Guide
Pikler (Loczy) or Montessori: understanding both approaches before choosing a nursery
Two approaches often named on nursery websites and rarely explained. Here is what each actually proposes, what they share, and which age each suits best.
Last updated : 8 min read
In short
The Pikler (Loczy) approach rests on free movement, unhurried caregiving and trust in a baby's spontaneous activity, with no adult forcing of positions. Montessori rests on a prepared environment, child-height real materials and free choice of activity. Both aim at the same thing: a child who acts, respected in their own rhythm.
What is the Pikler, or Loczy, approach?
An approach to the very young child built on clinical observation: free movement, caregiving as a relationship, and trust in the baby's own activity.
It originated in Budapest, at the institute led by paediatrician Emmi Pikler on Lóczy street — hence the two names. The premise is simple and demanding: a baby does not need to be placed in positions they cannot reach alone, nor to be constantly stimulated, in order to develop. They need a reliable adult, a safe space and time.
Two principles shape the day. First, free movement: babies are not propped up to sit and not walked between adult hands; they are placed on their back on a firm surface and left to conquer each stage in their own time. Second, caregiving as a privileged relational moment: nappy changes, meals and dressing are not chores to be rushed but times of exclusive attention, announced to the child, where the adult narrates and waits for participation.
It also requires stable adults: the baby must recognise the hands and voice of the person caring for them. That is what makes real emotional security possible.
What does Montessori mean for under-fours?
A prepared environment where everything is within the child's reach, materials are ordered and limited, and the child freely chooses an activity and completes it.
Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator, also started from observation. Her best-known phrase — help me to do it myself — captures the intent: the adult prepares the setting, presents an activity, then steps back.
For under-fours this means very concrete everyday actions: pouring water into a glass, carrying a tray, putting on shoes, wiping a table, helping to tidy. Materials are real, child-sized, limited in number and always kept in the same place, so a child can take and return them without asking.
The second pillar is concentration. When a child is absorbed in an activity, they are not interrupted — not even to be praised. That quality of attention is treated as the heart of development at this age.
What does this change in a child's day?
Mostly the adult's role: fewer interruptions, more observation, and an environment designed so the child can act alone.
In a room inspired by these approaches, several things are visible within minutes of walking in.
On the floor
Babies lie on firm mats, free to move, without bouncers or seats that constrain posture.
At child height
Low shelves, visible accessible materials, few objects but well chosen and always in the same place.
During care
The adult announces what will happen, takes time, and invites the child's participation instead of handling them.
In language
Adults describe what happens rather than judge performance: you carried the tray to the table, rather than well done.
In rhythm
Long uninterrupted stretches, transitions announced in advance, and rituals that stay the same day to day.
Which age does each approach suit?
Pikler fits babies particularly well, before walking is secure. Montessori comes into its own once a child moves, handles objects and wants to do things alone.
The line is not rigid: the Pikler spirit keeps informing relationships with older children, and some Montessori ideas already apply to babies, if only in how the space is arranged.
But it reflects a developmental reality. Before walking, the priorities are emotional security and motor achievement; afterwards, they become practical independence, language and life in a group.
Why do we combine Pikler for Babies and Montessori for Toddlers?
Because each approach answers the dominant need of an age: security and free movement for babies, independence and a prepared environment for older children.
In the Babies group (0-18 months), a key person knows each child well — their signals and their history. Care is a relationship, movement is free, nothing is forced: that is the Pikler spirit.
In the Toddlers group (18 months-4 years), children move, want to do things themselves and become interested in the group. A Montessori layout gives them the means: accessible materials, practical-life activities, free choice and protected concentration.
This continuity avoids a rupture: children move from one setting to the other without changing philosophy, only means. The transition is prepared gradually, with shared time between the two groups.
Frequently asked questions
Do we have to choose between Pikler and Montessori?
No. Both share the same trust in the child and complement each other: Pikler informs the relationship and movement of babies, Montessori structures the environment of older children.
Do these approaches suit every child?
They are built on individual observation, so adaptation is intrinsic. A child who seeks a lot of interaction is supported differently from one who explores alone for long stretches.
Does free movement mean adults do not intervene?
No. Adults are present, available and attentive; they simply do not place children in positions they cannot yet reach alone, and do not interrupt ongoing activity without reason.
Do these approaches prepare children for school?
They build concentration, practical independence, language and the ability to live in a group — all useful foundations for starting school.
See both approaches in practice
A late-morning visit is the clearest way to see how the rooms are arranged and how the team supports the children.
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