It has been a while since I posted an ask the expert series post, but when I discovered Courtney English on Instagram I knew she had to be the next person I interviewed. Courtney is a pediatric occupational therapist supporting parents in meeting their child’s sensory needs. She has a plethora of useful information to help children with emotional regulation, bedtime, and meeting their general sensory needs. I was so excited to be able to interview her and speak about some of these things!

If you’re looking for a first birthday smash cake without the processed sugar, this is the one! We have done several first birthday cakes and I would say this is the easiest and incredibly tasty. It is sweetened with banana and has a fantastic moist texture. My real achievement this time was making a solid frosting for the rainbow cake without powdered sugar or food coloring.

Looking for an activity for a high-energy toddler inside? Try an obstacle course! It is the perfect way to get them moving purposefully. We like to pair it with shelfwork. This post shares all the items we use to make obstacle courses!

Do you have a toddler who loves construction? I do! This blog post goes through some favorite books about construction that are loved by our toddler! Some are Montessori-aligned and some less so, but all of them are well-loved by my construction-obsessed toddler.

I am so excited for the Montessori-aligned first birthday gifts we ended up choosing for our baby. I think they’re a great mix of things that will grow with her and she will enjoy with her big brother. So here’s the list of our favorite Montessori-inspired first birthday gifts. Some of them are even so good we bought them for my son and are buying again for our daughter.

We are almost 1 year out from when we welcomed our second child into our home. One year ago one of my biggest fears was my toddler really struggling with the transition to being a big brother. We spent a lot of time preparing him though and the transition went so much better than I could have expected. This blog post shares some of the top things we did to help our toddler adjust to life with a new sibling.

If you’re about to welcome your second (or third or fourth or…) child, congrats! Welcoming a new sibling is such an exciting but huge transition. One of my top tips for easing that transition is to read books about a new sibling. This blog post shares my favorite books about welcoming a new sibling. My preference, especially when using books to prepare for a big event is realistic books- bonus points for real pictures. These are our favorites including ones we used to prepare my son and a few that have come out since then.

Are you interested in designing a Montessori bedroom for your toddler? This post gives a tour of my son’s Montessori toddler bedroom and offers a guide on what to consider when creating a safe and developmentally appropriate Montessori bedroom for your child!

I have put a lot of effort into creating a kitchen space that is accessible for my toddler and serves the needs of our whole family. This looked different when we lived in our small apartment, but most of the factors were still present there as well. Here is a look at our kitchen and ways we make it accessible for our toddler (and baby!). My toddler is 2 years 9 months and my baby is 11 months.

Have you wondered why Montessori is so obsessed with independence? Why are toddlers cooking and cleaning from such a young age? This blog post answers that question with another question, is Montessori actually so obsessed with independence at all? I argue that Montessori is far less about independence than we think.

This post has been a long time coming since I did my cooking with toddler series several months ago. Knives are an exciting tool for toddlers to use if introduced safely. Of course with all the tools I will discuss you should supervise your child closely. These tools are toddler-safe only when supervised. This post goes through how we introduced knives from 14 months through the knives he uses now at 2.5. It also discusses some of the progression of skills with the knives we introduced to our toddler.

I am really excited to finally be sharing some of the spaces in our new home. We moved back in May but there has been disaster after disaster as we try to set up the home. I finally was able to share our playroom and now I am excited to share the art corner. I felt this needed its own post as there are a lot of components to it.

Looking for the best Hanukkah books for your baby, toddler, or preschooler? This post shares some of our most beloved Chanukah books. These are absolute favorites and ones we treasure each year in our home.

This post gives a tour of our playroom. We have the sunroom off the living room as a dedicated Montessori playroom and homeschool room. It is a small room but filled with light and just perfect for our needs. We also have open-ended toys in the living room (which I will share later), but this room holds mostly our Montessori close-ended materials in addition to some books, art supplies, and musical instruments.

Looking for a gift for the Montessori mom or dad in your life? This gift guide gives ideas! Here I include some of the gifts we are gifting this holiday season as well as some we have loved in the past.

If I were to only buy one product for my baby it would be a baby carrier. I would rather survive skipping the car seat and never bringing my baby in a car before I could survive without a baby carrier (obviously more true when I lived in the city but still I would make that choice). A baby carrier is how I have survived (and even thrived!) during the 1-2 transition, so it is about time I share my favorites.

I have a deep love for small businesses. I grew up with small business owner parents. When possible I try to support small businesses. As a creator, I also feel it is my responsibility to share small businesses. This post shares some of my favorite small businesses we love in our Montessori home: businesses where your money supports a family.

This gift guide includes my favorite hand-selected gifts from birth to 3 years old. It includes both what we are getting our children and our favorite items in our home. The list is divided into sections so as not to be too overwhelming but to give a variety of Montessori-inspired options.

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.

If you’re looking to design a Montessori home the entryway is a great place to start. This is a place you can provide your child with accessibility and the tools for independence as they prepare to come in and out of the house. With a place for shoes, a seat, hooks, and a mirror you can provide an intentional Montessori entryway in your home.