When Did You Give Your Toddler a Pillow?

I gave my daughter a pillow when she was around 12 -13 months b/c she asked for one but then she wasn't really using it so I took it out. She started using a boppy as a pillow instead - I can't remember exactly when, maybe around 21 months? She uses it every night and loves it, it's so cute.

I gave my DD a full size pillow in her crib when she was 11 or 12 months old. She loved it and now sleeps with two pillows in her twin size bed (she's 25 months now).

Hi M.,

It seems like it was sometime around 18 months to 2 years when I gave my children pillows. I didn't with my last daughter and my sister was over, and she said, why doesn't this child have a pillow, can't you see she needs one? If they look like they need support and they can handle it, I guess is the right time...I used a super-flat pillow with a tight pillow case. I'm sure you'll figure it out just fine. :o)

We gave our children their first pillow when they transitioned to a big kid bed.

We started our 17 month old out on a pillow due to an upper respiratory infection. Our doctor told us to put the new-born on one to help him breathe better. It only made sense to do the same for his big brother. They both did fine. The oldest is still using his. The baby (6 weeks old) no longer needs it and does not use it anymore.

I gave my son a pillow at about 18 months. He was always using mine when he would sleep with me so I figured it was time. He seems to sleep alot better with it.

Hi, i gave my twins pillows in their cribs when they were 18 months - like yours they always seemed to want to lie on the pillow when in our bed or sisters bed, so i did it, and they love it. They rely on it every night, and really do sleep on it. I think after l8 mo. you're safe anyway. good luck.

I think my son was about 2 years and 3 months when he got his pillow. He still sleeps in a crib, but it seems to be helping him move around less, which is good because he's about to transition to a twin bed.

I can't remember the exact month we gave our first DD a pillow, but it was somewhere around 13 mos/14 mos (I know this because she was in daycare at that time and would take her pillow for nap time). We got her a small childs pillow, pretty flat, but she insisted on sleeping with one and she was well passed the SIDS danger and we thought it was appropriate.

I just gave my son one about a month ago. He's 26 months now. The only reason I took as long as I did was that I kept searching for a smaller - what I envisioned as -"toddler" pillow and couldn't find anything. So, he ended up with a regular one and seems to love it.

My son got a pillow at about 23 months old. He's 10 now and rarely uses it.
S.

Hi,

We gave our son one when he was 15 or 16 months old. Like yours, he was always crawling up to use ours whenever he was in our bed. Plus, the kid just looked uncomfortable! We tried a very flat adult pillow with the theory that it would go the length of the crib and be easier to stay on, but it didn't work out. (He's too long, and it was so wide that it didn't give him enough room, I thought). So, we got a $10 foam one at Babies R Us that he really loves.

Best,

R.

We waited until our daughter was 2 years old. She recently started waking up in the night and crying for like a few seconds. So we decided that she might be more comfortable with one in her crib. We bought her a toddler crib pillow from IKEA. It's nice because it's smaller than a standard one and flatter as well for cute little heads. :)

Hi M.,
I think you are fine to give your 13 month old a pillow. They do sell Toddler pillows that are smaller than normal pillows. In my home we love to use down pillows, but if you are worried about your baby suffocating then stick with the standard batten filled pillows.
I have three children and they are all fine and I gave them their own down pillows at a young age.
Good luck deciding!

My son just recently started using a pillow, probably around 20 months. He was the one that started "using" it... he started noticing that we use pillows, and every time he went down for a nap or to sleep in the evening, he made sure he was a pillow. His pillow is pretty flat, no fluff. Also, he just recently started allowing us to cover him at night. He's always hated being covered, kicked anything off that was touching his feet or legs. I guess as they get older, they start to notice the difference in their comfort at night.

Hi M.,
We probably gave our daughter a pillow around 16-18 months old, and it was a toddler pillow. She's four and still uses it. Perfect size for little heads. Found it online and Leaps and Bounds: http://www.leapsandbounds.com/catalog/product.jsp?product...

I know you've already made your decision but just wanted to give my two cents. =P
We just gave our daughter a toddler pillow last month when she was 19 months old. The research I did online was almost unanimous in saying we should wait until she turns 2 but I just couldn't understand what kind of magic happens the moment a child turns two. Our daughter has slept with a blanket and her stuffed bunny since before she was one year old and has done fine. I think the consensus is to err on the side of caution to avoid possible suffocation but the small, flat toddler pillows they make now seem just fine to me. We got our toddler pillow at Babies R Us. It came with a silk pillow case that slides off way too easily so our daughter sleeps on the pillow without a case. I've washed it and it's fine.
When you decide to give your little boy a pillow, just make sure it's a toddler pillow, not an adult pillow and he'll be just fine. =)

I think I gave my son a pillow when he was 2. By then I ended up turning his crib into the toddler day bed. Ever since then he's had a pillow. I wouldn't get a very soft pillow. I think I went out and bought a cheap pillow that wasn't too soft but also not very fluffy either.