Healthy sleep of a person depends on the correct choice of pillow. This is especially important for a child when his spine and posture are just forming.
Instructions
Step 1
Experts have not yet come to a consensus on the age at which a child needs a pillow. Someone claims that from the very birth, and someone does not recommend using it until 3 years old. Here it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of each baby, his position in sleep, as well as the testimony of doctors.
Step 2
Pillows can be ordinary and orthopedic, the latter have an anatomical shape and have a beneficial, and in particular, a therapeutic effect on the cervical vertebrae. Now it has become very fashionable to buy orthopedic products, but in order for them to really bring benefit, and not harm, they must be selected based on the physical characteristics of each person. Both parents and their children cannot use the same orthopedic pillow, because it will not correspond with its dimensions, height, degree of rigidity and other parameters to some of the consumers. Each person has its own one, otherwise it can be harmful, causing a pinched nerve, curvature of the spine, circulatory disorders, etc.
Step 3
Now you can find pillows for newborns, which have a special recess for the head. They are used on average for up to 1-2 years. If the baby does not have special indications for their use, then at first it is better to do without them at all, the main thing is that the surface of the bed is hard and without dents. Because Many children like to sleep on their stomachs, and at a young age they are not yet able to roll over on their own, then a soft pillow can cause suffocation of the child. In orthopedic pillows, this is excluded, but a certain position of the head can also provoke an abnormal formation of the vertebrae.
Step 4
Pillows are made from different fillers, there are both artificial padding: synthetic winterizer, holofiber, komfortl, etc., and natural: down, sheep or camel wool, cotton wool, buckwheat husk, etc. Natural ingredients are good because they do not contain various impurities, sometimes not always useful, retain heat well, but can cause allergies. It should also be borne in mind that cheap feather or cotton pillows quickly fall off and become unusable. In any case, you need to carefully read the composition, touch it, if there are any lumps inside, because this already speaks of the poor quality of the goods. Buckwheat has a light massage effect, is non-allergenic, but has a specific smell and rustles, which can interfere with sleep. Artificial fillers are usually more durable, do not cause allergies, but can form dents and contain harmful substances in the composition (manufacturers usually do not report this on the labels).
Step 5
When choosing a pillow, you should consider its parameters. It should not be larger than the mattress, and its height should correspond to the width of the child's shoulders. For preschoolers, this is an average of 8-12 cm. If a child suffers from allergies or the family has a tendency to this, then it is not recommended to use natural fillers (wool, fluff), except for buckwheat husk. It is desirable that the pillow can be washed, and also adjusted in height by removing one of the layers.
Step 6
If there is no evidence from doctors, then you should not buy an orthopedic pillow, because incorrect selection can cause complications. If experts give recommendations, and in some cases prescribe just such pillows, then it is better to contact a specialized salon, where they will take the necessary product for you, or make it to order according to the parameters of your child. It is advisable that the baby himself was present and was able to try it out right in the store.
Step 7
In any case, each person decides for himself which pillow to choose for his child to sleep. The main thing is that your baby likes it and it is comfortable for him to sleep on it.
