pillow and blanket in crib: what age? what type?

[Melarina]

At what age did you start putting pillow/blanket in the crib with DC?

Any particular type of pillow recommended?

[edurnemk]

I started putting a light blanket in the crib this spring, since it was too warm for the wearable blanket, and DS is big enough to untangle himself. He's 18 months old now, but was around 13 or 14 months when I started with the blankie. I also started putting a pillow in his crib for naps (he moves around too much at night for having a pillow, he makes 180º turns and ends up on the opposite side of the crib). It´s a small pillow made especially for cribs, but my mom got it for us in Spain, I've never seen them here.

[tnrnchick74]

One nite, when DS was about 11 months old, he climbed in his crib and grabbed a stuffed animal down from its hanging holder. Since then he's slept with at least 1 stuffed animal (usually as a pillow under his head). DS never did tolerate sleep saks (he likes 1 foot uncovered), so he's always had a light weight blanket on him.

I asked this question (and described our set up) to his ped at his 1 yr checkup and his reply was anytime we want to get a "real" pillow it's fine. I'm not rocking the stuffed animal setup though - one day he will let me know he wants something different. Otherwise, I plan to change his crib to a toddler/daybed at 2 yrs (if not before) and I will get a small kids pillow from IKEA then.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I waited until after DD was a year for a blankie. She got a pillow shortly after. It is a kinda flat feather pillow. She has a gang of animals and blankies now.

[daniele_ut]

I can't exactly when I started putting the pillow and blanket it, but dd is 17 months and uses a travel pillow and blanket. She doesn't keep the blanket on so we'll go back to sleep sacks in the fall when it gets colder. She LOVES the pillow, though. She almost always falls asleep on it, but she usually travels a lot during the night.

[newg]

DD is 17 months and still has no pillow or blanket.....just her sleep sack and special animals......she is a "traveler" as well during the night, so I don't think either would do her much good yet.....I've started putting some couch pillows on the floor and her baby quilt to let her play around and "practice" during play time......so I'm guessing we'll start using them sometime this winter...

[clc053103]

DS at 1 got a blanket instead of sleep sack- then shortly after when I found him wadding up said blanket to make a pillow out of it, I got him a pillow.

Best and most reasonable i have found are at Bed Bath and Beyond- they are travel pillows for $9.99 and zippered covers for maybe $4.99. I bought a pillow and 2 covers for laundry purposes. They are just like the overpriced ones in One Step Ahead. DS is 4 now and has had a regular sized pillow for over a year, but still insists on sleeping with his little pillow too.

[AnnieW625]

Elisa got a pillow, and her blanky at around 12 mos. IIRC. The pillow was a cat shaped pillow I had gotten as a gift many years ago.

[Swimfreak78]

We've used a blanket since about a year. No pillow

[HIU8]

DD is 2 and has slept with a blanket since she was 10 months. She hated the sleep sacks. She has never slept with a pillow. She doesn't seem to like sleeping with one.

[C99]

We did it progressively early with each subsequent kid. With DS2, who is now 27 months, we added a blanket at about 10 months (he was walking then) and a pillow at 1-year. I used a smaller crib pillow at first, and he graduated to a regular sized pillow at around 18 months. He slept with a crocheted (lots of holes) blanket at first, and then graduated to what is really just a cut piece of fleece that was a victim of "I want to do something to this, but ran out of time/motivation."

[Melarina]

Thanks so much for the information, everyone!