Toddlers and Pillows?? - Big Arm,MT

My boys both needed a pillow in their crib by about 8 months. It helps them be able to be propped up if they get congested. If you're worried about a suffocation risk put the pillow UNDER the sheet so it's pulled taught. As long as a child can roll and crawl and get out of a blanket while you're watching they should be fine in their bed too. :) Guess I'm the only one letting them have these things this early but we've never had a problem. Also my youngest loves going to bed so much he laughs as we put him down. I've even had friends and family listen on the baby monitor- he laughs and giggles every time. It's hilarious.

As soon as my kids are out of the crib they get a pillow and toddler sized blanket. By that age they can easily move a blanket or pillow if it gets near their face.

We've used a pillow and blankets with both my kids from about 15 months (in their cribs). Our Ped. said that the risk of SIDS is SO minimal by 12 months that they're fine to use both at 1 year, as long as they're walking. My kids didn't walk until around 15 months, so we waited. My son (20 mos) loves his pillow & blankets. We usually go back in and cover him up before we go to bed, but he won't sleep without one. We also keep our house very cool, I need blankets, so I figure they do too. If you have questions, ask your kid's Dr. Good luck!

With all three of my kids I introduced a pillow and blankets as soon as I was able to move them to a big bed. By that time they can adjust their pillow for themselves and cover themselves up. I am sure you son will be fine.

As soon as my kids went to a bed they had pillows and duvet set , my son was 18 months , my daughter was 2 1/2 and my youngest is still in a crib at the moment , but when she does move to a bed we will do the same.

My son started to sleep with a pillow around 15 months. It was a very small pillow made for babies, I was worried at first, but he was fine. He's been sleeping in a full sized bed since he was 20 months old and he sleeps with a regular pillow. He has slept with his blankie since probably around 15 months also.

I had this vision of my little guy all snuggled up in his twin bed, head on provided pillow and matching comforter and sheets pulled up to his chin. Never happened. My son is 7 and he sleeps with a flimsy throw blanket, halfway down the bed and barely uses his pillow!
That said--It's safe for your son to use a small pillow--if he will. Try a small O. and see how he likes it.

I've used a blanket with my son instead of a sleep sack when he was about 12 months old.

He's 24 months old now and he still uses blankets when weather permits. I have made him a little homemade pillow by just folding up some receiving blankets to help when he sleeps on his side. I wish I could find a small flat pillow, but folding a cusiony blanket inside a receiving blanket has done well for him.

My daughter is 16 mths and has had a pillow in her crib for a while now. At
least 4 mths. I also use a regular size flat pillow. The width is the same as the crib so it works out perfectly. You know what your child better than anyone else so go with your instinct. As far as blankets I've tried and my daughter just kicks them off. But I would be comfortable with her having one.

If you are concerned about a full-size pillow, try a travel pillow which is smaller and less firm, or let your kid pick out some fabric and make a custom pillow. Its not that hard to sew a small pillow, even by hand, and then you can decide how firm/fluffy it should be.

We started using a blanket around 12-14 months and a pillow around 20-24 months. Some kids like it others do not. We keep our house cooler at night during the winter so if I would not sleep without a blanket, once my daughter would not use the sleeping sack had to switch to a blanket.

My children started about 15 months. I used a fairly flat pillow. They were still in cribs.

A., as soon as your baby can move to a sitting up position with out help and especially stand up by himself, it is safe to have blankets. after that, when they show interest in a pillow you can definitely give them one. I start with a travel pillow, cause it is so cute:) but any size will do,
Good luck
E.

My daughter started using a pillow in her crib at 12 months. She has always used a full sized pillow. She and my son both wore sleep sacks until they were about 8 months old then I used blankets.

My son has always had a blanket. At first he was swaddled, and when we broke that habit he had a blanket. He actually wads it up and uses it as a pillow! Haha...I think I am going to make him a pillow. Maybe he will use his blanket! Probably not, though. He moves around a lot in his sleep. Everytime I check on him he is facing a different way in the crib!

Our daughter has one (22 months), and has had for a few months. I think our boys had one about that age -- whenever they went into a bed, so 18 months for second son. We always did blankets, too, but especially in bed. Our old house was very, very cold, so our boys had them as soon as the weather turned cold -- 4 mos. or so. Little people know what a bed is and how it works. I'm sure he'd be fine with a pillow and blankets. Probably sleep better, too. I did the travel pillows, too, for my boys, but my daughter would have nothing to do with anything that wasn't just like the boys. She really thinks she's a big kid. LOL!

At your son's age we bought our son a travel pillow from walmart. They are small and not too squishy (like down) and he loved it. For last Christmas he got a pillow pet and it is getting every penny of use.

I put one in my son's big boy bed which we did around 23 months. We did a twin matress too, with a separate rail thing on the side. Not up by the pillow. There is nothing for him to get trapped in with the pillow. Honestly, I was nervous at first. But now I think I was silly to worry. Looking at how he sleeps in this new bed, I can see that it is no issue.

I have heard IKEA has good flatter toddler pillows if you have one near you. I used a flatter down alternative that wouldn't fluff up around his face, but wasnt stiff and holding his little head too high.

My sons started using a pillow when they moved to a big boy bed (16 months). If a baby turns his face into a pillow he does not have the motor skills needed to adjust for better breathing. That is not true of a toddler. I used one fairly flat pillow, sheets and a quilt.

We gave my older son a pillow when he was around 20 months and he's used one ever since. My younger son who just turned 2 refuses to use a pillow. We started using blankets instead of sleep sacks for both of them at around 12-15 months.

My daughter is 23 months and uses a pillow and a blanket. She started using a blanket around 16 months or so. We didn't use a pillow until she was about 18 months. The only reason we even used one in the first place is because she got sick and was all congested; she needed the incline of a pillow to breathe. Well, now she LOVES it and won't give it up. It's a pretty flattened out pillow, not a nice cushy one. She does just fine. I've seen her wake up and move it where she wants it - they're plenty big enough not to smother with a pillow.