Sneak Peek of Our Toddler’s Montessori Wardrobe

We recently added a wardrobe and mirror to Lee’s bedroom. Although Lee is not quite at the age of dressing himself, we’re starting to more actively include him in the dressing process and a key first step was setting up his wardrobe.

Here’s a quick look at our 19-month-old toddler’s Montessori-inspired wardrobe! 

Place everything within Lee’s reach and at his level.

As with most Montessori set-ups, accessibility is key. We purchased the IKEA Syvde Open Wardrobe because of its open shelves and low height. The top shelf is out of reach for Lee, so we store his pajamas there. On the bottom shelf, we added a basket for his socks. I plan on adding a hook on the side for Lee’s street clothes so he can hang them up during nap time.

Set out a limited number of seasonally appropriate clothing options.

Lee’s shelves are stocked with only a few pants, sweaters, and long sleeve shirts. Having only a handful of pieces helps all of us keep his wardrobe organized (namely with fewer items to fold). 

This also presents Lee with fewer options of what he wants to wear-- Do you want to wear your blue jeans or grey corduroys?-- allowing him to feel empowered to choose without overwhelming him with choices. To that point, we also store his summer clothing out of sight so he doesn’t pick out some jaunty shorts in the middle of February.

Add a mirror to the room.

Dressing Lee is rarely an easy task. I’m usually chasing him around his room as he pulls out books, cuddles his stuffed animals, and throws himself on his bed in protest. But one item that has helped him focus a little more is this full-body mirror.

A Christmas gift from my sister, this mirror is the ECR4Kids Double-Sided Full-Length Floor Mirror. To encourage him to participate in the dressing process, we face him in the mirror and sing, “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” while we dress him.

Take a tour of other Montessori spaces in Lee’s bedroom before we added the wardrobe here!