The Montessori approach to assisting a child in their ‘standing work’ as we call it in my home, is to hang a low bar on the wall, usually with a mirror behind it. This setup is a simple and engaging way to support your child’s drive to stand – an important step in their journey towards independence.

Unsure where to hang a bar in my small apartment and hesitant to buy one when I wasn’t sure how long it would hold my child’s interest, I procrastinated getting a bar. Then one day when he nearly pulled himself up using my arm, I realized the time was now! I searched the apartment for something that we could set-up right away. We had an unused antique twin headboard that was nearly perfect. I wrapped the bottom bar of the frame in blankets since it was a bit sharp and secured the frame to the wall next to our foam play mat. I moved the baby mirror from horizontal to vertical, and there we had it, not exactly a Montessori pull-up bar, but a fun standing zone nonetheless.

The fact that part of the mirror is obscured by the blankets has actually turned out to be a fun bonus. When he is sitting he alternates between stretching his neck up to see above the blankets and folding himself in half to see below the blankets. He’s been happily playing in this spot for two months now, and I’m glad I didn’t buy a special bar.

Some of our other fun standing zones I’ve setup are pictured in my post Organizing Baby Toys. I’m curious what other babies have found to be the most useful for their standing work: a simple pull-up bar? A particular piece of furniture? A certain baby contraption? Even if you had kids thirty years ago (Mom), I’d love to hear about how you supported your kid’s journey to stand and walk.