Should newborns use pillows when sleeping?

Mothers are very happy when they see their newborn babies. The sleeping baby looks very cute. Mothers are ready to buy a beautiful little pillow for the baby. So should newborns use pillows when they sleep? When is the best time for newborns to use pillows? How to choose a pillow for a newborn? The following editor will give you a detailed introduction.

Do newborns need pillows to sleep?

The spine of a newborn baby is straight. When lying flat, the back and the back of the head are on the same plane. The neck and back muscles are naturally relaxed. When lying on the side, the head and the body are also on the same plane. If the pillow is raised, it is easy to bend the neck, and some may even cause breathing difficulties, thus affecting normal growth and development. Therefore, newborns do not need pillows. However, in order to prevent vomiting, the upper body of the newborn can be raised appropriately if necessary.

When is it best for newborns to use pillows?

Generally speaking, after the baby learns to lift his head, about 3 months later, the cervical spine will begin to bend forward. In order to maintain this physiological curvature and keep the body position comfortable, it is more appropriate to start using a pillow at this time.

The baby's pillow should be moderately soft and hard. Especially for babies under 6 months old, using a pillow that is too soft may cause suffocation. A pillow that is too hard is also not good. A pillow that is too hard can easily fatigue the neck muscles after sleeping, causing a stiff neck.

How to choose a pillow for a newborn baby

Mixed material: soft material combined with granular material. It has the advantages of the previous two pillows.

Chemical fiber cotton: soft filling. The material is environmentally friendly and high-quality, which can make the baby feel comfortable when sleeping. A pit is sewn in the middle to fix the baby's head posture and ensure the baby's healthy sleep.

Granular material: plant seeds or plant shells. It can slide freely without putting pressure on the baby's neck, and can fix the baby's head in any sleeping position to prevent vomiting and choking. The natural material with good moisture absorption and air permeability has the effect of benefiting the brain, massaging the baby's head and promoting the baby's brain development.

Newborn baby sleeping precautions

1. Don’t sleep with the lights on

Some parents may be afraid that their baby is afraid of the dark, so even if they don’t turn on the main lights, they will leave a night light on, but this light will often affect the baby’s sleep quality. Although the baby is just born and his daily routine is irregular, in order to let the baby develop a normal schedule, mothers should let the baby have a sense of the day and night biological clock from an early age. The baby is also constantly learning and adapting to this kind of life. If the baby sleeps with the light on, it is easy to disrupt the baby’s normal life pattern, resulting in poor sleep and shallow sleep, and it is easy to be awakened by a little noise.

It will not only affect the quality of sleep, but also the baby's vision. The baby's vision is not yet fully developed, but it will mature step by step so that it can see farther. If you sleep with the lights on for a long time, the baby's eyes will not get a rest. The light exposure to the eyes will make the eyes in a state of fatigue for a long time. In the long run, it will affect the retina, and the baby's eyes will not develop normally.

2. Don’t use electric blankets in winter

With the development of technology, you don't have to worry about the cold when you sleep at night in winter with an electric blanket. Therefore, many mothers are afraid that their babies will not sleep warmly in winter, so they let their babies sleep on electric blankets. This is very bad for babies. Although electric blankets can quickly increase the temperature in the quilt, they cannot warm the temperature of the entire room. Therefore, the head exposed outside is in a position of alternating hot and cold, which can easily cause respiratory diseases, especially dry mouth and tongue, which leads to getting angry, which is not conducive to the growth of babies. In addition, babies have a fast metabolism and sweat easily. If the baby feels hot when sleeping on an electric blanket, then he will not sleep well. If the baby kicks the quilt or stretches his hands and feet out of the quilt, the cold air in the room will cause the baby to catch a cold.

3. Don’t let your baby sleep on a soft bed

Babies spend most of their time lying in bed, so the bed they sleep in should be comfortable and safe. With the production of various soft beds, some parents think that hard beds are easy to hit babies, so they let their babies sleep on soft beds. Some parents don’t let their babies sleep on soft beds, but because it’s winter, they put a thick and soft quilt on the bed, which is no different from a soft bed. Babies are in a period of bone growth and development, and their bones are relatively soft, which is the so-called shaping period. If you let your baby sleep on a soft bed that he can sink into, this will put the baby’s bones in a distorted state. Over time, the bones will be shaped and easily become hunchbacked or deformed, which will not only affect the baby’s appearance, but also squeeze the baby’s internal organs and affect their functions.