When surfing the internet or talking with your loved ones, it’s common to hear various opinions about how babies don’t need pillows and how these items can be a danger to them. Well, most of those opinions just exaggerate the dangers and do not show the need for baby pillows correctly. It’s true newborn babies usually do not need pillows. However, when they reach around one and a half years, a pillow becomes an excellent sleeping aid and can even help them sleep better. Let’s look at some of the benefits of using a baby comfort pillow.
Benefits of Pillows for Babies
#1 Better Sleeping Position
One of the biggest benefits of pillows for babies is that they allow them to sleep in a much better position compared to other sleeping aids. Pillows can be placed properly and prevent babies from rolling around too much, which helps make sure they remain safe at all times. It’s also often recommended to use a pillow when a baby suffers from acid reflux or other sleeping problems, since this can present a solution to the problem.
#2 Prevents Flat Head Syndrome
One of the biggest risks to babies who do not use pillows for proper support while sleeping is flat head syndrome. This condition occurs when a baby remains in a certain position for too long, usually lying on its backs. The lack of support can cause them to have some parts of their bodies develop faster than others, which can lead to a distorted head shape. Though this condition is not common, its consequences can be pretty scary in the long run.
#3 Offers More Comfortable Sleep
As your baby grows, he or she will start crawling around and bumping into things when developing motor skills. Unfortunately, these actions often take place in the middle of the night, when they are sleeping. A pillow can represent a perfect way to avoid getting bumped in the face or having your baby constantly roll around while you sleep next to them.
#4 Great for Children with Special Needs
When looking at some benefits of pillows for babies, it’s also important to look at how they can be helpful for kids who suffer from special needs. These children usually have sleeping problems due to the lack of comfortable sleeping positions, but thankfully, pillows can provide them with enough support to make sure they sleep peacefully at night.
#5 Helps Babies Develop Proper Posture
During their first months of life, babies don’t really need pillows since they can sleep in any position. However, when they start crawling around and getting some motor skills under their belt, it’s time for them to use a pillow to make sure they are posture is proper while sleeping. It’s recommended to make sure babies are on their side when sleeping with pillows.
Pillow Safety
As mentioned above, a common misconception is that babies shouldn’t use pillows due to the dangers they may present. However, this isn’t true at all! In fact, as long as you choose the right pillow and teach your children how to properly use it from an early age, there should be no problems.
These are some of the benefits of baby pillows. How do I choose the right pillow for my baby? One of the most important things is to choose a pillow with firmness depending on your baby’s age and weight. A good way of checking if a pillow is too hard or too soft is to press your hand against it – you should not be able to press it all the way down to its end.
