We started giving my DD a pillow a few months ago (she is 14 mos) but make sure it is very flat and not very fluffy. My DD LOVES having a pillow at night, it is something that is nice to snuggle against. Try it and see how it goes. Good Luck

HaleysMommy

Unless you REALLy want to give baby one, or unless baby cannot sleep without a pillow..it is best to allow your baby to continue to sleep flat as long as possible..at 15mos they may seem like mini adults compared to a few months ago..but don't let that fool you! Just be smart..watch how your baby sleeps with a pillow, and go with your gut..in my opinion..no pillow for a while longer is best. If baby hasn't slept with one as of yet, they'll never know the difference! *Also, chiropractically speaking, I understand it is best for baby to sleep flat anyway! Especially during such growth periods....However, again I will say, use your own judgement, or ask your ped.

Happy Sleeping !

~JEN, Early Childhood Specialist and mom to 16mos old NON pillow user and 25wks pregnant!

Trixie,

Our DS is 16mo, and he doesn't use a pillow. I hadn't really thought about it; I guess I just assumed that a pillow would come with a bed. From time to time, though, he likes to squirm onto our bed and lay himself down over an entire pillow!

I have seen child-sized pillows available that may be a little safer (?). I think they were in Pottery Barn Kids or The Company Store catalogues.

Hope that helps!

I was just wondering the same thing this week. Was going to post but forgot about it until I saw your post. My boys are 2 and 4 and they still don't use pillows. I would thing an adult one is too big. Some are too big for me. I don't know.

We got a child-size pillow at k-mart but it's been a year or so ago. She loves taking it to school for nap too. Makes the nap mat more comfortable. And at that age, a kid size pillow is not only more appropriate than an adult, but it makes her feel good to have something that is "all hers".

My daughter just turned 1, and she has been slapping when she gets mad at someone. How do I stop this, I don't want her to become one of those really bratty children.

You may want to repost this question under the main thread so you can get responses. This thread is about kids and pillows :-)

Almost all kids try all forms of agression - biting, kicking, hitting, slapping. My daughter's was a stage of biting at around a year and a half. The offense has to be stopped and the child penalized. At age 1, the penalty has to come immediately with the offense or they won't connect the punishment. At 1, they recommend 1 minute of timeout. I used timeouts until my DD was almost 3, then had to change to other penalties because she outgrew timeouts being effective. But with the biting, it worked.

Basically, when the offense occurs, stop them from doing it. Then immediately tell them, specifically, "We don't hit. Hitting gives an owie (boo-boo, whatever you call it). Because you hit, you have to sit in timeout."

Do a good timeout: No TV, toys, other kids playing nearby. Maybe a chair in the corner, a la Dennis the Menace :-) Mommy/Daddy not in view (but you need to keep an eye on them so try to get where you can see them but they can't see you).

When timeout is over, review with them. "Mommy/Daddy put you in timeout because you gave Sally an owie. We do not hit."

The key is to never let an offense pass without a penalty, and always verbalize with them so they connect the penalty with the offense.

With consistency, at age 1, you'll have no problem getting her to stop. I was successful with the biting, and my pediatrician's kids had a bad kicking habit and it worked for her.

Don't worry, hitting is normal - she's not a brat (yet) ;-) If you have the "What to expect - the toddler years" book, it has good info on this behavior stage.

my dd is 2yo and in a bed now and has a big pillow but it is a very firm one, i gave her a baby pillow when she was about 18 months and made her a special pillow case with bears on it so its only her pillow, i wouldnt give a pillow to anyone under about 18 months but i figure once they get into a bed there is no harm in it

nadine

I've been reading your responses and have no strong views on whether a pillow is right for toddlers of this age. However, my dd who is 19 mos would never stay in the one sleep position long enough to appreciate a pillow - her sleep positions are all over the cot all night!! (in fact her head always ends up where her feet should be!) Do I give her a pillow thinking she may move it around with her!!!! (personally, I think this is unlikely) or wait until she is more of a 'one position' sleeper???

When my son was around 19 mos old we started getting him ready for his toddler bed (I was 8 mos pg and new baby would need the crib). We bought toddler pillows from the Pottery Barn Kids catalog (they have the little pillow cases, too). We put the pillow on the toddler bed and let him take naps there. He was quite a tosser/turner in his crib and was the same - initially - in the toddler bed. He started sleeping in it full time (w/ pillow and blanket - never had really used blankets in the crib, either) at 20-21 mos. Most of the time, he doesn't end up on the pillow or have the blanket on in the morning anyway. But, he likes the pillows and doesn't like to go to bed w/o them.

I just noticed this post and *funny* because I just gave my 27m old a pillow tonight for the first time. We are switching him to a toddler bed tomorrow so I can get my 10 week old out of the bassinet! He has used flat pillows before when sleeping in a bed, but never in the crib. He is also very tossy turny when he sleeps, but he loves to use a pillow. I think it makes him feel like a big boy...

we started with pillow at age 2 when she switched to a regular bed

For our three year old I fold a small quilt into a pillow so it is just a little bit raised. She likes it and does it at daycare with her blanket too. It is hard to find pillows and the child ones I see like at Babies R Us are still too puffy for there little necks. I also found one at a fabric store and opened it and took some fluff out and reserged it. Somewhere I heard that when they are babies they can suffocate in it (I think I heard it from doing fostercare a few years back but cannot find anything on it anywhere else???)