Pillow or No Pillow.

Hello J.,

I have an almost 5 year old and a 15 month old. my son (15 months) is a brute. Typical boy. But when he sleeps?! Like a sweet baby. Face down, butt up hands tucked under himself. He ha shad a pillow since he was 13 months. I started him with a boppy pillow. There just isn't enough pillow to suffocate. If he lays on it wrong, he rolls off. If he lays right then it is perfect. He moves a lot in his sleep too. Now at 15 months we have upgraded to a regular pillow. My theory is, if he can pick up an 18" baby doll and run across the house with it then he certainly can pick a pillow off himself. He knows when he can't breathe and will move. Look into this but I also think children at the age of 2 are no longer at risk of SIDS. I THINK! Good luck!

My son had a pillow in his crib when he was around 15 months or so. I wasn't worried about it because he also had a flat pillow. The main reason parents are cautioned about using pillows, bumpers, blankets, and toys for infants is because they lack the upper body strength to move their heads away from the place they are suffocating. A 2 year old has ample strength to move themselves when they are in an area where they can't breathe. Do what YOU feel is right, you're his Mom and you know him the best.

I have a two year old son also, ( and a 10 1/2 yr old girl)he has been sleeping with a pillow for probibly about 5-6 months now. I gave him a nice flat one, he burries his face in his blankets and mattress anyway. Some mornings I go in to wake him and he is sleeping face down, butt in the air with the pillow over his head it made me nervious at first, but now it's just plain silly the positions he gets in. He is in a twin size bed with a side rail. He's been there since his b'day in November. He loves his big boy bed. Hope this helps.

Let him fall asleep with a pillow and then take it out after he has fallen asleep.

Hey Jen, I'm C. , 24 , mother of a 5 yr old son, Dominic. My advice to u is when he can hold his head up, crawl, hes been walkin for a yr now -right? as soon as he was strong enough to lift that pillow off himself if need be , hes been ready for a pillow. have u talked to his pediatrition, or been on websights on the topic? im sure they'll say the same thing. I was very scared of suffrocation when my son was young as well, but i was quickly told i was just bein paranoid. Start with a very small pillow , and ease urself up to a normal size one, maybe that'll help - Good luck.

Hi J.--

My daughter has been sleeping with a pillow since she was 13 months. I give her a small pillow. I got a travel size pillow at bed, bath and beyond, she loves it because it is more her size.

I moved my little boy to a toddler bed at 20 mos and at that time gave him a pillow and he has never had any problems (and sometimes I find him sideways in the bed too!!) By that time they are able to move a pillow if it were to get in his way during sleep. Hope that helps!

My daughter is 14 months and has been sleeping with a pillow for about 2-3 months now with no troubles. Just make sure the pillow is not too soft/fluffy.
You could even place the pillow under the fitted sheet to avoid your baby somehow getting the pillow over his head if that is a concern.

I gave my son a pillow when he was 2, but it was a small, firm Thomas the Tank Engine pillow...he couldn't hurt himself with it if he tried - maybe you can find one with a character he likes, and he won't notice that it's NOT a 'regular' pillow.

Hi J.
You are not paranoid you doing the right thing. I would have waited until the baby is out of the crib all together. Being that your baby sleeps in strange positions
a pillow in the crib isn't a good idea.

N.

Hi J.-

I have a 2 yr old boy as well, and while he hasn't asked for a pillow to sleep with, he does insist on sleeping w/ his 'minkies' or blankets-he has three of them. He also has a couple of stuffed toys he likes to have in his crib. He plays w/ them before he falls asleep and when he wakes up. I think if he asked for a pillow and I could remove some of the other stuff, I'd be thrilled. At least his crib would look neater! I wouldn't worry at all. At their age they move around in their sleep constantly. I find my son sleeping under all his toys as often as I find sleeping all over them. He sleeps the same either way. Chances are, your son isn't going to put it uder his head and sleep that way all night. It will end up under his foot, on his back, and stuck in the crib rails. Hope this helps!

I gave both my little ones a pillow around 18 months. They both wanted one and once i gave them one seemed to sleep better.

hi J. - my son (15 mos old) has been sleeping with a pillow for a couple months now. it's a My Pillow Pet (check them out at mypillowpet.com - they're adorable). i started letting him have it just for naps until i felt comfortable enough to leave it in there through the night. he usually starts off sleeping on it, but wiggles off within a couple of hours....

A.

Both my girls wanted pillows when they were about that age. The are old enough to be able to more if they can't breath. If he was younger I would say no pillow but he should be fine. Good luck.

I wouldn't worry about it. We moved our son into a "big boy bed" at 2 1/2 yrs and he's not having any problems. He wouldn't sleep through the pillow being over his face. He isn't a baby anymore that doesn't have the reflexes to move an object. He should be just fine.

I say, get a cheap pillow 'cause they're flatter usually, and he'll be less likely to suffocate. I would stay in there with him after he goes to sleep, and camp out, so you can watch how he sleeps with it.

I was told that at 1 year of age, you can start with a pillow. I didn't start quite that early... probably closer to 18 months, but dd has been fine with it since. She also sleeps in very wierd positions, but has been fine.

HTH

My daughter started using a pillow on her own at 9 months, and the doctor said that the concern for SIDS goes down after 6 months and she positions herself to the side always which is awkward but she's fine. You are not being paranoid, I couldn't sleep the first couple of nights she used it, she wanted to use it she wouldn't sleep otherwise. and she was great, never stopped breathing.