Up until now, Autumn has had no pillow in her crib. This was, of course, for her safety, because -- as any parent book or magazine will tell you -- she could suffocate in her pillow and die. When she first started sleeping in her crib, she didn't use a blanket, either. But now she's older. She likes to go to sleep while holding an afghan. And lately, she likes to use one of her afghans as a pillow. She also likes to use pillows while lying on the floor or on the couch, although those times are typically just for a shore respite from playing so hard.
For the last few nights, as I watched her move toward her blanket-pillow after I placed her in the crib, I began to wonder: Is it time for a pillow?
This morning I consulted my trusty books. But there's nothing on pillows and when they are appropriate in "The Secret Lives of Toddlers" or "What to Expect the Toddler Years." So I Googled it. Baby Center says pillows are not appropriate for children younger than 2 and are not necessary for children older than that. Coincidentally, it's the 24-month section of "What to Expect" that includes when you should transition to a toddler bed (it says when your child is 36 inches tall).
It does say, however, that the first pillow should be small, much like a travel pillow, and it should be firm, not soft, and definitely not a feather pillow. There's no problem with that here. I'm not spending feather-pillow money on my toddler.
We're two months away from the second birthday. But we are probably pretty close to the height marker (our girl is pretty tall for her age). I am glad her crib transitions into a toddler bed, so that should add some comfort when we do decide to make the big move. But we'll talk about that another day.
So I'm curious -- when is it a good time to give a child a pillow? I know books are sometimes a little cautious, so I'd love to hear from other parents. Please let me know what you did and how it worked for you.