Montessori Babies
Meet alumna Bianca Solorzano (M.Ed. Montessori Education ’20), an Infant Development
& Montessori Consultant who wears a variety of inspirational hats: writer, teacher,
and now host of the podcast Montessori Babies. Since graduating from Loyola’s School of Education, she has not only launched a
very successful podcast but also now offers courses on how to optimize baby development
through a Montessori lens.
What gave you the idea for the podcast? How does it work?
I actually had been blogging about Montessori in Infancy for a couple years and decided that a podcast would be just perfect for another way to support the amazing parents and caregivers who work with infants!
I am the host of the show, and I have brought on some amazing guests and had some wonderful sponsors. All of my episodes are focused on optimizing infant development through a Montessori lens, and my goal is to continue to inspire, encourage, and empower the amazing parents and caregivers on their journeys with their sweet babies.
What’s been your experience in working with infants?
I have been working with babies in a Montessori setting for over a decade now. I spent many of those years running my own Nido (Montessori Baby Classroom), teaching Montessori Baby Parent and Child Courses, Offering Parent Education Events, and more!
The last few years I’ve focused on supporting parents and caregivers on implementing Montessori with their babies in their home or class through one-on-one client work, through my blog babytourguide.com, through various social media platforms (@babytourguide) and through the Montessori Babies Podcast! I’m also expecting my first child in just a few short weeks. So I’m excited and grateful to be embarking on my own Montessori Baby Journey very shortly.
My fascination with the mind of the infant began all those years ago and continues to grow… those endless potentialities that Dr. Montessori describes is just so beautifully evident when working with babies! I love sharing my passion with others.
You mentioned you’ve had 60k downloads and a wonderful support base. How has the podcast connected you to new voices, and was the outpouring of support immediate or did it take some time to grow?
This podcast has really opened a ton of doors to new relationships in the Montessori and Baby Development world! I’m so grateful. I have been able to connect with other amazing creators, interested Montessori parents, and even Heads of Schools and Montessori Teachers who have reached out to let me know they played some of my episodes for parents or teachers they’re working with!
It’s been about a year and a half since I launched the podcast and we’re slowly reaching lots of interested families! I’m just happy to be able to support families and be even a small part of their Montessori journey with their babies.
Did the upcoming course grow out of the podcast?
The Montessori Babies Course that I recently released was many years in the making. I actually came up with the idea when I was working in the classroom setting. I found myself trying my best to support the parents who wanted to implement Montessori in their homes, and wanted the same information and tactics to be available to other parents who were just as interested.
I’ve always tried to empower families to implement in a way that works for them, their baby, and their lifestyle… so removing any big pressures and just doing their best with small (but important) pieces of tangible info. That way, they feel confident and settled as they journey with their babies through infancy.
I also offer a totally free Mini Course: Essentials To Beginning Montessori with Babies! In this course, we dive into the foundations of what you need as you begin implementing Montessori with your baby. (P.S. Those who enroll in the mini course get a limited time promotion for The Montessori Babies Course.)
What are the learning outcomes for the course?
- In The Montessori Babies Course you’ll learn how to:
- Build an in-home Montessori experience for your baby and family through an at-your-own-pace-guide
- Grasp a foundational understanding of baby development to then implement Montessori pedagogy
- Learn to implement Montessori via the Non-Mobile Baby, the Sitting, Slithering, Crawling and Cruising Baby, and the Walking Baby
- Set up your home environment for each stage of development in infancy, even with limited space
- Understand how to “follow your child” and create a child-led experience
- Use the Montessori approach in everyday baby interactions and experiences such as meeting needs
- Find, Offer, Set Out, Use, and Rotate Montessori Toys and Materials
- Use the Montessori, Baby Development, and Positive Approaches to supporting babies in transition, phases, and behaviors
- Be your most inspired, empowered, and prepared self for this beautiful stage in your baby’s life!
Anything else you want to share about this journey?
Just that I’m so grateful to be able to help and support all of the amazing Montessori parents and caregivers who find their way to my community!
It’s been such a wild journey for me to get here, and I’m so thankful for each step! Loyola was a huge part of my learning experience and I’m forever thankful to the amazing professors and administrators in the Montessori graduate program.