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

The right pillow is an important basis for a restful sleep and healthy development, especially for children. Here you can find out what really matters when choosing a children's pillow and which pillow suits your child best.

Table of Contents

1. Sleep in children
2. The perfect children's pillow
   1. Height, Shape & Size
   2. Material & Hardness
3. Your child decides with
4. Conclusion

1. sleep in children

Good sleep is crucial for the healthy development of a child. Especially in the ongoing development phases or in the case of acute growth spurts, it is important to protect the body from an unhealthy sleeping position at night in order to prevent malpositions or pain in the spine as early as childhood. In the first few years of life, children should ideally lie flat on their backs in bed without a pillow or duvet, so that the strain is relieved and the sensitive spine can develop healthily. From the age of 2 to 10 years, parents should then choose a suitable pillow for their protégé and definitely involve the child in the selection process.

Special children's pillows are usually adjusted in height, firmness and size to the height, the lower pressure and the comparatively narrow shoulder width of a child and can significantly support sleep even at a young age. We will now clarify what exactly needs to be considered in addition to the child's personal feelings when choosing the perfect children's pillow in order 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 well placed 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 right angles to the cervical spine. The physical development of children can be very different and change quickly during growth. It should therefore always be observed whether the child can assume a comfortable sleeping position on its pillow and whether the pillow really feels comfortable.

#1 The height

An incorrect pillow height quickly leads to an unnatural head posture, which causes tension, pain or breathing disorders. How high your child's pillow should be depends in particular on the width of the shoulders, but also on the shape of the head and the curvature of the spine in the neck area. Children usually move more during sleep than adults and often change their sleeping position. Therefore, it can help to choose a pillow that leads to a straight posture of the spine both in a supine position and in a lateral position according to the shoulder width.

When looking for the perfect pillow height, you can use these recommendations as a guide.

#2 The form

Neutral ergonomic pillow shapes can support different sleeping positions and are therefore well suited for younger children who still change lying positions frequently or who use the pillow not only for sleeping, but also for cuddling or playing. In the case of older children who are already sleeping more calmly and in a stable sleeping position, special ergonomic shapes, such as neck support pillow, can contribute to a particularly back-friendly sleeping position. Basically, the preference and personal feeling of your child decides here, no matter what age it is.

#3 The size

A pillow suitable for children should, on the one hand, offer enough support for the head according to their body size, in order to prevent the head from slipping off or buckling of the neck when changing position at night. On the other hand, it is advisable not to choose a pillow that is too large, so that there is enough space to move freely in bed and e.g. B simply pushing the pillow away when changing to the prone position. Then the child can easily decide at night which sleeping position feels best according to their own feelings.

#4 The Material

Children lose a lot of sweat or saliva at night, pay less attention to hygiene and usually not only use their pillow in bed, but also during the day during their afternoon nap on the couch, as a cuddly toy or a pad on the floor. Parents should therefore 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 foam and pillow cases made of robust, absorbent fibers that can be washed at up to 60 degrees are particularly suitable here. Then children can be protected from dust, dirt, mites and bacteria at night as well as possible and a hygienically clean sleep can be ensured.

#5 The Hardness

Your child's pillow should generally be firm enough to support their head in a healthy position at night, but still be flexible enough to avoid excessive pressure on the child's face, head or neck. Pillows made of a more dimensionally stable material, such as foam, are also recommended. Because too much sinking of the head or face while sleeping, 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 of course be avoided.

3. Your child decides with

Ultimately, what matters is 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 for their wishes and opinions. A new pillow should always be tested first and then tried out for several nights. As for us adults, an unfamiliar sleeping position on a new pillow can also feel uncomfortable for children during the first few nights or, conversely, it can initially seem comfortable, but after a few days it can lead to pain or tension. Due to the rapid growth in childhood, it should also be checked regularly whether the pillow still fits the child's physique and current sleeping habits. With a suitable pillow, you 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 more information and simple tips on how you can still support your child's sleep in this article.

4. Conclusion

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

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 right angles to the cervical spine.

Children's pillows should always be adapted to the child's physique, 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 suited for use with children.

Greetings and see you soon!