The Child’s Own Space

One of the first things people notice when they visit our studio in Brooklyn is the permanent fence that divides the room to form a completely safe and enclosed play area for our classes. This is necessary so adults (Leith and I included!) feel comfortable and confident that the space has been prepared to support the overall well-being, development, and safety of the infants.

This is the children’s own space. The material environments in which infants live and play can be sources of enrichment or poverty, conflict or community. And this space is a foundational component of the material environment we use to create comfortable, shared living conditions with adults and infants. Subtlety in design is key. The environment should not dominate the infants’ (or adults’) attention, but it must be carefully designed to facilitate relationships among the infants and between the infants and adults.  

Of course, what you have at home might not look the same as our enclosed safe space, but the reasons behind the space are the same. At Nurtured Child, Leith and I share the physical space with infants, toddlers, and families—so everyone’s needs must be considered to ensure there is adequate space for us all. But the focus is on creating a space for the infants, who, particularly in New York, often lack safe spaces in which they are completely free to explore and interact.

For example, in our Brooklyn location, I used to have a desk and filing cabinet. But over time I realized that I needed to forgo that setup to have a more comfortable caregiving area for families. That’s the kind of thing that happens when you share space with others, even when those others are infants.  

We are often unaccustomed to thinking about the need to compromise to make space for a new infant, and the market is filled with devices such as chairs and swings that are designed to help fit an infant in around the edges without making meaningful adjustments to accommodate the infant. But when a child arrives in a family, there is a new person with new needs and new considerations that need to be accounted for.  

All of us have a little more experience with these sorts of compromises now than we did before the pandemic. I remember that during the pandemic, when my husband and I were both working from home, we each had to compromise on space. It was not always easy, but we did it, like so many other families. Respectful relationships are never one-sided; they require mutuality to truly be respectful. This is true for everyone. When you have a baby, it’s like you have a new roommate who is equal parts burgeoning artist, scientist, engineer, and linguist as they begin exploring their new world (believe me; they are a really cool person!). And they need a “home office,” just like adults, to follow their own interests. 

Of course, there are limits to how much a family can modify their own space, particularly in New York where space is at a premium. But even small gestures of compromise to give infants a space of their own can make a big difference. And even the smallest studio apartment has a way to make a dedicated play space for a child. Watch this space for more information and examples!