Baby Pillow or Toddler Pillow?
04/19/09
Doctors do not recommend using a pillow for a baby. Doctors recommend introducing a pillow to a toddler at around two years of age. Pillows can provide security and comfort for toddlers. Toddlers may find pillows give them a sense of security when they hug the soft,springy material to their body.
Using a pillow before the age of two can be dangerous. Suffocation can result from using a pillow with a baby. If a baby should end up with his face in a pillow he is not able to turn away from or push away the pillow. A baby under the age of two may roll over face down on a pillow and not be able to roll back over. If a caregiver is not around when a baby rolls over into a pillow,the results can be tragic.
Toddlers around the age of two can safely begin using a pillow. Toddlers do not always think a pillow is for sleeping. Pillows can be viewed by toddlers as a source of security rather than comfort. The soft plush feeling of a pillow makes it super cuddly and huggable. The cuddly feeling when hugging a pillow may help a toddler feel more secure when a caregiver is not around. Toddlers may lay down on a pillow or hug a pillow to them when they are sleeping. Toddlers may often view any pillow as a time to curl up and go to sleep.
Doctors do not recommend using a pillow for a baby. To prevent possible suffocation,do not use a pillow with a child under the age of two. You can safely introduce the use of a pillow to your toddler after the age of two. You may find your toddler hugging the pillow rather than sleeping on it. Your child may feel more secure hugging his pillow when you are not around to comfort him. Toddlers may see a pillow,curl up with it,and go to sleep.
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