Your pillow guide Kids: Which pillow is ideal for my child?

The right pillow is an important foundation for restful sleep and healthy development, especially for children. Learn more about what really matters when choosing a children's pillow and which pillow is best for your child here.

Table of contents

1. Sleep in children
2. The perfect children's pillow
   1. Height, shape & size
   2. Material & hardness
3. Your child decides
4. Conclusion

1. Sleep in children

Good sleep is crucial for a child's healthy development. Especially during ongoing developmental phases or during acute growth spurts, it is important to protect the body from an unhealthy sleeping position at night in order to prevent misalignments or spinal pain in childhood. In the first few years of life, children should ideally lie flat on their backs in bed without a pillow or duvet to relieve pressure and allow the sensitive spine to develop healthily. From the age of 2 to 10, parents should choose a suitable pillow for their child and definitely involve the child in the selection process.

Special Children's pillow Their height, firmness, and size are generally tailored to a child's height, lower pressure, and comparatively narrow shoulder width, and can significantly support sleep even at a young age. We'll now explain what exactly needs to be considered, in addition to the child's personal preferences, when choosing the perfect children's pillow to optimally promote physical development.

2. The perfect children's pillow

The pillow determines the position of the head during sleep and is responsible for ensuring that the cervical spine is properly positioned at night. For a healthy and ergonomic sleeping position, the head and spine should form a straight line towards the pelvis, while the shoulders should ideally be at a right angle to the cervical spine. Physical development can vary greatly and change rapidly, especially in children during growth. Therefore, it is always important to monitor whether the child is sitting comfortably on their pillow. Sleeping position can take and the pillow feels really comfortable.

#1 The height

A false Pillow height quickly leads to an unnatural head posture, which Tensions, pain, or even breathing problems. The height of your child's pillow depends primarily on their shoulder width, but also on the shape of their head and the curvature of their spine in the neck area. Children tend to move more during sleep than adults and frequently change their sleeping position. Therefore, it can be helpful to choose a pillow that supports a straight spine, depending on their shoulder width, whether they're lying on their back or on their side.

When looking for the perfect pillow height, you can these recommendations orientate.

#2 The shape

Neutral ergonomic pillow shapes can support various sleeping positions and are therefore ideal for younger children who frequently change their sleeping position or who use the pillow not only for sleeping but also for cuddling or playing. For older children who already sleep more calmly and in a more established sleeping position, special ergonomic shapes, such as Neck support pillow, contribute to a particularly back-friendly sleeping position.Basically, however, the preference and personal feelings of your child are the deciding factors, regardless of their age.

#3 The size

A pillow suitable for children should, on the one hand, provide enough support for the head, depending on their body size, to prevent the head from slipping or the neck from bending during frequent changes of position during the night. On the other hand, it's recommended not to choose a pillow that's too large, so that there's enough room for the child to move freely in bed and, for example, to easily push the pillow away when changing to a prone position. This allows the child to easily decide which sleeping position feels best at night based on their own preferences.

#4 The material

Children lose a lot of sweat or saliva at night, pay less attention to hygiene, and usually use their pillows not only in bed, but also during the day for naps on the couch, as a cuddly toy, or as a cushion on the floor. Therefore, parents should also pay attention to materials with good cleaning properties, high air permeability, and the highest possible resistance to bacteria and mites. Pillows made of breathable, anti-allergic foams and Pillowcases Made from robust, absorbent fibers that can be washed at up to 60 degrees Celsius, this provides optimal protection for children from dust, dirt, mites, and bacteria at night, ensuring a hygienic and clean sleep.

#5 The degree of hardness

Your child's pillow should be firm enough to support their head in a healthy position at night, but still have some give to avoid excessive pressure on their face, head, or neck. Pillows made of a more dimensionally stable material, such as foam, are also recommended. Too much sinking of the head or face during sleep, as is often the case with soft down or feather pillows, can lead to breathing problems and increase the risk of suffocation, and should therefore be avoided.

3. Your child has a say

Ultimately, it is important that the child can lie comfortably and softly at night and adopt a healthy, ergonomic sleeping position. Children should always be included in the decision-making process and asked about their wishes and opinions. A new pillow should always be tested and tried out for several nights. Just as for us adults, an unfamiliar sleeping position on a new pillow can feel uncomfortable for children the first few nights, or conversely, it can seem comfortable at first but then lead to pain or tension after a few days. Due to the rapid growth in childhood, it is also important to check regularly whether the pillow still suits the child's body type and current sleeping habits. In this way, a suitable pillow can ensure a comfortable and, above all, healthy sleeping position and support the natural development of the little ones in the best possible way.

You can find further information and simple tips on how to support your child’s sleep in this article.

4. Conclusion

Specially adapted children's pillows ensure a natural sleeping position and thus directly support good sleep and healthy development.

For a healthy and ergonomic sleeping posture, the head and spine should form a straight line towards the pelvis, while the shoulders should ideally be at a right angle to the cervical spine.

Children's pillows should be constantly adjusted to the child's body shape, especially in terms of height, shape and size, in order to enable a natural sleeping position.

Sufficiently supportive but not too hard pillows made of elastic, anti-allergic foam and absorbent, easy-to-clean pillowcases are best for use with children.

Best wishes and see you soon!