A pillow is an indispensable attribute of a sweet dream, without which the bulk of people cannot do. For young children, this affiliation plays a special role and is selected taking into account the anatomical features of the body. So that your baby not only enjoys dreams, but his bed would represent a cozy nest, approach the choice of pillows with extreme care. It is necessary to take into account all the subtleties that can have an effect on the further formation of the children's spine. An improperly selected pillow for an infant can subsequently cause serious illness.
First of all, you need to figure out how old a child needs a pillow. The physiological characteristics of infants up to 1 year old make it perfectly possible to do without it. For children of this age, it is natural to be on a flat surface during sleep.
In order to approach with full responsibility the question of how old a pillow is for a baby, this question should be addressed to professionals - pediatricians and orthopedists. The answer of doctors is unequivocal: a pillow of even the smallest size can have a negative effect on the health of a little man. It turns out that the use of pillows during sleep in children under 1 year old can lead to more serious consequences than we can assume. The main threat is the likelihood of developing scoliosis of the cervical and thoracic, so every mother should know at what age the child needs a pillow.
But there are exceptions. In the event that your newborn has such a pathology as a congenital muscular torticollis, you need to use a pillow, but not an ordinary one, but an orthopedic one and only of such a sample, as recommended by the doctor.
For children after a year when the spine is already strong, small pads can be used, but you need to do this correctly. Be sure to monitor your head position during sleep. The shoulders and head should not be allowed to form so that a large angle forms between them. The child needs to be laid so that both the head and the upper third of the body are on the pillow. In this position, the pillow for the baby will not expose the delicate cervical vertebrae of the child to excessive load.
Another important point - do not choose too soft and high pillow. There is a possibility that the baby may bury its nose in it and, because of the inability to actively roll over, may suffocate.
Considering the question of how old a child needs a pillow, it is advisable to pay attention to another, no less important - what it should be. Previously, many mothers preferred to use a flannel diaper folded several times. Now the market for baby clothes offers comfortable and safe bedding that is tested and certified. If the budget does not allow you to purchase branded goods, then a pillow for children can safely be replaced with a towel folded several times. Position it so that the angle between the child’s head and shoulders is no more than 30 degrees.
Currently, new products are constantly appearing among children's goods. For example, an anatomical pillow for a baby. It has such a feature as a hole in the middle, which allows you to conveniently place the child’s head. This invention is based on knowledge of anatomy, on the basis of which, scientists have calculated the optimal height of the pillow. It is 3 cm, and the height of the sides is 4.5 cm.
Also, the pillow for the baby may be in the form of a support roller, which consists of hypoallergenic fillers. This kind is considered absolutely safe and very convenient for children.
From what age a child needs a pillow for a day's sleep, you already know, but this element will be needed not only to put the child to bed. The pillow is indispensable when the child begins to sit, but in this case she has a different role - to maintain the back of the baby so that he feels more comfortable in an unusual position.