My son has a blanket that he cuddles with and lately I have noticed that he scrunches it under his head and sleeps on it. So just wondering, when did you give your little ones pillows? The only thing I am worried about is, if he decides to step on the pillow and climb out of the crib, which he doesn't do, but I am just cautious. He is 18 months old. Thanks ladies!
My son did a similar thing, he used his dolly as a pillow and thats when I realized he needed a pillow. He was about 10 months old then. I made him a pillow which was small and very dense, like a throw pillow. Thats the kind which is safest for kids under 2.
Mine had pillows way earlier than 18 mos, and they did not use them to get out of the crib. By the time they are trying to crawl out then pillow probably isn't the deciding factor. He will probaly be more comfy with a pillow. I used an adult one, and now he NEEDS his pillow (it's one case, not the pillow that he's attached to.
We purchased a toddler pillow from http://www.mrbobblesblankets.com and it quickly became a favorite can't be without item. So much so that I purchased another to travel with. They are the perfect size..come with soft cozy pillow cases and are not fluffy enough to make a launch pad out of.
Hi!
I was told that after 18 months it is safe to give a toddler a small pillow in his/her crib. I, too have an 18 month old. :) What a great age!! Your son may continue to sleep on his blanket though just because he loves it and he feels safe with it.
When my daughter started doing that I just put a small blanket folded up under where she would put her head. It is not a big as a pillow and not as high and less likely to climb out with it.
Babies R Us sells small toddler size pillows that are great. They are small enough that he could not get himself out of his crib standing on it. They are about $19.99 I think. I bought my daughter one at about that age and she loved it. She had done the same thing with her blanket that you said your son is doing.
my daughter started using a pillow earlier than 18 months. she had good neck strength basically from birth, and she progressed to sleeping on her stomach much more quickly than is probably recommended....in terms of climbing, our daughter is a climber, but she was never able to use the pillow to climb out of the crib (we had the mattress lowered to its lowest level, however)
MY daughter was about 1 1/2. She was doing the same thing with her blanket. You get a small one that is soft and you should be fine. She never used it to climb out.
Pediatricians like you to wait until they are two, but I am sure that if you got a toddler sized one that isn't very thick he won't be able to use it to escape!!
Good luck!
Jen M.
I bought my daughter a great children's pillow (with herbs inside) from Magic Cabin.
www. magiccabin.com
I know older children who have used the same pillow into their early teens (in addition to other pillows).
Oh goodness! I gave my kids pillows when they turned about 10 months old. I hope i'm not wrong...
You can buy him a pillow now. My sons had a small one since he was probably 11 months old. He won't usually sleep without it anymore.
My two year old just started using a pillow - she was a little later than I thought she'd be in doing the same thing with her blanket as your son. She is on the pillow half the night and rolls off to the other side of the crib for the other half of the night, from what I can tell when I check on her. Your son will be fine safety wise with a pillow now, and I wouldn't worry too much about him using it as a way to step out of the crib since crib pillows are pretty small, and they squish down anyway when stepped on, so he probably wouldn't get too far!! Though you never know with kids! If you are concerned, the netting is a great idea.
When my daughter was that age we noticed she was sleeping on one of her soft baby dolls - we now call it "pillow baby"! I found a small travel pillow insert at Jo-Anns fabrics for about 2.99, and my mom made two pillowcases out of soft flannel that Laura picked out herself. She's 5 now, and still uses it: with Pillow Baby on top! I recommend buying or making a smaller size pillow that's rather flat: my son uses a pillow that's about 12x8 inches and only about 1.5 inches high. Good luck!
My son is 25 months and has had a pillow for a long time - I think the original introduction was a time he was congested and needed a prop to breath a little better at night. He has a regular size pillow that is very squishy.
He's ready for a pillow. One Step Ahead makes a Toddler pillow that is small, hypoallergenic and perfect for a crib, but you can find similar ones elsewhere. Also, I would suggest, if you're worried about him climbing out, putting a netted crib tent over the top.
Link to pillow:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
Link to Crib Tent:
Hi! We bought two toddler size pillows (1 for home and the other for "school") with removable covers/cases/shams for our daughter when she was about 15 months. She loves her pillow! The toddler size is much, much smaller, and she has never used it to climb out of the crib. She still even has bumpers b/c she really likes to snuggle against them. I'm more concerned she'll use those to climb out eventually than the pillow. The pillow was a natural progression.
my daughter is 2 and she doesn't have a pillow. i think i read somewhere that we (humans, adults and children alike) don't need pillows for any "health" reason. my husband rarely uses pillows. i use like 3 and i have terrible neck and back problems. related? who knows. but anyway, good luck!
