Continuing with my mission to find affordable alternatives to the Monti Kids play sets, the next in the series is the 4-6 month play set.
Let me just start by saying that I love this play set. As usual, they have created an excellent quality product with beautiful designs. I’ve personally found that 4-6 months can be a hard age because you’re not sure what to do with your baby, and this kit made figuring that out much easier.
Some of the toys in this toy bundle are very similar to the ones in the Lovevery play set, which I found alternatives to in my Lovevery Amazon Alternatives blog series.
The overall goal of the 4-6 month play set is to get your baby to spend time on the floor, both on their tummy and their back, to build their core strength and help your baby hit those developmental milestones.
Priced at $195, it is one of the more affordable of the Monti Kids play sets. But for those looking to get something similar at a more affordable price, I’ve scoured Amazon and found some great alternative options!
Tummy Time Set Alternative
With this play set, tummy time is the star of the show.
Adding a tummy time mirror can be an excellent way to stimulate spatial awareness while strengthening those core muscles.
The mirror that comes in the Monti Kids set has a wooden design with a slit in the top where you can insert the picture cards that comes with it. You can alternate between using the mirror and the pictures to introduce your baby to new images.
This tummy time book with a baby-safe mirror ($17.99) is an excellent alternative because it also has pictures you can alternate with the mirror.
Some are cute and colorful, and some are black-and-white contrasting images which are also great for eye development.
High-Contrast Nature Cards Alternative
There are a lot of high-contrast cards on Amazon – I mean a lot. I love the Monti Kids cards because they are sturdy and have very detailed designs whereas many of the Amazon alternatives have more of a basic design.
That said, the point of the bold patterns is to help stimulate babies’ vision while the high contrast between light and dark areas helps them distinguish shapes and objects.
In one of my Lovevery alternatives articles, I recommended the hahaland contrast cards ($9.99).
I’m sticking with them for this alternative set, too, because they are adorable and have intricate designs like the Monti Kids cards. We own them, and they’re great!
Plus, you can also use code 2mamabears during checkout to get 10% off (enter the code in the Payment method section).
And in case any of you DIYers are interested, I also made my own set of printable high-contrast cards available for free download.
The Wooden Book Alternative
Experts and pediatricians recommend reading to your baby from birth for so many reasons. It helps to stimulate a baby’s language development, it can help foster a lifelong love of reading, and it also provides a special bonding opportunity.
But reading to a baby should be different than reading to a toddler, and this is where I think the Monti Kids training videos really shine. They have a very helpful and informative lesson on how to read to your baby to go along with their simple wooden picture book.
I searched all over Amazon for a wooden book with no luck. But the real idea here is to start reading to your baby.
So, this first board book ($6.26) will do the trick. I like that this book has only one picture per page like the Monti Kids book. That allows your baby to be more engaged with everything you’re saying.
There are 20 “My First Books” in the full set, so you can choose the one you like best or get this set of 10 for $19.99 for lots of baby reading sessions.
Related: 50+ Best Montessori Books for Babies and Toddlers (Ages 0-4)
Square, Cylinder, and Cube Rattles Alternative
This set of Montessori rattles includes all three wooden rattles in the 4-6 month Monti Kids play set, plus gives you 4 bonus toys.
The “square” rattle in the alternative set is more of a trapezoid than a square, but it has beads in the middle that will slide around when your baby shakes it, which is developing those motor skills and coordination.
The set comes in natural, blue, or pink; although, they charge slightly more for the colored versions.
Interlocking Rings Alternative
The Monti Kids’ interlocking rings were a favorite at my house. My son absolutely loved them.
Since they were such a big hit with my son, I was slightly bummed when I couldn’t find an exact alternative on Amazon. There was, however, an abundance of options for interlocking rings.
These linking rings by Itzy Ritzy would be my first choice for an alternative.
I like that the braided texture gives baby a little something extra to explore, which kind of mimics the red crochet ring on the Monti Kids’ interlocking rings.
Since you can link them together yourself, you can even link together a few more to make an even longer chain of rings to keep baby curious.
Wooden Wobbler Alternative
The wobbler is another Montessori staple that you might see in various Montessori toy kits. It’s always a fun time watching your little one try to reach out and grab it as it topples over and pops back up again.
This wooden penguin wobble toy ($20) is the cutest alternative, perfect for tummy time.
And since it’s made of wood like the one in the Monti Kids set, I feel like it is more durable than some of the plastic alternatives out there.
Spinning Drum Alternative
My favorite alternative spinning drum is the Adena Montessori spinner ($29.99).
It has ledges between the colors just like the Monti Kids spinner, which is easy for babies to grab ahold of and spin, boosting their hand-eye coordination.
It’s also made with true primary colors, unlike some other high-end toy sets that use more muted versions of the primary colors.
And the mirror that it has on one of the faces is a good attention grabber, which is an added bonus.
Teether Ball Alternative
I couldn’t find any teether balls that had the same particular molecule-like shape as the teether in the Monti Kids kit that was food-grade silicone and BPA-free.
But this sensory ball teether ($9.99) is pretty close. It’s not the exact shape, but it’s still perfect for babies who are still practicing grasping, and the unique shape will give those reaching hands something new to discover.
As an alternative option, this Miraloop teething toy was a close runner-up. It would also give a different grasping challenge and get in there to soothe those gums.
Monti Kids vs. Amazon Price Comparison
So, will the Amazon alternatives offer big savings when compared to the Monti Kids play set for 4-6 months?* Let’s find out:
- Tummy Time Set Alternative – $17.99
- High-Contrast Nature Cards Alternative – $15.99
- The Wooden Book Alternative – $6.26
- Rattle Set Alternative – $28.39
- Interlocking Rings Alternative – $7.99
- Wooden Wobbler Alternative – $20
- Spinning Drum Alternative – $29.99
- Teether Ball Alternative – $9.99
So the grand total for the Amazon alternatives is $136, which means you would save about $60.
*Amazon prices fluctuate, sometimes even hour-by-hour! So please check the prices of these items at the time you read this article for true price comparisons.
Conclusion
Is it worth it? I guess it comes down to if you’d rather save that extra money, or splurge a bit and get a high-quality, matching set of toys.
Plus, we can’t forget about the online video instructions, which I found particularly helpful with this kit, and the Montessori professionals available to answer any questions you may have.
When factoring that in, if you’re going to buy them all, I’d say just go for the Monti Kids set.
Having a Monti Kids set also has a much higher resale value than a collection of Amazon alternatives. You can generally resell a used Monti Kids set for about half of what you paid (I’ve done this!).
That said, if you only need one or two items, Amazon is the better option.
Check out the full Monti Kids Alternatives series!
The post Monti Kids Amazon Alternatives: 4-6 Month Play Set appeared first on Two Mama Bears.
