My question is this: at what age did you or will you introduce a pillow to your child?

My DD is 14 1/2 months old. She always lays her head down on a pillow when she comes across one on the floor (we have two small pillows for her to play with). She has never had one in her crib or used one when she was in bed with us, but she always seems to go to them when she is awake. Is it time to get one for her, or is she just doing what she sees us doing? She does move around A LOT in her crib still, and I am wondering if this is because she's uncomfortable or just a mover.


Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!

Amber

Amber, we've raised four kids past the baby stage and I can't for the life of me remember when we introduced the pillow. I know they had one by the time they were two... [whatthink] I'm sure you'll get some good advice from the ladies who are still at this stage. You could also make a quick phone call to your ped. and ask what age they'd suggest.

Blessings, girlfriend!

[hug]

Joy [welcomewave]

Hmmmm.... good question....

I think that we gave ours smallish really thin pillows at about that age. When they were starting to be interested in ours... My goodness, it wasn't that terribly long ago, why can't I remember! :oops:

We started our son with a toddler sized pillow at 1 year and then I got one of those regular sized flat adult pillows that wasn't feathers or soft filled...the type that keeps the same shape without bunching up around the head bad when you lay on it! LOL....at the same time because he'd move off of the toddler pillow too easily......at about 18 months we then switched to a really thin regular down pillow to put with the other one because he loved our pillows so much too!

LOL too funny...

I can't remember either!! And I *have* young ones!!! :roll:

I'm wanting to think maybe around 1.5 yr ?? we'd let them have a small pillow, if they wanted.
My 7 yr old only recently started using one. He just never slept on them. But then, he's the same one who sleeps on TOP of his covers most of the time hehe

Anywho, we just give the littles our 'old' worn out pillows so they're not as big and fluffy. Too big and fluffy for littles. Then we move onto some other cheap not so fluffy new one.

We gave Wes a pillow and blanket when he was one.

I put Rhyanne in a toddler bed at about 18 months and the bedding that went with it came with a full size pillow case so I figured it was time. She does just fine with it.

Sara

We used one from about 14 months (when Abby moved from crib to bed - she fell out/climbed out of the crib). She always did fine with it.
I think they say 2 but I think JMO that 1 is fine. They can move their head and lift it off the pillow and turn it from side to side etc I mean by 1 they are usually walking and they are crawling and standing holding onto things.... it's not like they are little babies that cannot lift their head off the floor etc.... I can't see how a 1 year old could suffocate in their pillow. I can't even see a 9 month old suffocating. We sometimes even put a pillow in the crib when Abby was about 10 months old and up. Not every night but we did use it occasionally.
Anyway that's JMO :)

We used a pillow at about a year, sometimes sooner. But like the other moms it was a thin standard pillow. We used porta cribs-- so even in those if they were still in that at a year, I would put the pillow in there. But my kids went to regular size beds all around 1 year of age. I think only one of my children even actually liked the crib. But they all loved the pillow I remember.

I use to check on them so often when I started using a pillow, gosh I was always so scared or even put the monitor right by their pillow on a table so I could hear them breathing. We all know what "they" say we should do but I have had no problems or close calls at a year. My brother, now his child is 2.5 and they just introduced a blanket (my kids always had blankets), but not even close to introducing a pilllow. So to each his own, and what you feel most comfortable doing.

Thanks for all the replies....I never knew so many people gave kiddos pillows so early. I have always put blankets on my DD. I believe that she is in the Lord's hands....and I pray every night that he protects her...and even if I never put blankets in her crib with her, when he wants to call her home, he will.

I will definetly try a pillow....I just have to either find one to spare or go buy a new one for me, and give her the smooshed one....LOL!

Blessings to you all,
Amber

hey, if you're possibly concerned about rolling under the pillow, put it under the sheet. We use the sheets that cover the majority of the bottom of the mattress too. They have 4 inch elastic on them, for baby's safety. When Bri was about six months, we put his pillow under his sheet. But his reflux was so severe, we had to raise his head. When he was about 9 months, maybe, we put it on top of the sheet and he throws it out of the bed, along with his sippy cup, blanket, everything. and on the occasion, his diaper, :-)

I just have to either find one to spare or go buy a new one for me, and give her the smooshed one....LOL!

that's what we did! :lol:

Thanks for all the replies....I never knew so many people gave kiddos pillows so early. I have always put blankets on my DD. I believe that she is in the Lord's hands....and I pray every night that he protects her...and even if I never put blankets in her crib with her, when he wants to call her home, he will.

I will definetly try a pillow....I just have to either find one to spare or go buy a new one for me, and give her the smooshed one....LOL!

Blessings to you all,
Amber

Yes I have always used a quilt and blanket since day one.
I also had cot bumper pads in Abbys cot. Now we are using a porta cot.

I think the idea of putting the pillow under the sheet is great! :D
Since we are using a porta cot there is no way for me to raise the head of it with books if Sophie has a cold and stuffed up nose. So I would probably use a pillow under the sheet.

I have just recently given Ian one. He's 19 mo. He loves my travel size pillow and that's what I've gotten him for his crib. He isn't in a toddler bed yet so that size works well in the crib! :D

hmm I can't really remember either... I think my daughter started using one because she had a head cold and I thought it would help her sleep... then we never took it out. She's two and a half and still uses a little one. My son is almost four and he still has a small one... maybe I should think of getting him a bigger one :D

Mine never got pillows until they were in their big beds (at 2) I think it was because someone told me not to give them to them while they were still in a cot. However, that was probably an opinion - just one I chose to run with, rather than a general fact.

As far as I know with the cot death thing, most medical practitioners say they are "out of the woods" at 18 months old - so perhaps that is why they say "no pillows in cots"

My DS ends up throwing his pillow on the floor and sleeping on his arm or his favourite toy to this day and he's almost 4.

Adam had a full sized pillow in his crib well before he was 1...we gave him his blanket early too...he's now in a toddler bed with not only 1 (sometimes 2) pillows, at least 1 blanket (sometimes 2 or 3) and a whole passel of stuffed animals...

Kat