How to Build a Montessori House Bed

Are you interested in how to build a Montessori house bed? Well, you don’t have to be a seasoned carpenter or designer to build your Montessori house bed; you just need an afternoon and the right tools. 

So how do you make a Montessori house bed? Making a Montessori house bed isn’t as hard as you may think. Provided you have the right tools and materials like wood, miter saw, wood filler, and others, you are good to go in a few simple steps. The secret to having an easy time during this process is to have the best tools to make your work easier.

Here’s how I built my daughter’s Montessori house bed

So what’s a house bed?

 A Montessori house bed is a piece of furniture that will help your child transition from crib to bed. It’s designed to look like a traditional home, so it helps to desensitize kids to the new environment.

Montessori house beds are typically made from wood or plastic and come in various styles. Some are brightly colored, and others are more muted. 

They’re also very sturdy and have no sharp edges or corners that could hurt your child if they were playing inside them. It also has a firm mattress that promotes healthy spinal alignment, helps prevent back pain, and guarantees your child’s safety.

Let’s learn how to make a Montessori house bed.

Materials

Step 1: Cut Pieces

You will cut the pieces of wood. Use a miter saw or table saw to cut the 2x4s and plywood. 

You can also use a jigsaw to cut out the plywood if you don’t have access to large power tools. To make holes in the side panels, use a drill or hole saw attachment on your drill bit.

Step 2: Drill Pocket Holes

Now it’s time to begin building your house bed. The first step is to drill pocket holes in the bottom of each side piece. 

Use a 1/2″ drill bit and set up your pocket hole jig according to these instructions, making sure that the depth is set at 1/2″. 

The jig should be at 90 degrees (perpendicular) with the edge of your side piece so that they are aligned with each other. 

Your board will be upside down when you do this, so ensure there’s nothing underneath where you’re drilling that would get damaged if it were hit.

Next, clamp a straightedge along both edges of one side piece to keep them flat and secure while you drill all 4 holes in each end. 

Make sure these are facing towards the inside of their respective boards, so they don’t show from any angle when looking into your house bed. This will help prevent splinters.

Step 3: Begin Assembling the House-Shaped Frames

Use your pocket screw jig to drill and attach the two A pieces to one another, along with the single B piece. Then repeat this process for each house-shaped frame. 

Use one ¼″ pocket screw to attach these three components, ensuring that you are drilling them in at a 45-degree angle so that when they all come together, they will sit flush against each other later.

Step 4: Add the Second B Piece

The second B piece should be placed on top of the first and aligned with it. The second B piece should be placed on the side of the bed frame opposite where your first B piece was placed.

Once both pieces are in place, you can use a hammer to secure them further into place by banging nails through the holes in each slat into those above and below it.

Step 5: Add Roof Pieces

In this step, you’ll add the roof pieces in the same order as you added the side pieces. To do this, follow these steps:

Add wood glue to all of your roof pieces. Align one end of a roof piece with one end of a side piece that’s already on the bottom slat and secure them together with brad nails (if it helps to line up your boards with pencil marks from before). 

Then, place more glue along that joint’s top edge and secure it by driving more brad nails through both layers at once. Repeat this process until all three layers have been nailed together into one unit.

Cut down overhanging ends so they’re flush with their adjoining piece. For example, trim off those corners if you cut a square-shaped hole in your baseboard, and now an extra bit is sticking out over its edge after nailing everything together, so they match up better when joined with another part.

Step 6: Connect the Two Sides

Now you can connect your two sides. To do this, use a screwdriver and drill to make holes in the ends of each piece of wood. 

Then, insert a wooden dowel into these holes so that there are four of them on each side, connecting the two pieces. 

Step 7: Place the Crib Mattress Into the Montessori House Bed

After building your bed, it’s time to place your crib mattress into your new child’s bed. 

Ensure that you have a mattress that fits the bed well to reduce the chances of the mattress sliding over or making the child uncomfortable. 

Place the mattress in a safe area far from anything that may hurt the kids while sleeping.

Building a House Bed Is Doable, Even if You’re Not the Most Experienced Builder

Building a house bed is doable, even if you’re not the most experienced builder! If you can use a drill and a saw, you have what it takes to build your house bed.

If you’ve never built anything before and are worried about getting started, don’t be. There are tons of resources online that can help guide you along the way. 

Summary 

The most important takeaway (besides how to make a DIY Montessori house bed) is that you don’t need to be an expert builder to create something extraordinary. Just keep it simple and use the right tools! You can do this.

FAQs

What sizes are Montessori beds? Montessori beds come in full, twin, queen, and even California king or king sizes.

How high is a Montessori floor bed? The mattresses chosen for Montessori floor beds are always 2.75″ so that even when the baby rolls outside by mistake, it does not pose any threat to the baby.