Baby Pillows - Should I Give My Child a Pillow?

As adults it is perfectly normal and expected that wecrib but has progressed to a toddler bed.
use a pillow when we sleep. In fact, sleeping withoutEven when your child is slightly older though, it is not
a pillow can be quite painful and leave us waking upalways necessary for them to use a pillow. If they
with a stiff neck or perhaps even stopping us gettingare sleeping well without a pillow then there is
to sleep in the first place.probably no need to introduce one.
It is therefore no surprise that many parents wonderIf and when you do decide to give your child a pillow,
whether their child would also be more comfortable ifmake sure it is an actual 'baby sleep pillow' rather
given a baby pillow.than just one you already have in your house. The
The answer to the question though, is dependent onpillow should be relatively firm so that the child cannot
the age of your child, and also where they aresink into it whilst sleeping and be smothered or
sleeping.......suffocated. It should also be smaller than a regular
If your child is younger than two years old, a pillow isadult pillow, possibly around the size of a travel pillow
definitely not recommended. A child under this age willand be easily washable for when your child has those
normally not need a support for his or her head andlittle accidents. If your child suffers from any allergies
more importantly there is always some risk of themyou will also be able to buy a baby pillow that is
suffocating on the pillow. Also, if your child is still ofnon-allergenic
this young age but has started climbing, crawling orIf you are still uncertain as to whether the time is
walking then the pillow could be used as an aid toright to introduce a baby pillow to your child's bed
climbing out of their crib.you may wish to consider speaking to your doctor to
Therefore, most research suggests that normally aget his or her input or just waiting until your child
pillow should not be considered until the baby is atactually asks for a pillow or shows some signs of
least two years old and is also no longer sleeping in astruggling to sleep on a flat bed.