Pillow Safety

I gave my daughter a pillow a couple months ago (when she was 18 months) because she was doing the same thing with her blankets. She seemed to sleep a lot better with a pillow. I found mine at Costco. They were adult pillows, but were very thin. They came in different colors and were really soft and fuzzy like an infant blanket. She's attached to her pillow now!

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I waited awhile too for my son to use a pillow for safety reasons; better safe than sorry. There are really good ones online at Bed, Bath and Beyond designed for toddlers and are hypo-allergenic, etc. They are designed for their small heads and necks. Hope this helps!

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A.,

We used a small pillow, the size of an airplane pillow. It may have been one in fact, but I can't remember back 6 years that clearly!! My daughter used one of those until she was 3 or 4, then I got her a thinner pillow from the store that was "normal" size. Try to find a smaller pillow, she'll feel so grown up, and you can begin to teach her how to make her bed!!
~V.

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Hi!
I guess I am just old fashioned and figure any one of us at any age can suffocate on a pillow. I had a pillow in my son's crib, and all the stuffed animals- and crib bumpers AND I let him sleep on his tummy since the day he was born- he is now 7 and doing just fine. Do what you think is best, and trust that the Lord will take care of the rest.

Let her have a pillow...I would think it would be safer than bunching a blanket under her head.

Twinmom(mother of three)

My daughter is 3, and has a small pillow that is called a "toddler pillow"--we got it from the One Step Ahead catalog. It was never very thick, and it has compacted a lot over time. We gave it to her once she moved into her "big kid bed" at about age 2, because it said on the tag of the pillow not to use in cribs. My son is 17 months, and he doesn't have a pillow yet, but he does sleep with his head on a soft stuffed toy thing that is kind of like a blanket shaped like a bunny, with a head. He seems happy with this for now. I think it must be uncomfortable not to have any kind of head support! I imagine that your daughter would be fine with a small, flat pillow. I wouldn't use an adult one!

hi A.
i would give her a pillow all my children started using a pillow when they could sit there self up to a sitting postion we just bout them a medium firm reg size pillow have a great day

We gave our son a pillow around a year because he was using stuffed animals as a pillow. We bought a travel pillow from Walmart (they have a variety of pillow cases as well) and it works great!

My son was always ahead of his age as well. He was sleeping with a small pillow by the time he was 1 year old. Start out with a small firm pillow if that makes you more comfortable. By 13 months old, she should be strong enough to handle the comfort of a pillow.

I gave my daughter a small travel pillow (they have them at Walmart and covers for them) at around 15 months and she never had a problem with it. I would think the small pillow would be safer than a blanket under her head.

I never gave mine a pillow until they were in beds--almost two. But they never seemed to want one, so I never thought about it. I think she is old enough.

We used pillows with our youngsters... but we used small ones, to the tune of 10 inches by 16 or some such thing... give or take. I'm no expert, but I can't imagine that being any worse than sleeping with a blanket (which has potential for kids to get tangled up in...) My best guess is that pediatricians are probably shying parents away from using BIG pillows... or especially soft, fluffy pillows, in which a kid could get smothered... but a small, fairly firm pillow can't be worse than sleeping on a curled-up blanket.

I think you would be fine to use a pillow

my oldest started using a big boy bed and a full size pillow at 10 months old. in my personal opinion its not the age that matters, its the skill level. if she bundles the blankets up under her head and doesn't roll over and bury her face in them at night, I THINK she'd be ok with a pillow. again i am not a medical professional, i only know what i have done with my own child. if it would make you more comfortable, try just giving her the pillow at nap time and check in on her every 10-15 minutes to make sure shes staying in a safe position. if she seems to do well, let hr use it at night as well. if she seems to bury her face in it, i would hold off a little while longer.

I can't belive you waited this long. My DD has had a pillow since she could roll over. It helps alot when she has a cold.

My son has had a pillow since about 6 months. It's a pretty flat pillow, but he won't sleep without it. We've never had any problems, so I'd say go for it.

Anne,
My daughter has been sleeping with a pillow since she was 18 months and now she is 2. She has two homemade pillows in her bed but most of the time she doesn't end up sleeping on them, she moves around so much to get comfy. But she loves them in her bed and once in awhile she will sleep on them. I think that you should try it and she how she does with it. I hope that this helps you out. Sincerely, Mother of 2 daughters

i gave all three of my kids a pillow at about 14 months. so yeah i think a pillow should be fine.

My daughter started using a pillow at around 2 years, but could have a lot earlier. I tried a travel pillow from Sears, but it was too thick and she'd push it away or just sleep on the edge. Then I bought a child's pillow at IKEA over in Canton, and that's been great. it's the same size as a travel pillow, but much thinner. One could always just take some of the stuffing out of a travel pillow if it's too thick.

Please, mama A., GIVE A CHILD A PILLOW!!!
It needs to be soft, best if it is a goose down!
Maybe she also loves teddy-bears?
My kids loved to have one stuffed soft friend with them, and sometimes they used it as a pillow,
sometimes as a comforter for a hug :).
happy dreams, to both of You!!!

I think if you used a small pillow just bigger than her head and that was still taught where her head won't sink into it, it would probably be okay.

I have done it with both my kids at the age of 1. I buy a foam filled pillow and then take it apart at the seam just enough to get my hand in there and take about 1/2 the foam out. I spread the remaining foam around and put a pillow protector (that zippered thing) on first then a pillow case and it works perfectly! It has made them sleep better.

At that age my daughter was seeping with a small pillow and she liked it she feled like she was a big girl like all the rest of the faimly.

I would give her a pillow mine get thiers as soon as they can roll over on thier own, or sit up which ever comes first. Usually between 10 months and a year.