The Infant Program at Weinacker’s Montessori School provides opportunities to help infants gain independence skills as opportunities naturally arise. To provide a supportive environment that meets each child’s needs, we first establish a good working relationship with the parents of the infants in our care. With this in mind, we have put together a brief overview of key concepts in the Infant Program.
When a child enters our program, we require that a parent spend the first day with the child so that the child, parent and staff can become comfortable with one another. This helps the child establish a basic trust in the environment. We suggest a shorter first day(s) alone at the school for the child to ensure a positive experience. The staff learns much about the child’s daily care from observing the child’s interaction with the parent.
A journal will be kept for each child. The staff will write personal anecdotes about the child’s day, and add pictures when possible. We encourage parents to take these journals home to read and to add to them. When a child leaves the infant program, the parents keep the journal. In addition, a daily update is kept for each child, so that the parent can have basic information regarding food intake, sleep patterns, diaper changes and the health of their child.
The staff encourages independence throughout the day with one exception – during separation. Children can only separate successfully in an environment where they feel secure and comfortable. We therefore feel that a caregiver must be available to assist a child who is having a hard time, acknowledging the child’s feelings and offering comfort and support.
We encourage parents to stay as long as they want any morning. However, when they are ready to leave, they should say good-bye and go. A staff member may take the child to a window to see that their parents are actually leaving.
Our program strongly encourages mothers to breastfeed, and we are happy to offer any assistance to ensure success. Some mothers come in during lunch or break times to breastfeed, while others express milk for use when they are unable to be present. We have a refrigerator and microwave in the classroom.
Children will be fed when they are hungry, and allowed to sleep whenever they are tired. We do not force children to eat at a certain time nor do we awaken them in order to feed them. Infants are held when they receive a bottle; they are not expected to hold their own. This allows one-on-one time with the caregiver, and makes basic care more personal. We work closely with the parents when it is time to introduce solid foods. We do not put cereal in bottles; we feel that it is important that the child gets practice with a spoon. Children are fed in a bouncy seat before they are able to sit up, and when they are able to sit unsupported for short periods of time, they sit at a weaning table during meals. Utensils are always available for them to experiment with, should they show an interest in them. An adult is always sitting near the infant at the table. As the child progresses, pureed fruits and vegetables are added, followed by bite-size pieces of food they can feed themselves.
The child is weaned from a bottle to a cup gradually, to make the transition as easy as possible for the child. When the child is able to sit at the weaning table for meals, fluids are offered from a cup. After much practice, the child learns this new way of taking in fluids, and eventually tries to hold the cup. When the child is successfully drinking from the cup, we begin the weaning process from the bottle at mealtime. The child’s parents are an important part of this transition process, and included in all decisions made regarding their child.
Our goal in the infant program is to help the child to become independent, and an important part of this process is to allow the child to learn self-calming skills. Infants cry for any number of reasons including hunger, fatigue, frustration and anger. Crying is communication. It is important to understand why the child is crying. Does the child need something? Is the child angry or frustrated? An infant may need adults to give verbal reassurance, to be moved to a different position, or simply to be left alone. When the infant is small and unable to control his own body, he may need adult help. As he gains more control, however, we need to allow him more freedom to do more for himself. There are times when a child just needs someone nearby as he works through his struggle. When the child is allowed to work it out for himself, he begins to become more independent and learns important self-calming skills. These are all steps to independence.
We provide many opportunities for children to develop their motor skills. Mobiles are provided for infants to look at and reach for, and initial batting movements soon become purposeful grasps. Crawling is encouraged as infants are placed on their stomachs and provided many objects to reach for. As they gain the ability to move forward, they are provided with objects that entice them to crawl, such as rolling toys that move just out of reach. Sitting up is also encouraged at this time, as back muscles strengthen. At first, children are supported by the teacher, then by cushions, and finally sit alone. As the children become proficient crawlers, more challenging skills are introduced. They crawl into and out of things, up and down objects. Appropriate and safe materials are provided so that the children may practice their newfound skills without the assistance of an adult.
As crawling is mastered, children begin to pull up to a standing position, and soon start to cruise around the furniture. They also begin to push objects such as chairs or even tables (anything that will move when pushed!) around as an alternative to crawling. Our environment is designed to provide many such opportunities.
After practicing their upright skills, children soon begin to stand alone, and finally begin to take their first steps on their own. We do not use walkers in our program, both for safety reasons and developmental ones. Although a walker may help the not quite mobile infant move around, it does not encourage the infant to learn the balance necessary for walking, and can also be harmful to the development of leg muscles.
Another extremely important part of the infant’s development is communication. Early infant communication and appropriate adult responses become the basis for healthy psychological development. Children become self-confident when they can communicate effectively. The infant’s very first experiences of having a need and communicating that need in the infant’s own language – crying and body movement – should not be minimized. Respectful communication between the adult and child is crucial. Teachers speak softly and positively, giving the infant time to respond, so that a communication rhythm develops. We read books, sing songs, and name familiar objects. By helping the child progress toward independence, the infant becomes well prepared for the toddler program. As the child progresses, the two most important skills necessary to move up to the toddler program are walking and language. The child must be able to move through the toddler class, and communicate needs at any given time. When we see that the child shows signs of readiness to move, we consult both with the parents and the toddler teachers, to make the child’s transition to the toddler program as easy as possible