Blanket and Pillow

Updated on November 14, 2009
C.P. asks from Glen Ellyn, IL
20 answers

Hi Moms,

I'm curious as to when you started giving your little ones blankets and pillows. My one year old does okay without them, but as it gets colder outside I think she might need a blanket too.

Also, did you go with full sized pillows or special toddler pillows?

Thanks!

1 mom found this helpful

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D.R.

answers from Chicago on

My mom has crocheted blankets for my kids and they are great. They are nice and warm, yet have "holes" so there is less worry (on my part :) of suffocation.

We didn't give pillows until the kids were in toddler beds. I've found my kids at this age move around so much the pillow is pointless.

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P.

answers from Chicago on

I gave both my daughters a toddler pillow and blanket at 1 year. They both seemed to really like the pillows. Good luck.

More Answers

K.L.

answers from Chicago on

My son is 2 1/2 and he sleeps with a blanket, but no pillow. He doesn't seem to want one, so I am not giving him one. In fact, he has a small pillow on his changing table and he will push it off every so often! Maybe if he asks for one he will get one, but for now, if he doesn't want it I am not going to force him to use one!

P.S. he has had a blanket for a while now!

A.T.

answers from Bloomington on

My 14 month old uses a regular sized pillow. Its not very fluffy at all, but it is comfy for her. She actually loves the pillow. But she hates blankets. I try to cover her legs up when she would wear a nightgown with her legs exposed and she would kick it off the second it touched her. Even if it was chilly in the room, she refused a blanket. So I always put her in a warm sleeper, just to make sure she is warm enough

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J.K.

answers from Mansfield on

Since we live in Ohio and it is cold here my children always had blankets! As for pillows they really are not necessary at any age. Pillows are not really great for your spine. If your child sleeps comfortably without a pillow why change it. Once they seem uncomfortable then you can start thinking about getting a small pillow.
Hope this helps

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L.D.

answers from Champaign on

We didn't give our older chidren pillows until they moved into their big beds. We have an 18 mo baby and he sleeps with a nice blanket that has a meshlike weave. It is super soft and warm, especially with his jammies, and it makes me feel better that if he does get balled up in it he could still breathe through the holes in it. Because even though they can move around, I notice even when he is playing, he can get it stuck on his head and can't get it off without help...so anything can happen when they are sound asleep.

Hope this helps. :)

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M.L.

answers from Dallas on

My 18 month old has had a blanket since he was about a year old. He generally has 2 small blankets in his crib. He now has a toddler pillow that we bought on Amazon.com for $8. You can also use a small throw pillow. Don't give him a full size pillow- I think that would be like trying to sleep on a couch cushion!

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S.X.

answers from Chicago on

i was told 12 months so that's what we do ; )
we just gave them an old kinda flat regular pillow

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

We gave our son a pillow at 2, and he has had a blanket since 1. The blanket is not for warmth, though, as he NEVER keeps a blanket on, so just dress them warm enough for no blanket. The pillow he enjoys snuggling when he first goes to bed, but he does not stay on the pillow. If you choose to give a pillow, I would start with the small toddler pillow that is made for the smaller bodies/heads.

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M.B.

answers from Peoria on

first does your little one sleep on there belly or back. if on there back its fine to have a pillow if on there belly i would wait a little bit longer. my little one has had blankets since she was born in her bed and a full size pillow since she was 8 months old. i have never heard of special toddler pillows so we wwent with full size she is now 18months old and doing fine so dont let people try to scare you about pillows and blankets.

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R.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi,

I started putting my daughter down with a blanket at around one year old. (Once your baby can sit up/push up on all fours, etc. the risk of SIDS decreases, and it's okay to use a blanket.) However, I only use a blanket for naps, we still use sleep sacks at night because I'm not sure she'd keep it on all night long.

As far as I know, pillows are not really necessary, so unless your child expresses a strong desire to have one, I would hold off on that.

Best,
R.

L.H.

answers from Chicago on

I gave our daughter a blanket at 1 and a pillow around 20 months. Right before she moved into her big girl bed. She loves having them to go to sleep with.

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M.K.

answers from Chicago on

We don't use pillows until the transition from the crib to the bed.

I didn't allow blankets until the kids were over 2 years old. Instead, I dressed them in a onesie (and sometimes socks, depending upon how cold it was!) under a blanket sleeper (either cotton or fleece, depending upon how cold it is.)

My son, even at 30 months old, still has trouble keeping the blanket on. I didn't want my kids dependent upon the blanket for warmth, requiring me to go into their room multiple times a night because they kicked off the blanket and were crying & cold.

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A.H.

answers from Chicago on

I gave my son an extra blanket and toy in his crib around age 1 although I think he would have been ok with them even earlier. I waited on the pillow until closer to 2 - and he's three now and we still don't use a pillowcase. He takes it off and that makes me nervous, so we just use a toddler pillow we bought.

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S.L.

answers from San Francisco on

I gave my kids pillows when they were around one. When my youngest was still in her crib she had a regular sized pillow and a blanket that she slept with every night. Now that she is almost 2 and sleeps in a big girl bed, she still has to have it every night. She formed a really cute attachment to it.
I think it's harmless for your little one to have a blanket and a pillow, if anything it will make them more comfortable.
At this age, they can move easily if something is obstructing their breathing.

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L.B.

answers from Chicago on

One is old enough for both. They are old enough to turn their head if they can't breath. I am not sure she NEEDS a pillow if she sleeps fine w/o it. But she can surely have a blanket.

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J.M.

answers from Chicago on

My son is 17 months and started sleeping with a travel size/ toddler pillow just after his first year. I put it in his bed to elevate his head when he had a bad cold, and never took it out, he loves it.

Once our kids could stand up in their crib that is when we gave them a blanket. My son has come to love the fleece knot blankets (the ones that people make where they tie the ends), so what I do is put that one at the bottom of the crib folded in half and lay him ontop, I will usually find that he has managed to cuddle inside.

Good luck, and have a great weekend.

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J.D.

answers from Chicago on

Hi C P You didn't say what part of the country you live in that your child is just getting a blanket. A child can have a blanket anytime! As far as a pillow gos, a small toddler would be fine. Or that could wait a little longer. But your child can have a twin size blanket anytime.

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S.E.

answers from Chicago on

Go ahead and give her a blanket but as for a pillow no one ever needs a pillow. Many adults sleep without pillows so if you fill you would like he to have one make sure it in very flat. Just my 2 cents.

S.

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G.W.

answers from Springfield on

We started using a regular blanket around 6-7 months, when it was winter time and chilly. I know a lot of people have a cow about putting blankets on babies, but our son absolutely hated the wearable blanket "baby sacks," and since he could roll over and push his torso up I knew he'd be safe. The experts say if you're going to use one, make sure you tuck it in around the mattress, and we did for a while even though he would always kick it loose. And we always tucked it up under his arms. Then we got him his own pillow around 18 months, when we converted his crib to toddler bed. He was already preferring to use the couch throw pillows at naptime, so it just made sense. A regular size bed pillow would be too thick and take up too much space in his little bed, so I just bought a small, soft, thinner throw pillow and a zip-up pillow cover for it. Works great and he loves having his own pillow.

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