You probably got it as a baby shower gift or had a personalized one presented to you at the birth of your baby; but the real question is: do babies need any kind of pillow at all?
The fact is that babies do not need any kind of pillow or head cushioning device. In fact such an item can actually be dangerous since pillow for baby presents suffocation danger for a baby.
So, as far as possible, pillows are to be avoided for babies up to two years of age.
It is best not to use a pillow for a child while he or she still sleeps in a crib and wait until your toddler moves on to sleeping in a bed.
However some parents do find that their babies sleep better with the head slightly elevated by a pillow.
Also when babies are sick with a cough, cold or congestion, they find it easier to sleep when the head is somewhat elevated. In these cases, parents may be tempted to use a pillow for the baby’s head.
In these cases, make sure that the pillow is quite thin, rather like an airline pillow and not the usually fluffy pillows. Also steer clear of feather pillows since they are a suffocation hazard if the child’s head sinks into the pillow when sleeping and are also known to trigger allergies.
According to experts, even older children do not need pillows. A parent may give them a pillow to rest their head on, thinking the child will rest more comfortably, but this is not really the case, and most children don’t really need any kind of pillow.
The rule of thumb is to wait until your child actually asks for it, and then see if he or she really does sleep better with it; and to keep the pillow as flat as possible.
