is often more work for the parents. But they emphasize that achievements in self-care provide toddlers with a tremendous sense of accomplishment and self-confidence. On a more detailed note: I do not agree with the reviewers who have complained that Lillard and Jessen tell readers to stop breastfeeding their children at nine months. The authors are actually strong proponents of breastfeeding. They simply write that at about nine months children will begin to be able to feed themselves table foods and that encouraging this independence will quite naturally initiate a weaning process whose exact duration will depend on the individual child. I'm adding the exact quote here because I'm puzzled why so many reviewers misinterpreted the book: "Now at nine months, mother and infant are challenged with a new mission - that of separation. (...) The timing of weaning from the breast varies in individual situations but ideally it should never be abrupt. Weaning involves a process of at least four weeks to several months (...) By the time of weaning at approximately six to nine months the baby is most often on a schedule..." I believe that the term "weaning" is at the root of the misunderstanding here. Many review

Well written and very detailed

I've scoured the web looking for Montessori materials, activities, albums, instructions and whatnot, and picked up this book from a recommendation on one of those websites. It's filled with very detailed, easy to understand instructions on how to raise your child in the Montessori way from birth. There are concrete explanations of how to deal with life situations with a newborn, instructions on how to do Montessori activity lessons/presentatiosn with your infant, descriptions of materials you can make or buy for the baby, instructions for how to organize your home, and provides overall motivation on raising your child in their Montessori Life. And that's what you soon realize it is, a way of life for you and your child. One of the problems I forsee someone having with this book is seems to talk down to the reader by giving almost obvious details in the instructions on how to do the Montessori activities, but the more I read it the more I realize those details might be obvious while reading the book, but if it hadn't been explicitly explained to me, I might have missed it and thereby missed some salient point of the activity. The book is very well written, enthusiastic, motivational, and well referenced. I'm more than halfway through after a few days of reading (between feedings, diaper changings, burpings, and going back to work) and I know I have to do a careful re-read with a couple highlighters, a pad of paper, and a pencil in hand. It's "chock-full of nuts" and I want to get everything out of it that I can.

Essential for Montessori parents of babies/toddlers!

Having been recently introduced to Maria Montessori and her discoveries on child development, I am absolutely fascinated by her theories. She has answered so many of my questions on parenting by being able to explain just why children behave as they do. Thus, the Montessori method has enabled me to be more patient and understanding with my small children and better able to meet their intellectual needs.As a parent with a child in a Montessori program, I have been looking to expand my practical knowledge on the Montessori method regarding infants and toddlers. This book is highly informative and detailed as to how to raise your baby from birth according to Maria Montessori's method.To be honest, it is not for the faint of heart. The authors are non-apologetic (nor should they be) about criticizing many common trends in children's lives: too much TV, too many scheduled activities, endless video games, etc. And they do defend their positions. To put into practice the many suggestions in this book may be hard for some to swallow: cloth diapers, no cribs/playpens... But for those parents looking for Montessori answers to "baby-raising" questions, this is an absolutely excellent resource.One note: the Montessori method is not about pushing children towards independence so as to make parents' lives easier. It is about really understanding your child so as to help him better fulfill his tremendous God-given potential.

Very inspiring and informative.

I am practicing many Montessori principles with my children (aged 0-3). I do believe they are happier, more confident, more compassionate, and overall more prepared for a fulfilling life because of it. I can see them blossom when the sense of accomplishment comes from the inside.I was intuitively on the right track with my own common sense methods, but this book helped, describing exactly how to teach the children so that they can absorb it with ease. Putting my 2 1/2 year old daughter in front of the TV is one option when I make dinner, but I elect to teach her to cut vegetables (yes, safely) with me in the kitchen instead. Soon all I will need is to set her work area up and she is busy cooking for 15 minutes! You tell me what is more fun and satisfying - for us both!The book inspired me to read more of the many books by and about Dr. Montessori and her methods.