Do babies need pillows?

Doctors suggest that because the cervical curvature of the baby is not actually formed at 0-3 months, the use of a non-professional pillow (which may be too high, may also be a design safety hazard) may cause the neck to lean forward, which is not conducive to The airways are open and it is not recommended to use non-professional pillows. If you are in a hurry, please see the previous section and the final conclusion.

What kind of pillow does the baby need?

Proper height. Because the baby's digestive organs are not yet fully developed, spit-up may occur when the baby is lying flat. When lying supine, if the baby's head is not slightly higher than his or her body, the spitting of milk may become licking (like drowning), which can put the baby in a dangerous situation. Having a baby pillow with a suitable height (newborns: 1-2 cm, 3-4 cm for babies older than 3 months) can solve this problem.

It does not press the neck. Because the baby's neck muscles are very weak, they need external support when they are still lying up. A well-designed pillow can support the baby's neck without squeezing the baby's neck.

The professional pillow, which allows the baby's head to be evenly pressed, can decompose the pressure on the baby's head in all directions and effectively prevent the head from tilting.

Infants with no broken attachments/objects may be choked by obstructions such as mouth, nose or other respiratory organs during sleep. Therefore baby pillows cannot contain scraps or pendants. If the pillow contains a piecemeal component, it must be in a place that cannot be removed or reached by the baby.

Must be able to prevent suffocation When babies learn to turn over, they may let their breathing organs (nose, mouth) touch the front of the pillow when they are sleeping, which may cause suffocation and lead to danger.

Whether the pillow height is suitable for the baby, you can observe this:

Observe your baby's supine position and the head and body are stable. If it is stable, there will be no unnatural posture such as chest-bending or head-up. Because the chest and head will affect the baby's skeletal development and breathing in varying degrees.

Classification of baby pillows

Memory Pillow

Memory pillows consist mainly of Memory Foam. Memory foam is an open-cell polyurethane polymer with special viscoelastic properties that reflect very soft material properties and strong impact energy absorption. After being developed by NASA in 1962, this material was gradually and widely used in pillows.

After a well-designed memory pillow, it can generally: reduce the pressure on the head and face, and reduce the pressure to a negligible extent of the human body; effectively support the cervical spine when people turn over during sleep; inhibit mold and reduce sweat stains on saliva. Possible; breathable moisture, to prevent suffocation.

Cotton pillow

The main material of cotton pillow is cotton. Due to its relatively common material and low price, the cotton core pillow can be used in most households. Because the cotton core in the Wick pillow is soft, it is suitable for the baby's soft head. However, due to this reason, when the baby sleeps on a cotton core pillow, the neck loses its support and is not conducive to the growth of the baby's neck. In addition, the structure of cotton is more dense, and sometimes it is not conducive to heat dissipation of the baby's head (such as summer), and in some cases it may even cause suffocation of infants.

Homemade pillow

Many traditional concepts use homemade pillows made of cereal fillings. These homemade pillows generally use these materials: cassia, tea, millet, sorghum, mung bean, chrysanthemum, sesame, and so on.

The self-made cereal pillow has the advantages of strong sweat absorption, convenient source of raw materials, moderate particle size, moderate hardness, moderate pressure, easy fabrication, and low cost. However, because infants and infants are in a rapid growth stage, physiological sweating often occurs in the head, and spiting and other conditions occur. Cereal-based fillings are extremely prone to mildew. If they are not treated in time, they are extremely unfavorable to the health of infants. The grain pillows are too stiff and can easily damage the baby's head.

How to choose a baby pillow

Pick the right one

The length should be slightly larger than the baby's shoulder width, about 30 centimeters; the width is equal to the length of the head, about 15 centimeters; according to the development status, gradually increase the height of the pillow. At 0-3 months, the height should not exceed 1cm; 4-6 months, the height is 2-3cm, 7 months to 2 years old (child height 65-95cm) height 3-4cm It is appropriate.

Material to breathable, moderate hardness

Pillowcases should be selected for soft, breathable cotton cloth (chemical fiber cloth is cheaper but less breathable). As mentioned above, the baby's head is prone to sweating and may cause skin problems such as scrofula and bloated head. Allergic infants are also prone to allergic diseases such as skin eczema.

Pillow, which is the filler in the pillow, is the best choice for soft and hard materials. If the material is too stiff, it can easily cause the baby to tilt his head, and the neck soft tissue is easily pulled and damaged, resulting in stiff neck. This type of pillow includes the aforementioned cereals (sorghum, mung beans) as a pillow for filling. If the material is too soft, there is no support for the neck, which is not conducive to the development of the baby's neck. It is also not conducive to the activities of the baby's head and heat dissipation. It may also cause infant choking if it is accidental. Therefore, plastic foam or acrylic, silk cotton pillows and other pillows that are not conducive to heat dissipation are extremely undesirable.

To meet safety standards

Due to the fragility of the baby's body, there is a lack of adult immunity and immunity to many substances and materials, and there may be a phenomenon of ingestion. Therefore, when choosing a pillow, you must choose to meet safety standards. This safety standard includes, but is not limited to: the entire material of the pillow can contact the baby's skin, and the entire pillow cannot be disassembled by the baby, resulting in accidental eating. Detailed infant safety standards can be referenced to the EU CE certification of infant safety grades, SGS (Swiss General Public License) and other international certification.

Well-designed

As mentioned above, the safety factor of baby pillows is very high. When meeting the above safety standards, it is best to pay attention to the fact that the baby will roll over during sleep and may cause the respiratory organs (mouth, nose) to come into contact with the pillow too long. Suffocation (the infant's bodily functions have not yet been fully developed and may not return to place after flipping). Therefore, when selecting pillows, preventing sleep suffocation in children should be one of the key functions that must be considered.

Which one is most suitable?

According to the above materials, Green Lotus believes that the pillows most suitable for baby's sleep safety are arranged according to their suitability: memory cotton pillows, cotton core pillows and homemade pillows. In the market, its price is also from high to low. However, we do not recommend self-made organics to fill pillows. After all, professional matters are left to professionals.