When Are Pillows Ok?

Hi N.,
My daughter is now 12 but from what I remember I don't think she started using a pillow until she was over a year. If you need one to raise is head for the congestion there is a special wedge pillow that you can get that fits under the mattress to raise it up. I am also a recent stay at home mom after 12 years. I wish I could have been there in the early years but my daughter at least had her grandma to watch her. I am able to be a stay at home mom by working for a direct selling business. I am a independent consultant for Premier Designs Jewelry. That is high fashion jewelry. What I do is what they call home shows. I go to ladies houses and show them the jewelry. I make 50% of all sales the night of my shows. It is a great company to work for. If this is something that you think you might be interested in you can contact me at ###-###-#### or ###-###-####. I am my own boss and I make my own hours. I work when I want and how often I work. You may also email me at ____@____.com. I hope this info can help you.

L.

Not sure what the pros would say but I stayed at my mom's when my little one was right around 8 or 9 months and my mom put a full sized pillow in his crib when she put him to bed. He's been sleeping with one ever since. Just try to find something that's not too thick or cushy. You need to base this on your baby's developement but a pillow at this point would probably be safer than a teddy bear anyway. As for the diaper pale we have the diaper decor plus and it's the best. No spinning or twisting or any of that jazz, just pop the top open with your foot and drop the diaper in the pale. There's an added little trap door that opens when you drop the diaper in that keeps the stink from escaping. And when you're done with it you remove the extra trap door and it's a regular trash can. It really keeps the smell in and holds a ton more diapers before you have to empty it.

The reason they say not to put pillows in the crib is because it may increase risk of SIDS. After age 2 the risk of SIDS is extremely unlikely. So most of the no pillows, no overstuffed blankets, and no stuffed animals suggestions are kept until age 2.

Inclining the mattress should work well for congestion and comfort. Laying the baby on their front is also a big concern for increasing SIDS risk, but with that the general rule is to keep them sleeping on their back until they are able to roll over on their own with ease. They are also supposed to be given supervised tummy time everyday to help increase arm and upper body strength, and to keep from getting a flat head in back.

Please don't take this too lightly. My sister's last baby died at 2 months from SIDS. All her children were put to sleep on their belly. My mom even encouraged this, because she was told to do it when we were babies and we were all fine. It isn't that they will die from SIDS or probably die, it is just that the risk is increased, but why take any chances?. The chance of any baby dieing from SIDS even with many increased risks is low, but these things do increase the risk. There is a lot of questionable information about SIDS, but it is a risk that is worth trying to prevent. With my sisters situation he was fine that morning when she woke up. She checked on him (he was sleeping, but fine) she went downstairs to feed and change her other two kids. She came back up 1/2 hour after checking on him, and he was gone. I don't want to scare everyone, but I want to make it clear that it is worth avoiding increased risks even if you think it's nothing to worry about. Don't fall into the trap of thinking "my whole family did this and we were all fine, so my kids will be too."

Hi N.,
I did not give my boys pillows until they were about 2+ years old. I am not sure what "the rule" is, so when in doubt I tend to be overprotective. If he is congested you can try making an incline for him by tilting the crib (we did this). It is often done for kids with congestion or reflux. Most people use a couple books or wood or something sturdy to slightly lift the head of the crib to produce the incline. A cool mist humidifier can also help, plus my boys loved the humming sound. Good luck!

Thanks for asking that question. I was wondering that also. For the congestion I use Little Noses Saline drops. My 7 month old doesn't like it, but it breaks it up and helps it come out his nose. You can use as much as you want since there's no medicine in it.

If your child has nasal congestion you can try propping his matress at an angle and that should help since he will be on an incline. I believe you have to wait a bit on using a real pillow. The obvious answer is to ask your pediatrician so they can gauge him developmentally. He is old enough to roll over, but some kids still are not strong enough or conscious enough of their need for air if they roll over and place their face into a pillow. You can have a more firm pillow rather than a soft one, but it is an individual developmental call that your ped should be able to help you out with.
As far as a diaper pail, I have always used a tall kitchen trashcan with a lid that lifts by pedal (sometimes you don't have a hand free to hold a baby and deal with discarding a dirty diaper.) Mine is one of those stainless steel ones. It is made to seal in odors and you can use it later elsewhere in the house when your child no longer needs a diaper pail. You don't need to buy special bags and they come in nice designs and colors to fit decors. I think Costco carries one that is hands free, activated by a sensor. It has worked great for both my kids so far. good luck!

I did not give my daughter a pillow until she was almost 2. I would rather error on the side of caution in cases like this. Because although their face might not be stuffed in the cloth so you could say yes they suffocated, but if they are so close where the oxygen and CO2 are not releasing and him getting enough oxygen when he breathes, same thing happens. I would say wait. there is not reason to do it early. Check out the stores, there is a wedge you can put in the crib on top of the mattress and under the sheet to raise them a lot to help with congestion and stuff.

Hi, we just gave our daughter a smaller pillow and she just turned 2. Prior to that we had a wedge (we still do just lower) under her sheet to elevate her head. We use the humidifier also - it really helps with the congestion. Plus the white noise is great for sleeping ;-) I've seen toddlers with travel size pillows as well. You should still be trying to keep your 8 month old on his back while he's sleeping so not sure a standard pillow is what you want. SIDS decreases substantially after 12 months but it can still happen.

my son has slept with a boppy pillow since he was 6 monthsand he is now 23 months. he too always sound stuff in the nose the doctor said to prop him up and it worked. i choose the boppy pillow because it has a U shape and i was afraid to use a pillow because it it wider and i was afraid that he would put his head under it or something. the boppy pillow is a lot thinner then a pillow. good luck

My personal rule of thumb was, as long as they're small enough to stay in a crib, they are too small for pillows. I did not give my (3) pillows until they slept in a toddler bed. To help relieve congestion and asthma symptoms, which mine had quite often, I would place a pillow or folded blanket UNDER the mattress to create an incline. This worked very well. Sorry if this is repetitive, I did not yet read the other responses.

good morning, as far as the pillows go, i think they tell us when they want one. if you can, check out walmart. they have very small pillows. most of the time they are in the center isles around the store. if you ask back in the domestics department, they should be able to help. they are also very colorful and cute so you don't have to worry about a pillow case. good luckk!! just follow your little ones cue. they always know before you do. lol

as far as the pail, try contacting the company that made it like diaper jeanie and so forth. normally they have extra parts like that.

have a great day, B. in cocoa

I don't know about pillows, but as to the diaper pail. I have the diaper genie 2, and I love it. It's very easy to use. The only downfall is that you have to buy the bag refills. I know there's another one out there that takes regular kitchen garbage bags. But I don't know anything about it.

I was wondering the same thing, my son is 2 and I would like to get him one also.. are there particular pillows for small children?

Hi N., all three of my kids loved pillows - so what I did, I put it under the sheet, so they couldn't get under it. Once my kids were a year old however, they wanted their pillow - and would get another one if they couldn't get the one in the crib/bed.

I am also an ex-teacher turned stay-at-home mom. I know what you mean... the only silly question is the question unasked. My daughter didn't have a pillow until she was almost two. I personally thought it was just to heavy and difficult to get out from under. My husband and I decided to struggle and do what ever it took for me to be home with our girls. One is now 2 and the other 9 months. I became a referring travel agent for an online company. Basically I hand out my business cards and point people to book their travel on my website. I receive commissions from all travel booked. It has turned out to be a great alternative to teaching for us. Now I intend to stay home with the girls until they are school aged. Check out the company presentation on my website WWW.YTB.COM/LBB if you find you want a little extra income (and great travel deals for yourself as an agent)My phone number is on thatw site also if you want to talk.
If your diaper pail was a diaper geanie I threw away the important part once also. I called Playtex and they sent me a new one, free of charge.