Pillow for baby: which one to choose?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Is it possible to imagine a good rest and a sweet dream without a light, airy pillow in which the head is buried? In fact, people do not always prefer such “royal” attributes for sleeping, someone respects hard rollers more, someone likes orthopedic latex headrests. Downy feather beds and a dozen pillows one less than the other are, rather, elements of a fairy tale about the Princess and the Pea or Lady Snowstorm.

Each person has their own ideas about comfort and convenience, justified by the state of he alth, personal preferences and age. It is about age restrictions that will be discussed in this article, and to be more precise, about whether a pillow is needed for a child, from what age and what kind it should be.

When you don't need a pillow

First of all, it must be said that pediatricians and orthopedists do not recommend laying babies on any hill, their sleeping place should be moderately hard, even and absolutely safe. This state of affairs is a rule that is not subject to reservations and nuances until the moment when the childturns one year old.

This taboo is explained very simply - the proportions of the body in children compared to an adult are completely wrong: their large and heavy head does not need support, its unnatural position can lead to a curvature of the cervical spine. A pillow for a child who still cannot control his movements, does not have sufficient coordination, can be dangerous. Babies at this age are not able to roll over on their own and change their body position in a dream - this responsibility falls on their mother's shoulders. The absence of soft pillows, regardless of their filling, is all the more important, and all the more so since a child may well bury his nose in the bed and die from lack of oxygen.

Sweet dream baby

If there is a real need to change the position of the baby's body during sleep (runny nose, poor sleep, discomfort, frequent spitting up), you can apply the following measures.

• Children's stores sell special mattresses, lying on which, the child will not be in a horizontal, but slightly inclined position. In fact, the baby's head is located on a hill, then the pillow for the child is not needed at all. You can equip such a sleeping place without resorting to specialized products, putting a low roller under the mattress.
• In newborn bedding sets, there are often thin (no more than 3 cm) mattresses, which are the best pillow option, because it is quite low, hypoallergenic andis the right size (fits the full width of the crib).
• A pillow for a newborn baby can be made using a soft diaper folded several times to help lift the head slightly, avoiding excessive curvature of the vertebrae.

Baby grows up

A child, of course, cannot sleep on a bed without a head support all his life. Parents always try to create the most comfortable and safe conditions for their children to relax, and when they grow up, a reasonable question arises about at what age a child needs a pillow and how to choose it correctly.

At about three years old, you can try to lay the baby on a hill, at this age, children are so physically developed that they are able to spin on their own, lie down as they like, they can be safely left alone with a pillow.

Those me less this sleep accessory should not be high. Retail chains offer a good range of products for children's sleep, including headrests that have the required size and shape. It can be either rectangular or square pillow. For a child of 3 years old, you can still use the one that was bought in a ready-made kit at birth, but most often parents and children prefer to get a new one.

Nothing lasts forever

Adult people are often very conservative by nature, and having picked up the ideal thing for themselves, they do not regret parting with it, especially when there is no need for it. Children are constantlygrow, especially the kids, who change every day literally before our eyes. In order for them to sleep comfortably and comfortably, they need to change their bedding in time: a crib, on the sides of which the baby rests with the crown and heels sticking out from under a short blanket, a knocked-down pillow, or one that is not matched in shape, is not the most conducive to sweets. sleep factors.

An adult child can be offered an orthopedic pillow for sleep, which has a shallow hollow in the center. Such a product can be made of latex or sewn according to special patterns from traditional cotton fabric and filled with various fillers that parents and children select based on their preferences.

As for adults, a child's pillow should not be used for more than 4-5 years, it should be cleaned periodically to get rid of dust and harmful microorganisms.

First pancake lumpy

A child who is completely unaccustomed to sleeping on featherbeds, surrounded by a huge number of down rollers, needs to be especially careful in choosing his first sleep accessory. It may happen that the first pillow that comes to hand does not fit him. Which one is best for a 3 year old? Special, age-appropriate, or just any of those that are at home, does the filler, material of the outer fabric, size and shape play a fundamental role?

Of course, all these aspects must be taken into account. When going to the store, it is best to take the child with you and give him the opportunity to participate in the choice. He must lie down onpillow and decide whether he is comfortable, soft or not, whether it has the right width, length and height. You should not be angry with the baby if, after the first night, he realizes that he made the wrong choice. It is better to go to the store one more time than to expose the child to daily torment from headaches or body aches after waking up.

Baby pillows

Manufacturers offer a lot of baby pillows, each of which has its own disadvantages and advantages. What can be the differences? First of all, it is a filler, but the common feature is that the top must be made of natural material (cotton, linen, silk, bamboo fiber fabric), this will help to avoid sweating of the head and neck during sleep. Natural fabrics are highly breathable, absorb moisture and are easy to care for.

As an internal filler, you can choose fluff or its derivatives (mixture with synthetic additives), sheep wool, buckwheat, herbs - this is what is natural. Of course, the environmental friendliness of these materials is a plus, but some of them are allergens, and it is also quite problematic to clean them yourself. Woolen pillows that have not been well processed and cleaned can have a rather specific smell, which will intensify in the hot season and with high humidity. Buckwheat and herbs are recommended as good pillow fillers, but they can be harsh, over time, large pieces of plant fibers are crushed into a finer fraction, which spills out throughpillowcase.

Pillow for a child (3 years old) which is better if the baby has an allergy? In this case, you should pay attention to latex, holofiber, silicone and synthetic fluff. These materials are soft, safe, machine washable (with the exception of latex), dry quickly and even with very intensive use will last about 2-3 years.

How to choose a pillow for a baby?

You should not choose a huge and very lush, it is best to pay attention to models where a hidden zipper is sewn into the side seam, this makes it possible to easily remove the extra softener and make a “dumka” of the desired height.

It is worth avoiding too cheap products, as they can be made of technical, not intended for domestic purposes, synthetic winterizer. Parents of children prone to allergies should study the composition of the materials that make up the bedding, as well as the presence of impurities in them.

Arguments

Any question concerning a child always has two sides. The same applies to whether a pillow is needed for a child. At what age can he be allowed to sleep on a hill? As usual, a lot depends on the baby: if he desperately asks his parents to provide him with a personal pillow at 2.5 years old, it is more comfortable for him to lie down, and sleep is stronger and sweeter, then there is absolutely no reason to deprive the child of pleasure.

Scientists of the Institute of Sleep claim that a person does not need a pillow for a he althy rest, it is rather a tool to satisfy his ownconvenience, which nevertheless does not carry any harmful beginning, if it is chosen wisely and allows you to take the correct, ergonomic position of the body in a dream.