A baby sleep pillow is not only essential to your child’s comfort, it is also a prominent part of the decoration of your child’s bed. If you want your child’s bed to be a comfortable and soothing place to sleep, your child needs the right pillow. There are hundreds of baby sleep pillows on the market, including some really cute designs. What does your child love most? Fire trucks? Cats? A favorite cartoon character? You can find a pillow decorated to suit him or her.
You can also create your own customized baby pillow by buying a blank baby sized pillowcase and embroidering, appliqueing, or adding decals. It’s best to decorate only one side of the pillowcase. Most decorations are a little rough, and can be uncomfortable for your child to sleep on.
If you’re willing to do a little basic sewing, you can also make your child a pillowcase for their baby sleep pillow. Take the pillow’s measurements along its outermost seams. Each side of the pillowcase will be those dimensions, plus a half inch on all sides for the seams and two to four inches along the longest side to create a finished edge for the open end of the pillowcase. For example, if your child’s pillow is 10″ by 10″, each piece of cloth should be about 11″ by 13″. Wash the fabric before you cut it to wash out the sizing (a kind of starch) and to preshrink the fabric. Line up the pieces with their “good” sides facing inward, and, leaving a half inch seam, sew three of the four edges together. To finish the open end of the pillowcase, roll up the edge as though you were double rolling the cuff of a sleeve, then sew around the innermost seam so that the raw edge is folded under and hidden. once you turn the pillowcase right ride out, you are finished! You can let the fabric’s pattern be the only decoration, or you can add more decorations. It’s best to pick cotton, jersey knits, or flannel, but if you plan only to decorate with the pillow, you can make it out of a delicate fabric like silk, plush, or velvet.
Remember, give pillows only to children aged two and up. Doctors advise that infants should not sleep with pillows because they can suffocate. Toddlers may also not need pillows, since their proportions are so different from adults’. When in doubt, let your child try sleeping with a pillow, and if they do not like it, take it away and save it for later.
Making or finding the perfect baby sleep pillow for your child should be quick and easy with this advice. Ask your child to pick out a pillow or help you create one, or surprise them. Happy sleeping!