The Best Montessori Floor Beds for Infants and Toddlers

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Are you considering a Montessori floor bed? You’ve come to the right place! This post goes through why you should choose a Montessori floor bed and the best options on the market.

Put simply, a Montessori floor bed refers to a low bed for a baby or toddler to use instead of a crib. They are lower than a toddler bed so that younger babies can safely use them. Though some have bars around them, many do not. They are so close to the ground falls are far less of a concern. A foam mat next to the bed can further protect from them. Dr. Maria Montessori wrote about the importance of freedom of movement and recommended that children be able to choose when they went to sleep on a low mat on the ground rather than enclosed in a crib. Unlike toddler beds, Montessori floor beds can be used from birth. In our home, we switched away from the crib when my firstborn was 5 months old. With my daughter, we have skipped the crib entirely. Though it is only part of how we manage sleep in our home, the Montessori floor bed has made sleep so much easier in our family.

Why choose a Montessori floor bed?

Montessori floor beds are definitely not a conventional choice. When I heard about them when I was pregnant I made the conscious decision to choose a crib instead. The floor bed just felt too unconventional for me. After all, how would my baby sleep or stay safe? A few months into motherhood I changed my mind on the Montessori floor bed and I am so glad I did.

Here are some of the reasons I love the Montessori floor bed.

• Ability to help your child with sleep: This is the top plus of the Montessori floor bed for us. My son got to a stage at about 5 months where crib transfers no longer worked. However, I could nurse him to sleep and then roll away. If you opt for a larger floor bed you can sleep in there part of the night if necessary. Many families wishing to transition from bedsharing find this incredibly useful.

• Freedom of movement: When my toddler was 10 months old he woke up from his nap for the first time and went to play in his room before coming to the door to come out. It was the sweetest thing. The ability for him to play independently rather than calling out when he woke up was a definite perk available because he was in a Montessori floor bed.

• No bed transitions: We never had to transition my toddler to a toddler bed or “big kid bed.” There was no stress about the new freedom for him because he was used to the unrestricted space. It also meant no sudden switch because my child was climbing out of the crib.

• Money-savings: If you opt for a larger floor bed you may be able to use the bed throughout childhood. My son’s floor bed for example can convert to a normal bed with legs. My daughter’s floor bed can flip to be a higher bed. This investment can last much longer than a crib.

• Safety: We never worried about my children climbing out or falling out of a crib. I know many feel nervous about a floor bed with babies, which I understand, but I am so glad we switched before there was any chance my children would be climbing out as that can be incredibly unsafe.

Considerations in Choosing a Montessori Floor Bed

Have you decided on a Montessori floor bed? Great! Now there are several considerations to keep in mind as you decide which one to purchase and how to make the shift.

Of course, safety needs to come first when switching to a Montessori floor bed. Many in the Montessori world never use a crib. There are safe ways to use the Montessori floor bed from birth, though many switch around 6 months. We personally have only used the floor bed for naps and the start of the night while we were awake with our infants. I am not comfortable with my infant sleeping in their own room. With my daughter, however, she tends to nap more in the carrier than my son did and we have not used her Montessori floor bed much at all so far in infancy. Many, however, start some naps in the floor bed from birth and switch from a bassinet for nights around 6 months. Unfortunately, as far as I know, no floor beds are officially approved for babies under 1 in the U.S. (I discuss an exception in my options, however). I find this incredibly frustrating and really a failure since it leads to less clarity on what is actually safe. Below I discuss the floor bed I would choose (and did choose!) for babies under 1. Officially, however, all floor beds I believe are approved from 15 months. I would be particularly cautious in purchasing floor beds for babies under 1 as many are not designed for this age group.

If you are choosing a Montessori floor bed for your infant the same safe sleep guidelines should be followed as with a crib: nothing else should be in the sleep space. You also may want to opt for a crib-sized floor bed for your infant. Crib-sized mattresses are the only ones approved for safe-sleep for infants. From all my research, however, I do believe this twin-sized mattress is the same material as their crib mattress and thus would be the option I would choose (this is the mattress we have in crib size). We chose to convert our crib to a floor bed for my son when he was an infant so we could continue using his crib-sized mattress. With my daughter, we bought a dedicated crib-sized floor bed. Others do choose to use a larger firm mattress for their infants but we chose to wait until after 1 for that.

A couple of other aspects of safety are ventilation and the location of the bed. It is recommended to have ventilation under a mattress. This means choosing a bed frame rather than just a mattress on the floor. We did just have a mattress on the floor for my son when he was an infant and never had problems but if you are in a more humid climate this is particularly important. Mattresses also should not be against a wall unless the frame is specifically designed for that since it can pose a suffocation risk (see here for an example of a design allowing the bed to be by the wall).

Finally, for safety, the whole room must be babyproofed. Think of the room as a giant crib now. Mount all furniture. Cover cords. Remove any choking hazards. You want to make sure the room is completely safe for your child to explore independently.

Beyond safety, there are a few other considerations in choosing a Montessori floor bed. Do you want bars on it? These are optional. Without bars, a baby or toddler will learn the edges of the bed pretty quickly and since the bed is so close to the ground, falls are not dangerous. However, if you prefer to have bars around the sides many beds do have that option. Be cautious, however, in choosing floor beds with rails. One top bed advertised as a Montessori floor bed was recently recalled because the rails were too wide and posed a risk.

What size bed do you want? Some floor beds are made in crib, twin, and full. Others are only available in twin. Maybe you want a crib-sized one to be safe for a baby? Or maybe you want a full to make cosleeping easier? A twin can be a nice middle ground for saving space but still comfortably snuggling your baby to sleep.

My Favorite Montessori Floor Beds

There are so many Montessori floor beds on the market of all different prices and qualities. As I mentioned earlier, be particularly careful with buying a floor bed for an infant. The one we chose is below. There are many listings on Etsy but not all have the same oversight.

Sprout Kids Sosta Bed (code OnTheWay10 for discount): My son has the Sprout Kids Sosta bed and without question, this is my favorite floor bed because of its versatility. Back when I was first researching floor beds this was what I was looking for but it did not yet exist. Its only downside is it is only available in twin size. They are talking about making a full-sized one, however. It can have bars or not, you can add legs, and it can even become a bunk bed. This is a pricey Montessori floor bed option but it really grows with your child.

Sprout Kids Birch Floor Bed (code OnTheWay10 for discount): We also have the Sprout Kids Birch floor bed for our daughter. This is a much more affordable option than the Sosta one and has many of the same great qualities. It has an option to safely put it against a wall. It can also be flipped to be raised above the ground. This Montessori floor bed is available in crib, twin, and full. For a baby under 1, this is the floor bed I would choose (in crib size).

House-Style Floor Bed: I can’t say I am sure why the house-style beds became the standard for Montessori floor beds but this is a beautiful simple floor bed without rails that comes highly recommended.

Montessori Floor Bed with Storage: This floor bed has an option for a bookshelf or toy shelf at the end which is a cute addition. It does not have bars but it does have raised sides to prevent a child from falling out.

Montessori floor bed with bars: This Montessori floor bed from Etsy comes highly recommended by many and comes in all sizes. The major downside is the astronomical cost of shipping.

IKEA Kura: This one takes some DIYing but this is a popular “hack” turning this bed into a floor bed with the sides from the top bunk. Available in twin size.

Newton Portable Bed: If you are looking for a floor bed that can also be used while traveling, this is a great option. It is larger than many travel beds which makes it a more comfortable everyday setup. What I like about this one is it can be used as a floor bed or as a pack-n-play type thing. If you are unsure about a floor bed it can be a good option. This is the other one I would feel comfortable using with a baby under 1 and is probably the only “floor bed” officially approved for that age group.

Convert a crib: Finally, the last option is to convert an existing crib. I discuss how we converted our crib for my son here. I also share some crib options that have legs that screw off in this earlier post of floor bed options. This can be a safer option for babies under 1 as the bars are properly spaced for babies and it uses a crib-sized mattress. Of course, use caution when making any modifications to a crib. I personally, would not choose to do this if I was buying a floor bed from the start, but it can be a good option if you already have a crib that is not working for you.