For most people, quality sleep, sleeping comfort, and good physical health are only guaranteed when using a pillow. Given the wide variety of pillows available on the market, everyone should be able to find the one that’s right for them.
Choosing a pillow depends on your preferences and needs in terms of firmness, filling,thickness, and size. When it comes to choosing a pillow for a baby, these characteristics are even more important, since young children have specific needs. At what age can a baby start sleeping with a pillow? How do you choose the right pillow? We’ll guide you in finding the ideal pillow to ensure your baby’s safety and comfort.
Babies don't need a pillow
Babies spend most of their time sleeping. Ensuring they have a comfortable sleeping environment and a good night’s sleep is therefore a priority. Many parents wonder whether a pillow is necessary in a baby’s crib.
While adults need a comfortable pillow to ensure a good night's sleep, the same is not true for babies. Up to age one and a half, a pillow can be dangerous; up to age three, it serves no purpose.
Therefore, pillows are strongly discouraged for children under the age of two or three. In addition to being uncomfortable, pillows can pose a risk of suffocation, choking, or even sudden infant death.
To ensure the baby's safety while sleeping, day or night, the crib should not contain any pillows, stuffed animals, cushions, or blankets. Only a sleep sack is needed to keep the baby warm without any risk.
In fact, a newborn’s safety also depends on its sleeping position: it is recommended to lay the baby on its back. This position also helps maintain the natural alignment of the spine and prevents pressure points on the baby’s upper body: since the baby’s neck muscles are not yet developed, it must be able to develop under optimal conditions.
While young children don't need a pillow, high-quality bedding is still essential for a good night's sleep. It's important to make the right choices when purchasing a mattress, bed, mattress protector, and fitted sheet toensure your baby has a safe and comfortable bed.
Alternatives to pillows when needed
In certain specific cases, for health reasons, your baby’s head may need to be elevated. This is particularly true if your baby has a condition such as gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), but it can also apply to something as simple as a cold.
If your baby has a cold, elevating their head will help clear their airways. If your baby tends to spit up between feedings (GERD), elevating their head helps prevent the risk of choking while they sleep.
To elevate your baby's head without putting them at risk, the best option isto use an incline pad, which is placed under the fitted sheet. No other accessories besides this incline pad should be used to elevate the baby's upper body.
What kind of pillow should you choose once your baby is old enough?
Starting at a certain age (two or three years old), your baby will begin to change positions on their own during the night or while napping. As parents, you may then want to consider buying a pillow. Bedding specialists offer a wide range of products at various price points. There are several factors to consider when choosing the right pillow, one that is perfectly suited to the specific needs of a young child.
Shape, size, and firmness: What should you choose?
The needs of young children are completely different from those of older children. A baby pillow should be extra-flat so as not to disrupt the baby’s usual sleeping position from when he or she did not use a pillow. A flat pillow also contributes to the healthy development of the baby’s neck by allowing it to remain flexible.
As for the pillow's firmness, it should be very soft to provide your baby with optimal comfort and prevent pressure points.
As for the shape of the pillow, rectangular pillows are the best choice, as they are better suited to the size of the bed and to the many movements babies make while sleeping. Unlike square pillows, rectangular pillows promote proper spinal alignment, since the shoulders rest on the mattress rather than on the pillow.
What material should I choose for the filling, the cover, and the pillowcase?
When choosing a pillow for a baby, you should also consider the filling. Many natural and synthetic materials can be used to fill a pillow, including:
- polyester;
- memory foam;
- down or feathers (from geese or ducks);
- natural or synthetic latex.
Since babies’ health is naturally more fragile than that of children, teenagers, and adults, it is strongly recommended to choose a hypoallergenic, dust-mite-resistant, and antibacterial pillow. By preventing any allergic reactions to dust mites, dust, or a specific material, the baby will not have difficulty breathing while sleeping.
Another factor to consider is whether the pillow complies with European standards, as indicated by the CE marking on the product label. Ideally, the pillow should also be Oeko-Tex certified: this ensures that the levels of harmful substances used in its manufacturing processes do not exceed regulatory thresholds.
As for the pillow cover, it’s best if it’s made of natural fibers—preferably organic. For example, organic cotton covers are ideal for a baby’s pillow, providing comfort, softness, and breathability. The desired characteristics for a pillowcase are essentially the same as those for the pillow cover.
When looking for the perfect pillow for your baby, be sure to consider how easy the pillow is to care for. Properly caring for your baby’s pillow means, first and foremost, machine-washing the pillowcase very regularly, but it also involves airing out, fluffing, and washing the pillow itself—or its removable cover.
In any case, a flat, soft, rectangular pillow made from healthy, breathable materials should provide your baby—who is over two years old—with all the safety and comfort they need to sleep well.
We recommend these other pages:
- How to Choose an Ergonomic Pillow
- Should I choose a memory foam pillow?
- How to Choose a Neck Pillow
- How do you choose a pillow for a child?
- How to Choose an Orthopedic Pillow
- Should you choose a firm pillow?
- How to Choose a Flat Pillow?
- When should you choose a feather pillow?
- What size pillow should you choose?