When is it okay to put a pillow in the crib with your child. My daughter is 1 1/2 years old

Katherine - posted on 08/22/2011

As long as you feel safe giving them the pillow your fine.

I gave my son 2 stuffies (one is a winnie the pooh head and small blanket, the other is peanut shaped) and a reciving blanket in his crib when he was 3 months old, he sleeps much better with things to cuddle and hold onto!!

Ciara - posted on 08/21/2011

i gave my daughter a small flat pillow when she was a few months old as she settled better with it, then when she was around 6/7 months old i gave her an adult one (which was really flat) as she had seperation anxiety and could get my scent off it so helped sooth her and she slept away fine. she is now 12 1/2 months and never had any problems with it. hope this helps :)

Tiffiny - posted on 06/23/2011

don't put a pillow in a crib..... u wait until their in the toddler bed b4 they get a pillow..... cause they can use the pillow to climb on and they can fall out of the crib and get really hurt

Tricia - posted on 06/23/2011

My Oldest daughter used a pillow (mini) the day she came home from the hospital bc she didnt like laying flat down. Now she is 3 and still uses a collection of mini pillows bc she doesn't like bit pillows. My 2nd daughter is turning 1 in July and still doesnt use a pillow bc she is a tummy sleeper and I just dont want her face stuffed in the pillow. I think it is just whenever you feel comfortable putting a pillow in the crib and the position your child sleeps in.

Alicia - posted on 06/20/2011

my son had one starting around 18 months, my daughter has had one since thirteen months

Alyss - posted on 06/20/2011

I started giving my daughter a pillow when she started to lay on pillows around the house (on the couch, our bed). She was getting close to two years old, I wanted to transistion her to a bed, since she was showing interest. She had slept in our bed on a pillow fine, so I gave her a flat one for her crib. She had no issues with it and like it. :)

Shelly - posted on 06/20/2011

my son had a pillow from 3 months, he actually sleeps better with a pillow

Keri - posted on 06/20/2011

We changed my son's bed from crib to daybed when he was 15 months old. We didn't give him a pillow right away, but he had one within two or three months. We never had pillows in his crib when it had 4 walls. The bumpers my mom made for it were also half the thickness of bumpers you buy at the store because my dad, a former police officer, had seen too many child crib deaths that implicated the bumpers in one way or another. Most doctors say once the child is past the danger zone for SIDS/crib death (don't remember what age that was), it is okay to give a pillow.

Kathy - posted on 06/19/2011

Ya, my mom made her a little pillow to match her baby blanket when she was born, with the intentions that it would be for on the floor watching TV when she got older and we let her have it in the playpen at about 14 months, then it went to the crib a month or so later and now at 22 months she LOVES her pillow and has to have one all the time. Doesn't always sleep on it, just has to have it

Kelly - posted on 06/19/2011

They don't need a pillow. Mine did not get a pillow until they moved into a big boy bed. That was not until 2-3 years.

Ashley - posted on 06/19/2011

MY DAUGHTER IS ALMOST 2 AND SHE HAS A PILLOW IN HER BED, SHE SLEEPS BETTER WITH IT!!

Jacqueline - posted on 06/19/2011

my daughter had a pillow at 11 months old and shes 19 months on the 24th and shes in a toddler bed now

Louise - posted on 06/19/2011

Its safe from a year old,but if your child hasnt had one by 1 1/2 i dont see why she needs one now.I say they wont miss what they have never had.Although mine were in a cot when they got there 1st pillow not a crib.

Lisa - posted on 06/18/2011

we jst started putting a pillow in with our now 1yr old. we only did this because we noticed that when he got tired, he would roll around and bury his head on the pillows on the ground like a dog. we still use a motion sensor pad for naps and bedtime, so if there is a problem ill know right away. the pillow is the exact width of his crib (total fluke!) and very flat. when we check on him, he's usually laying on it like adults do. i wont put a pillow in any sooner than 9mos though

Kimmy - posted on 06/18/2011

I put a pillow and some stuffed animals in my son's crib when he was able to easily roll around

Laura Zoey - posted on 06/18/2011

Never, wait til a toddler bed

Jacqui - posted on 06/18/2011

My son is almost 15 months and has a 'cot sized' pillow in with him. It all started with him sleeping in my bed on my curved pillow - he LOVED it and would sleep so soundly. So he's been sleeping on some kind of pillow since about 11(ish) months. Once I put my foot down though and started making him sleep in his own cot, I bought the special cot size pillow and he seems fairly comfortable. Sometims he rolls off it, but it doesn't seem to bother him. And some nights he doesn't want it in there, so I take it out, which is fine as some nights my pillows annoy me so much I end up throwing them off the bed! Every parent knows their own child and knows when their child is 'ready' for a pillow. And I think if your child is able to lift their head, roll over and sit up on their own (as in go from a laying down to sitting position on their own) then there shouldn't be any issues. Just keep a close eye on her the first few nights to see how she goes :) Good Luck!

Xoe - posted on 06/17/2011

My son has had his own pillow since he was 11 months old, he is now 2. We bought a junior set for him with the duvet cover at the same time. However he used to always have a pillow in our bed from a young age which we used to lay him on so he was above our level for safety reasons. I think that as long as your child can kick off covers and walk, they are old enough to have a pillow.

Tasha - posted on 06/17/2011

My daughter slept with me until 7 months, then we started putting her in her pac n play/crib and I lined it with her big Tinker Bell comforter. So that acts as her pillow. Now she is turning one and I have also given her a teddy bear to cuddle with and occupy herself if she refuses to go to sleep or wakes up before I do.

Amanda - posted on 06/17/2011

I gave both my kids a baby pillow at around 16 months.

Aimee - posted on 06/17/2011

my children all had pillows from when they could turn there head and would never go back so yes they are ok to have a pillow at that age hope this helps

Amanda - posted on 06/17/2011

i did not let my son use a pillow till he got into a toddler bed and he moved to a toddler bed when he was 2yrs and 1 month old...then he got a pillow...

Stifler's - posted on 06/17/2011

I just started putting one in Logan's toddler bed and he's 17 months nearly.

Bernadette - posted on 06/17/2011

If she is old enough to roll over, lift her head, sit up, etc, then it should be fine as she won't suffocate - if she happens to roll onto it and can't breathe, she will be able to move herself away from it. Make it a fairly flat one though, as if it's too high it may give her a sore neck.

Jodi - posted on 06/17/2011

My daughter didn't get a pillow until she moved into a bed. And she was 3 1/2 when we did that!!! But like Holly, she did tend to sleep with a stuffed animal and use that sometimes.

Jaime - posted on 06/17/2011

I think the safety question here is ' is it safe to have a soft object in the crib, will it cause a suffocation hazard? When children turn 1 the threat of SIDS is usually left behind, so children under 1 are not safe to sleep with pillows and such, but you said yours is over 1, so as long as its a safe pillow, and there is no over heating, I bet its not going to be a problem. My kids have all slept with pillow and stuffies after 1, and they are doing great. Another issue I guess is, can the stuff be piled up to so the child will fall out of the crib? So I guess as long as you feel comfortable with what is in the crib, then I am sure its fine. I personally don't approve of bumper pads, but lots of people do, so really its what YOU feel is safe.

Tasha - posted on 06/16/2011

My oldest we gave a flat pillow to when she was about a yr old. My second child never really cared to have one so I put it under the matress to up the end. (Helped her breath when she had a cold) Then gave her one when she moved into a bunkbed with her sister.

Sarah - posted on 06/16/2011

my son used a pillow in his crib at a year and has been using one on his toddler/single bed ever since. he uses a very flat full size pillow. i found the full size pillow good for a crib because it fit the width of the crib which seemed safer to me. my daughter is 18 months but does seem interested in a pillow. she has stuffed animals and a few blankets that she bunches up though.

Kaitlin - posted on 06/16/2011

Honestly, they don't need one! We think they need one for comfort because it's what we, adults, like. I think around age 2 is 'okay' but I'm not giving my sons them until they ask for it. It is just not necessary

September - posted on 06/16/2011

We gave our son a pillow when he turned two. It was a pillow pet and he will not sleep without it. He loves it! :)

Valerie - posted on 06/16/2011

I read in one of our parenting books not to give them a pillow unless they ask for it. Babies heads are larger than our and as such, do not require a pillow. We do let our son sleep with a small stuffed animal and is 12 months old. If you do put something in the crib though, make sure that there are no parts that can be pulled off (like buttons or bows). Always think of safety first :)

Sharon - posted on 06/16/2011

My daughter just turned 15 months yesterday (6/15) and just started using a pillow a few days ago. This was more because she wanted to bring it into her crib than us giving it to her. She was dozing on the floor with her resting on it, so I saw no reason why she shouldn't have it with her in her crib. When I checked on her throughout the night, I noticed that she was actually sleeping under the pillow, but she was comfortable and that is what mattered to me.

In the end, it is all based on what you feel. If you feel that your daughter has the strength and ability to move it, then go for it. She may or may not even want it as well.

Medic - posted on 06/15/2011

Both of my kids got pillows at about a year and both were out of the crib at 14 and 16 months so the pillow was only in the crib for a few months.

Brittany - posted on 06/15/2011

I put a pillow in around a year, when I noticed that my daughter was piling her blanket under her head at night.

Maria - posted on 06/15/2011

My baby is ten months will be turning 11 months on the 24th i just recently put a some decorating pillows in her crib i tested it out when she took a nap checkin up on her frequently ( i also put the crib bumpers) and she did fine then i tried it out at night time with just one pillow and she did great so i think now its fine since they have control of their necks can move around easily and they are big now so im ok with pillows blankets and such

Elfrieda - posted on 06/15/2011

At about a year. My son loves his pillow (he's 18 months). He doesn't so much sleep on it as he sleeps curled up around it. It's funny to watch him get settled for sleep. He's fussier than a dog! He's got one thumb in his mouth and with the other hand he has to turn the pillow just so, so that the edge of the pillowcase is wrapped around his fingers. But then it's not good enough, so he turns the pillow over and tries it that way. No, that's not right either, so he has to move it to the other end of the crib. But now his fingers have come undone from the edge of the pillowcase. At this point, I'm giggling too much for him to concentrate on this very important settling, and he sits up and gives me a look and says "byebye". I've never actually seen him fall asleep with it, but it certainly is a big part of his routine. :)

Carly - posted on 06/15/2011

We put it in there at about 18 months. We got a little flat travel pillow though, it's the perfect size to not strain his neck.

Cheyenne - posted on 06/15/2011

my son has slept with a pillow since 11 months. hes 16 months now. i gave him one of our old pillows, its not big or fluffy, its actually pretty flat. but really its your decision. you kind of have to be able to know if your child can sleep with a pillow without having trouble

Brandy - posted on 06/15/2011

I have a regular size pillow in my son's crib and it's really flat so his head isn't up high. He has been using a pillow when he was 12 months.

Lady Heather - posted on 06/15/2011

Around a year we gave her stuffies (like the previous poster) and she got a pillow when she moved to her toddler bed at 21 months. You're good to go at 18 months if your daughter wants one. Mine wouldn't use hers at first, but now she has a pillow obsession and has three on her tiny bed. ha.

Holly - posted on 06/15/2011

I never put a pillow in the crib, but that's because my daughters never liked pillows until they moved to their toddler beds. However, I did start letting them sleep with their stuffed animals (they used them like pillows) at around age 1.