Roo’s new room: 16 months
It’s been too long. Real life has taken over, and blogging has fallen far far down the list of priorities.
In a seize-the-moment moment last night I decided it was past time to provide an update for all those Montessori floor-bedders out there, so I grabbed my iPhone and took some low-fi pics for you.
Roo has swapped rooms with his brothers so that they could have the bigger room, with the door that actually latches (to keep his destructive little self away from their card games and art projects). We haven’t spent much time on this new room – just plonked everything down and left it alone. Like I said, real life has taken over. I feel like I am always putting out fires, and the time required for attending to Roo’s changing developmental needs has not been available. Maybe this week. He desperately wants step stools and his own appropriately sized cleaning tools.
So, here is the no-frills, camera-phone, full-western-sun-at-sunset version of Roo’s new room – I didn’t even tidy for you:
(I have just noticed one of the shirts is falling off its hanger. This amuses me.)
I am in love with this wardrobe Roo got for Christmas. It was handmade for him by my Dad, copied from an Ikea wardrobe that is discontinued. It functions really really well at giving him independence and limiting his wardrobe, and it is beautiful. It holds all of his clothes. When I asked my Dad to make it, I was wondering if I could do it – limit his wardrobe to just what would fit here. When he was in smaller sizes he used to have more than a hundred items of clothing (all hand me downs and gifts) and it was hard to keep on top of. Now he has what you see here plus about seven other items that were in the wash. He has only a few of each type of clothing and never (maybe once?) runs out of clothes because it’s easy for me to see when I need to get cracking on the laundry. Here, I’ve labelled it for you:
To continue with the room tour:
The only thing I have to say about the floor bed is that it still works. He has no problem staying on his bed when he wants to, he leaves it when he wants to, we have no problems that I can trace back to not having a cot… We put him to bed with a short bedtime routine – tidy, toilet (nappy & PJs), teeth, book, blessings, bed (goodnight song and kiss). We skip things depending on how tired he is. He still cries in the middle of the night many nights, which I’m not bothered by, YMMV. When we go to check on him he is mostly still in his bed. He settles down again very quickly with a short visit from us to tuck him back in. Although recently he has started crying more than once each night, he seems to need us less at these times than he used to, just a quick check-in and then he waves goodnight for us to leave again. I’m wondering if the midnight cries will fade away this year. We are considering a night light to see if that helps him put himself back to sleep. He also needs his comfort toy less – he will go to sleep without it now, although he’s never been through a whole night without it since we usually find it by the next time he wakes and cries.
You can see above that the art we used to have at eye level has gone up high, because he just wouldn’t stop trying to destroy it. Maybe later it can come down again.
The way he stacks the lighthouse puzzle slays me every time:
And there ends the tour. If you have a question, let me know in the comments and I will answer it.
I love this wardrobe, it’s fabulous for him to be able to dress himself and the uncluttered nature is so soothing.
It’s still a really gorgeous room – and, hooray for floorbeds! We’ve just moved house and, while Libra’s bed is a proper bed, it’s at the same height as our bed, which is now on the box spring on the floor. The kids take an obscene amount of joy in jumping back and forth across the gap while I watch from behind my fingers. Still, it’s nice to see that they’re both able to get into and out of bed as they please.
Also, that wardrobe. Genius, adorable, and I am so jealous of how neat it looks – even with a shirt falling off the hanger :)
I’ve been having a terrible / highly stressful time lately, and nice comments about my baby’s wardrobe are like sunshine in my heart :) I’m so easy to flatter. Thanks!
may I ask where the mattress is from? I like how thin it looks.
Hi Kim,
That is a Boori baby innerspring cot mattress. It was a gift, but my understanding is that they are quite expensive. It was pretty low to the ground.
It’s been so great getting a tour of Roo’s room as it has changed! We are exploring doing a Montessori bed/room for our son (who’s now co-sleeping at one month old), and this has been a huge help. Thanks!
Are you lonely tonight? Are you out on the road? I’m headed home to go it alone again. Are you dreaming out loud? Scared of the crowds? I’m headed home to go it alone again. It’s realizing just how close you’ve come to death. and rearranging accordingly. I’m realizing what I’ve lost and what I’ve left and taking it home to go it alone again. Find me a place With salt on the roads I’ll do what I’m told, and buy what I’m sold again. She was enough but that was never enough. The wound that won’t heal is pain I can’t feel again. In real life these things don’t happen much at all. Too bad we all live the dream. I’m realizing just how far I had to fall and taking it home to go it alone again. In real life these things don’t happen much at all. Too bad we all live the dream. I’m realizing just how far I had to fall and taking it home to go it alone again. I’m taking it home to go it alone again. Taking it home to go it alone again.