Cestina
Cestina is a specially design baby basket that is widely used in Montessori infant care.
It serves as one of the firm reference points for the baby and is also a great aid for the mother. The key components are a sturdy wooden base and open view - low edge design for the baby to see over. It is an equally comfortable spot to sleep or to spend awake time. This clever design not only facilitates the mother's swift responses to the baby's needs but also ensures the baby remains close at all times. Whether the mother is enjoying a cup of tea, taking a refreshing shower, or engaging in any other activity, the baby is always within reach, creating a seamless and comforting experience for both. Cestina is used from the first day up to around 4 months or when the baby starts to roll over.
Cestina is made from natural, 100% linen fabric.
A newborn baby spends most of the day sleeping or eating. In Montessori literature, this period is described as the symbiotic period, and it lasts for the first 6-8 weeks.
During this time, parents are typically focused on building their first relationships with their newborn. Getting to know each other, spending time together, creating a sense of security, providing love, and adapting – both the baby and the parents. This is also a crucial period for the formation of the attachment between the baby and the parents. Attachment between the mother and a child begins during pregnancy, but significant foundations are laid during the baby's first year of life. Secure attachment, which is the most desirable form of attachment, either forms or doesn't in the first few months of the baby's life. In relationships with secure attachment, the child develops the confidence of "I am valuable," "The world is a safe place," and "I can trust other people." The attachment style formed in childhood significantly influences self-esteem and how all future relationships will develop in a person's life.
To cultivate a secure attachment, it is crucial for parents to recognize and respond appropriately to the child's needs (such as comforting, hugging, being close) and do so consistently. By nature, a child is a social being. This means they depend on relationships with other people, actively seeking them, as observed from early infancy.
Therefore, it is particularly important to keep the baby close in the first months of life, building relationships through feeding, caring, and responding to each baby's needs. In general, the baby needs a lot of sleep and the presence of parents. A secure, comfortable, and portable crib combines both of these conditions, and in Montessori philosophy, it is called a CESTINA. It complements well with the use of topponcino.
Cestina dimensions:
- Length: 76 cm
- Width: 47 cm
- Height: 17 cm