Katherine sent in a good question: Hello! I have been searching for a Montessori weaning table for several months. All of the ones I have found are birch. We only have one room and a dark wood would look so much better.
Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to:
nursery(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)
We would love to find either a Montessori weaning table in espresso or one that we could stain. Do you, or any of your readers, know of a good source for Montessori furniture that is dark wood or can be stained? Or, do you know of another table that would work in a similar way as a weaning table?
Any ideas? Let Katherine know...

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Check out Etsy.com. This one looks like it could be stained: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14643973
am i missing something? isn't this just a short table? so anything could be used or modified to that height?
A picture of a classic Montesorri table and chair is here: http://www.michaelolaf.net/09JC1unique.pdf in case any one is unfamiliar with the concept.
How old is the child involved? What level of mobility does she or he exhibit. If he or she is very young I think you would need to purchase something like the chair above. A regular toddler chair would require too much skill for most kids at age one.
We introduced a low table and chairs early but our son wasn't able to get into the chair himself with any ease until well, well after he started solids.
(We use the Argington high chair with tray attachment when he was little. Eventually we remove the the tray attachment and place it the table with us. We also have their Giza/Rhoades table. Available in darker colors. We are very happy with the quality of the table and chairs. No-toxic.)
I don't understand the problem here. If you found a table in birch, stain it. It's cheap and easy. My sister bought a lot of unfinished wood furniture and stained it herself. We used IKEA Lack coffee table with our daughter.
Um, what IS a Montessori weaning table? Just curious because I don't remember tables being involved in our weaning process at all...
JudiAU - great link, thanks for the info!!!
We use old Ikea "Ingo" table that I had lying around from my bachelor apartment days. I stained it with a dark "wenge" water soluble/non-toxic stain. I did not coat it with a finisher to keep it non-toxic. I figured the nicks and scratches would just add to its charm after use! I then had my husband cut down the legs to the right height. You can always measure/mark the legs and take them to a Home Depot and for 1 buck a cut they'll d the cut for you.
I use it with two kids' Ikea chairs...which are a little high still. But they were cheap. The chairs at my little boys' Montessori daycare are very low, wide and with sides, so you may need to special order those.
Here is a link to the Ikea table on the website. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/74630209
I was really confused about what this was too, so I googled it. Here's a quote from a blog.
>>The weaning table: This one brings tears to my eyes. I can't believe I'm already thinking about giving her food. The weaning table is Montessori's answer to the high chair. It's on the floor, and the child gets into and out of the chair herself.>>
Yeah, Ariel, I couldn't find anything that made any sense as to what this is and why a "Montessori" one had to used specifically. It is a child-sized table, end of story. Just because there is some special method to the use of it, doesn't change the fact that is is just a low table.
Thanks to those of you who provided helpful comments. A little background: my daughter is only 6 months old, so a regular child-sized table won't work. The Montessori concept is that very small children can sit at the table by themselves. Thus, the table has to be very low. I like the suggestion to cut off the legs of an Ikea table. However, the chairs must be heavy and have arms that reach the table to keep the child in the chair. Also, the reason the birch tables I have seen won't work is because they have a finish that prevents staining or a laminate top. The Etsy table linked to above won't work but I did find another on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_5&listing_id=21358732&ga_search_query=montessori table&ga_search_type=tag_title) and the seller will stain it for me - thanks to those of you who gave suggestions!
This post is ironic because I was minutes away from buying a table last night and my husband wanted me to wait until we found an espresso one! I've looked at these tables for days now and insisted there weren't any. Question for you - do you think this table is too big for your 6 mo old? This site sells 5 1/2" chairs and says 6 1/2" won't work until they're one -http://www.communityplaythings.com/products/chairs/medoit/index.html. I would LOVE to hear how the table you purchased works for you!! And how it looks!! Please share!
I hate to think how much you're going to pay for physiotherapist appointments for your back after trying to feed a child sat in a chair that low on the floor...
You don't have to write a rude comment just because your back would hurt if you sat on the floor to feed your child.
Violetsose -
I think it will work because DD is huge - 99% for weight, but I will definitely let you know how it works when it arrives.
Thats not a rude comment! - I didn't swear or insult you in any way! - it was a tongue-in-cheek comment
I just know that its much easier to pick the child up and place it on something higher to make it the same height as you to do anything with it than trying to bend down to its level all the time - thats why highchairs were invented
The comments are all very amusing.
The point of Montessori method is raising an independent child that does not have to rely on others to do accomplish tasks such as getting in and out of a chair or bed. Putting a child in a high chair is convenient for the adult yes, but it does nothing for the child's development.
A lovely video showing a 9 month old enjoying a meal at her Weaning Table with her Dad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2h5Lwm3_gw
(most any table can be converted to a Weaning Table provided you can shorten the legs and add weight to the underside of this table so that it does not easily scoot away from the child)