Last year Sunshine asked Santa for a black baby doll and a bed for her to sleep in for Christmas.  Finding the perfect black baby doll was the easy part.  But the bed...

Sunshine is known for her aggressive and destructive tendencies.  No matter how well built a wooden or metal doll bed is, there is a great chance it would either be destroyed or used in an unsafe way.

I agonized over how I was going to make Sunshine's Christmas wish come true until the most interesting idea came to mind.

Why not get her a Montessori floor bed for her baby?

Montessori Floor Bed for Baby Doll

Sunshine used a floor bed herself from the time we adopted her until about seven years old when she graduated to a big girl bed.  You can read more about why we used it for her for so long in the post below.

The Montessori Floor Bed and Special Needs

It's odd that we often don't think about applying Montessori to play in the way of a doll bed instead of the typical cradle or set of bunk beds.  

Just think of a play world where our Montessori children set up play environments similar to the ways they've been raised.  What a fantastic way to play!

And this is not just an idea for special needs children.  This will work for all of our Montessori children!

How to Create a Montessori Floor Bed for a Baby Doll

Now, it's one thing to create a floor bed for a child, but yet another to figure out how to create one for a baby doll.  Mattresses for baby dolls aren't just something you stumble across every day.

I needed something thicker than a blanket, but not too far from the floor.  And FYI, I don't sew.

At first I thought about a changing table pad, but the way they're shaped now days didn't quite work.

I went to Pottery Barn Kids, my go to place for toys, and stumbled across the Metallic Star Quilt and Pillow.  To be sure it would do the trick I called my favorite Pottery Barn Kids interior designer and asked how thick it was etc.  It would work.  

I ordered it immediately.

I then grabbed the baby doll blanket to go with it knowing how much Sunshine loves blankets and that her baby doll would need one to cover up with.

The cost of the quilt set and doll blanket was so reasonable compared to a baby cradle or set of bunk beds.

Oh, and I couldn't forget her African American baby doll!  

We are huge fans of Stella dolls as they are soft and well made.  The Caucasian baby doll you see in some of the pictures in this post is seven years old and still looks like new.  No matter how rough Sunshine may be with them, they are built to last and so darn cute.

The Montessori floor bed for Sunshine's babies was so well received Christmas morning.  Sunshine was so excited.  She even commented on how her baby dolls now have a bed just like hers.  She loved the African American doll as well.

The Montessori floor bed has remained set up on her floor for her babies for a year now.  Sometimes she rotates them out.  Other times she specifies that it's only for her African American baby doll and asks for another.

I love that I've been able to pass Montessori on to Sunshine in a new way. I wonder what we can add to her Montessori baby doll environment next!

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