Do babies need pillows? At what age can babies use pillows?

At what age can babies use pillows? Adults cannot sleep without pillows. So is it necessary for babies to use pillows? Today, let's talk to new parents about the relationship between babies and pillows. Using pillows too early is not good for the baby's development, so how to use pillows correctly will be introduced immediately.

How old can a baby use a pillow

Many parents ask when to use pillows for their children. Why do people use pillows when they sleep? When the human body lies flat, due to the physiological reasons of cervical flexion, if you do not use a pillow, the respiratory tract will be compressed, and breathing will be difficult. The cervical spine will also be abnormally stretched, causing cervical discomfort. However, before the baby can sit independently (6 to 9 months after birth), the cervical spine has not yet formed cervical flexion and is straight. Using a pillow will cause the airway to bend, causing relatively poor breathing. The physiological formation time of cervical flexion should occur after the baby can sit. Therefore, it is not necessary for babies to use pillows before they can sit.

When the baby starts to sit independently (6-9 months), the cervical spine begins to bend forward to maintain the body's balance. As the baby grows up, the cervical curvature becomes relatively fixed. The pillow is used to counteract the relatively uneven airway caused by the cervical curvature when sleeping on the back. If the child does not use a pillow when sleeping after being able to sit, and does not have difficulty breathing during sleep, you can follow the child's habit and do not force the child to use a pillow; if there is a "snoring" sound when breathing, you should induce the child to use a pillow. When to start using a pillow is not based on age, but on development. Be careful not to make the pillow too thick. This problem does not need to be considered when sleeping on the stomach.

In addition to paying attention to starting to use pillows for cover pillows at the right time, parents should also carefully select the material of the pillow core and pay attention to the cleaning and drying of the pillow. Parents are accustomed to choosing millet, tea, buckwheat husks, etc. as pillow cores for their children's pillows. There is nothing wrong with this. The key is to clean or replace the pillow core regularly. Infants and young children tend to sweat, drool, and occasionally spit up milk when they sleep, which can cause the pillow core to be soaked and the contents of the pillow core to mold. Long-term stimulation by mold will inevitably cause respiratory symptoms, and long-term allergies will also cause allergies. Therefore, not only should the pillowcase be cleaned frequently, but the pillow core should also be replaced regularly.

Does your baby need a pillow?

Babies cannot sleep with pillows before 3 months old!

At this time, even a height of 1 or 2 centimeters will harm the development of the baby's cervical spine!

The baby's head shape will generally be fixed within 6 months, so the claim that the high pillows of some brands (I won't mention the names in order to hide the bad and promote the good) can shape the head is very unscientific! I am a victim. After I bought it, the doctor said it can't be used before 6 months because it is too high! So naturally there is no shaping effect as they say. The baby's head shape is basically fixed after 6 months! Everyone must pay attention when buying for your baby! Don't be fooled!

The harm of using pillows too early in babies

Newborn babies do not need pillows.

This is because the spine of a newborn is straight and has not yet formed a physiological curvature. When lying flat, the baby's back and the back of the head are on the same plane, and the neck and back muscles are naturally relaxed, which will not cause muscle tension and cause a stiff neck. At this time, the baby's head is relatively large, almost as wide as the shoulders, so it is very natural to sleep flat or on the side. In addition, the baby's neck is still very short. If a pillow is used as a cushion, it is easy to bend the neck, affecting breathing and swallowing, and even causing breathing difficulties.

Tips1

During this period, the baby's stomach is horizontal. When drinking milk, the baby often inhales some air. The air in the stomach needs to be discharged, and it is very common for the baby to spit up milk. If the spitted milk is choked back, it will block the respiratory tract and may cause aspiration pneumonia in severe cases. Therefore, after each feeding, the mother should gently pat the baby's back to help him expel the air in the stomach.

Tips2

To prevent milk from spilling, you can also raise the baby's upper body a little bit, you can use 2-3 layers of towels about 1-3 cm high. Note: It is the upper body, not the head.

When the baby is 3-4 months old, he/she starts to learn to lift his/her head and the cervical spine begins to show physiological curvature, then he/she can use a pillow. The pillow should be 15 cm wide and 30 cm long. The height should be about 1-3 cm, and should be adjusted in time according to the child's development, starting from 1 cm. A suitable pillow should make the baby's head, neck, and chest on the same horizontal line, and the nose tip and chin at the highest point, so that the respiratory tract at the mouth, nose, and throat can be as unobstructed as possible.

Tips3

If a baby sleeps with a high pillow for a long time, the body will not be level and it will affect the bone development. The so-called high pillow can shape the head shape is not only unhelpful but also harmful.