Originally Posted by Heidi:
For example, at RIE, and infant should CHOOSE when they want to sleep. They have mats on the floor so that infants can crawl over and catch a nap. Okay, first of all, in my state, that's against licensing regs. Second, I would not be okay with my (fictional-mine are grown) crawling in and out of bed a night when they "feel" like sleeping. I'm very authoritarian when it comes to sleep. I decide...they don't. To me, it's called being a parent.
Another example is child-sized furniture. In an dc center, sure. In a home, it's awesome to have a little table and chairs for your toddler to play at or have a snack at. Sure, it empowers them. But, it's also good for a child to learn that they are part of a bigger world, and to be part of a social group. My kids sit at the table with us. We eat as a family. Me sitting on the floor so that they're comfortable is not really respecting ME, and I am the "elder" here. KWIM?
Yes, I definitely used what was practical for us. Also, I might be considered an "attachment parenting" parent, so some of that is in conflict if you are very strict about interpretation. But it certainly informed my thinking.
The crawl-in beds are also used in Reggio infant centers, and opened my eyes to possibilities. That said, only a very exhausted baby is going to chose to nap when big kids are roaming all around being loud. I followed infants' own schedules, but put them in a pack-n-play. (However, I did move them to mats quite soon, and used a mattress on the floor for my own daughter, never a crib.) (I'm pretty authoritarian about sleep, too.)
Your thing about "respecting me" is something I learned from Reggio. Before that, it seemed that adult furniture was considered taboo in early childhood classrooms. But they emphasize making adults comfortable and welcome, too. The balance in my home is kid-sized table/chairs for daytime meals with the kids (I sit on an adult-sized ottoman that makes me comfortable there) and kid-sized stools and table in the studio. But at dinner, we eat at the dining-room table, my daughter with us. Always family-style. A mix of each of us accommodating the other.