When to Transition to Pillow & Blanket?

I learned that you should not give them a pillow and a blanket unless they are able to ask for it in a full sentence. My son is 22 Month and still sleeps in his sleepsack and he is just fine.

My 19 month old has had his blanket since he was a small baby. I think it would be fine for her to have a blanket.

Shanna,

My children are all grown. I have two grandchildren. When my children were babies, we weren't "warned" about blankets and pillows. My children all had theirs from birth. I think the doctors have become a bit paranoid, since we are such a litigious society. Let your daughter have her pillow and blanket. I can't even imagine sleeping without a pillow. That has to be very uncomfortable on her little neck!

Good luck.

Um, yeah, you're being way too paranoid! My 15 month old has had a pillow for 3 months now, and has had her blankie since birth ( it has holes in it).
As soon as they are mobile in the crib, they are fine for a blanket, and walking age children are ready for a pillow. Listen to your daughter and let her que you in on what she's ready for.

She can have a pillow and blanket by now. They say no up to a year because of SIDS. Try a travel pillow if you're nervous about a full size one, they usually have them at Bed, Bath and Beyond. When my son switched to his big boy bed we gave him a full size one, he still likes to carry his little one around the house for watching TV or putting his stuffed animals to "sleep".

my 10 month old sleeps with a small pillow and a blanket in his crib. he loves it. i think the pillow smells like me so it adds comfort.

I feel its best to wait until after the age of 2 but I have not given my 2.5 year old a big blanket or pillow... he has a little lovie blanket and mini pillow and he likes to cover his fave with them while he is sleeping and that freaks me out so I am not ready for him to have a larg blanket or pillow yet... I think it depends on the child but wait until 2 at least then revisit the idea.

good luck
A. J

We still use a sleep sack for my just-turned-two year old and she loves it, as do I. No climbing out, no kicking the covers off, and it's her bed/nap time cue. She even takes one to "school", along with at least two other kids in her class. My understanding is that sleep sacks are a lot more common in Europe and are used for older babies/toddlers. I say use what works!

I would think she's fine for a blanket & pillow. My daughter had slept with a blanket since 5 or 6 months old. If you're still feeling nervous about SIDS, perhaps you should invest in the Angel Care monitor. It has a motion detector that goes under the matress (it also had a sound monitor, but we only use the motion sensor). If your baby doesn't breath for 15 seconds an alarm goes off. We got one as a gift and have had much more restful sleep than the average new parents! It's a wonderful invention :) We plan to keep using it until she outgrows her crib!

I had my child use a blanket by 15 months. I would just avoid anything really heavy and big - stick to a child's size blanket. Also, I never used a pillow. I was scared of using one; however, I did get a wedge. It sits underneath the sheet. That was more for drainage than comfort.

Hi Shanna,

I agree with the other two posters. My 15 month old has had a pillo and blanket since about 7-8 months. He loves his pillow and loves all the pillows in the house, even the couch pillows! Sometimes he'll get up on the couch and lay down on them next to me..it's so cute! Give your baby a pillow and blanket and let her enjoy them. Once a baby can roll over, sit up, stand/walk, etc., there's not much chance of her suffocating by a pillow or blanket.

I gave my little one a pillow (a very flat one) in his crib at 11 months. When I would let him nap in our bed he always slept on a pillow, so I thought let's try it out. He loved it and hasn't looked back since. He is now 18 months old and sleeps on a pillow with a blanket at school. He has always had a blanket in his crib. I think the smothering part, from everything I have been told by doctors and by reading, greatly diminishes when they can turn their head appropriately and when they can flip from back to front and vice versa. To make you feel better, try it at naptime and see how it works. This way, you can look in on your little one from time to time to help comfort you as well. Hope this helps.

I know how you feel. I worried about giving my baby a blanket too. I can tell you are a great mom! My daughter has had a blanket since she was about 9 months. Not a big one but just big enough to snuggle with. I don't think babies really need pillows. I would probably hold off on a pillow, but that's just my opinion!