Good first pillow?

[Rachels]

What pillow is good for a toddler? I think Abigail is ready for one, but I'm not sure what to get.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[Melanie]

The ped. said nothing overly soft. Someone told me a travel or airplane pillow would be a good size. I never found one, so I bought a regular pillow, cut it in half and took out about 75% of the stuffing, then sewed it back together (actually, took it all out, sewed it most of the way, then restuffed and whip-stitched the rest). I suppose the down side would be you have to either make a pillow case for it or alter one, but it's definitely flat and rather toddler-sized. He loves it.

[Karenn]

Rachel,
I got an REI travel pillow for Colin about 6 months ago. I know that's a little early, but it turned out to be a major sleep turning point for us! Colin LOVES his pillow and cuddles up to it each night. The REI pillow is about the same size as one from Pottery Barn, but it's only about $7. For pillow cases, my MIL made a couple out of kitty fabric, but I'm sure they could be store bought as well. I think One Step Ahead sells some. The REI pillow has been great!

[brubeck]

I used a travel pillow (found it online) for a few weeks in Amy's crib (this was before we transitioned her to a big girl bed). I also used some harder, flatter couch-type throw cushions in her play area and she would nap on them on the floor.

When Amy wen t to a big girl bed I took the oldest, flattest pillow I had and put it through the washing machine. That flattened it out nicely! Don't put it in the dryer though, that does seem to fluff them up.

[luvbeinmama]

DS has two (full bed) of our oldest flattest pillows, and he really likes them. I had ordered the toddler pillow out of the OSA catalog, but it was way too fluffy. So if you have old, smooshed flat polyester-filled pillows, get them out and use those!

[MomtoGrace]

Aren't you supposed to change pillows frequently for health reasons?

[lcb]

I found a toddler pillow at Linens N Things in their children's bedding section. Unfortunately, it was $20.

[MichelleL]

I know this is an older post but I thought someone might be able to benefit from the info.....I found the cutest small/toddler sized pillows on e-bay. There are several people who make them for under $8. You can do a search for "toddler pillow" or if you want a specific character try "elmo pillow" (or whoever) and you should have lots of luck! I've attached a link as well....

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2 F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=toddler+pillow


Good Luck! :)
Michelle L

[mamahill]

Resurfacing this post - I know you bought a OSA pillow, Rachel, and said it was way too puffy. I just wanted to say that Ainsleigh's cousin was here a week ago and she slept with an old pillow of mine (she's 6). Well, Ainsleigh thought that was the coolest thing, and since she had the beginnings of a cold and I thought the elevated head might help, I threw it into her crib. She has practically BEGGED to go to bed at nap time and bed time. And if she starts to act like she doesn't want to go to sleep, I say, "Oooh, your pillow is in your bed," and she wheels right around and makes a beeline for the crib. It's hilarious!

I mentioned it to my mom, about how I thought it might be too big (it's just a regular pillow, but pretty flat) and she said, "Well either cut it down or take some stuffing out and sew it back up," like what Melanie said. I just stood there, brow furrowed, thinking, "Whaaaa?" You can DO that?! Ok, so I know that I am craftily challenged, but I still can't believe it didn't occur to me.

We've kept her pillow the way it is, though, since she seems fine with it. She sleeps with almost her entire upper body on it (waist up), and sleeps WELL.

[brubeck]

LOL Sarah Amy reacted to pillows the same way! She just loved the additional comfort it provided and she slept on it from the waist up!

Sounds like Ainsleigh might be ready for a big girl bed! Perhaps she might enjoy snuggling under the covers with you?

[mamahill]

YIKES! No, I know - she will be heading to a big girl bed soon, but not too soon. Since she doesn't climb out of the crib, she'll be in there until she is potty trained, or until about January, whichever comes first. At that point I need to pack up the crib so that hopefully that gives her a few months to forget about it, and we'll be able to set it up for a sibling. I hesitate to move her now because of a furniture logistical nightmare that I refuse to face until absolutely necessary. And snuggling under the covers with me?! Well, maybe. But she mostly tries to stand up and jump, so we try to avoid that:). I do think that this whole pillow thing will make transitioning to a bed easier, though.

All this "big kid" stuff is fun!

[egoldber]

LOL! Sarah has an old bed pillow of mine on her toddler bed too. She also sleeps on it from the waist up and really likes it! The one I got from PBK is still in the crib.

[brubeck]

The reason I mention snuggling under the covers with you is that's how AMy got used to the idea of a blanket. And it doesnt' have to be in your bed, it could be on the couch underneath a blanket for 2.

But yes, this 'big kid' stuff is fun! Today I said, "I love you Amy!" and she automatically replied, "I love you too Mama!". How much better does it get than that? :)

[mamahill]

Oh yes - then we do snuggle! And I LOVE having them talk back. Yesterday I was shouting down the stairs to Ainsleigh, "I love you!" and she would shout back, "I wha woo!" LOL, it's just one word to her, I think...

My favorite is when she very earnestly comes over, cups her mouth in her hands, and whispers a string of jibberish to me, and then looks expectantly at me for a response. And, when I whisper "what?" back, she says the exact same jibberish. I wish I could see inside her to know what she thinks she's saying! Her daddy "taught" her whispering and now she thinks it's so funny to tell "secrets," most of which consist of me telling her I love her.

[loewymartin]

I'll have to try a pillow with Alia...might make the crib to bed transition easier. She woke up this morning screaming as she (apparently) got her leg caught in the slats...she was not a happy camper.

Alia has gotten into the habit of taking my face in her hands and speaking earnestly to me. It's when she really wants me to concentrate on her...too funny. She only does it with me, but she knows she has my complete attention and just holds my face while talking to me. And she's right *in* my face too :-)

Michelle - Mom to Alia born 5/16/02

[em_jon98]

I made a toddler sized pillow (12" x 16") for Lindsey. It was really super easy, but it did require sewing. I purchased plain white muslin and cut a piece that was twice as long as I wanted the pillow to be wide, folded it in half and used an overlock stitch on two of the three "sides," stuffed it with premium stuffing, and used an overlock stitch to close the third side.

The muslin and the stuffing were both purchased when they were half off at JoAnn's. Since, I still have a significant portion of the bag of stuffing and a good piece of muslin (I purchased an entire yard--it could be done with less, depending on how large you wanted the pillow to be), I would say the whole thing probably ran around $2-3 dollars.

[mrbobbles]

I had a hard time finding a good toddler pillow for my son about a year ago, so like some of the other parents who posted responses, I ended up making my own. Then friends and family started asking me for similar pillows, so I started my own business selling the pillows along with spare pillowcases for laundry days. The Toddler Pillows have been so popular and I have such a great selection of cute fabrics that kids love. If you are still looking for a Toddler Pillow, check out my website. I'd be happy to help you!

http://www.mrbobblesblankets.com

Renee Sirulnik

[mcades]

We transitioned my older son to a big bed when he was 18 months in preparation for #2 to take over the crib. When he made the change, the pillow "came with" the bed. We also use old, mushed flat poly pillows. I definitely recommend rotating between 2 pillows. Inevitably, when the overnight diaper overflows, the pillow gets wet too. So while the wet one is in the wash, we just rotate to the other pillow. I don't think my now 2 1/2 year old has ever figured out that there's more than 1 of his pillows!!

Michelle

[loewymartin]

After reading this thread I made my own pillows/cases. I bought a regular (cheap) polly filled pillow, cut it in half, took out about 3/4 of the stuffing and sewed it back up. Then I found some prints I knew Alia would like (Sesame Street and Pooh) and made some pillow cases. 2 are in flannel and 2 are in cotton. She absolutely loves them! Thanks for all the great suggestions here!

Michelle - Mom to Alia born 5/16/02

[1sweetpea]

I recently got my son a pillow from Bed Bath and Beyond called the Children's Health Pillow. It's supposed to be free of allergens, etc. It's also machine washable. It's not firm by any means, but it has very little stuffing. I read somewhere that they really don't need much in way of "support". It's a standard size...which I like because I can find pillow covers for it.

I also saw a "My First Pillow" which looked to me like a very firm smaller pillow. It was much more expensive, and it didn't look like something that I would be comfortable sleeping on, so I went for the other pillow instead.

[pshontz]

Just adding in case anyone's looking for this (as I am, now): I found a 12x16 pillow at USA Baby for $10 and a 12x16 travel pillow at Linens N Things for $9. Linens N Things also has a white pillowcase (closes with a zipper). I don't know if the pillows are too puffy though; the USA Baby one seemed slightly flatter, and I haven't yet tried mine out with my daughter.

The products at Mr Bobbles Blankets (online) look really cute too though!

Ruth

[ms tinkerbell]

Just thought I would let everyone know that Ikea has toddler pillows for $7.99. Its a cotton/poly fill blend. The only problem was you have to buy a top sheet to get a pillow case there. So I bought one set for $9.99 -- and having my step Mom make another Hello Kitty case for me from a set of Target clearance sheets I found.
The cases that they do sell have the envelope style case which is nice. But Evelyn has yet to sleep on the pillow, her dolls do.

Tink
http://www.mstinkerbell.com/icons/NJ.jpg

[RSF]

Pottery Barn Kids sells a 12x16 pillow (your choice of down filled or synthetic) for about $9 and also sells pillowcases in a variety of colours. My 18 month old loves hers. She likes to lie on it vertically.

HTH

RsF