Selection of a pillow for children 2 years old

Babies sleep on an even soft bed, and they do not need any elevations under their heads. But starting from the age of two, a pillow is already recommended for babies. We will tell in the article about what types of pillows there are for these children, what materials are used to make the fillers and how to choose the right product under the head for sleeping.

The first pillow should especially please the baby and become one of the most important components of your child's sleeping place. Children spend more time sleeping than adults, and each parent strives to ensure that they have a comfortable rest and healthy sleep. The main function of a pillow for a 2 year old baby is to ensure that the head and neck are kept in the correct physiological position. Ideally, it would be good to choose a natural, hypoallergenic product of the right size and, possibly, with an orthopedic effect. By the way, the first pillow shouldn't be too soft.

The main feature of a high-quality baby pillow is that it maintains the anatomical position of the child's body throughout the night's sleep, providing vigor and an even posture in the morning. Parents should pay attention to the fact that the baby sleep accessory must be appropriate for the age of the wearer and his body proportions. Otherwise, the baby will roll off the pillow, and such a frequent violation can lead not only to poor sleep, but also to other negative health consequences. So, due to the lack of support, the child's neck sags, muscles tense, and this is fraught with various diseases.

Children's pillows come in a traditional classic look and orthopedic. Many parents are in a hurry to follow fashion trends and choose orthopedic products. However, experts do not recommend doing this unnecessarily, since two-year-old babies are not yet so strong in the cervical region, and in general the spine, therefore, in this case, you can do more harm than good. Let's consider each type in more detail.

Classic pillows are products familiar to us, as a rule, with down or with artificial filling. The former are very mild, but also allergenic. If you want such a pillow for your child, then give preference to a high-quality goose feather. Such specimens are more resilient and better suited for children's sleep.

Artificial products, as a rule, are anti-allergenic, they are comfortable and comfortable to sleep on. The only drawback of traditional pillows is that they cannot withstand frequent washings, and, as you know, any baby product has to be regularly refreshed.

Orthopedic pillows have recently begun to be made for small consumers, although not all pediatricians agree with the opinion that this is a benefit for babies. They argue that the spine of a two-year-old child has not yet matured, the cervical spine has not been completely formed, and the orthopedic product will only harm these processes. However, most parents have their own opinion on this matter: they believe that this will help to avoid osteochondrosis, scoliosis, other diseases, and most importantly – will strengthen the cervical spine.

Well, grandma's soft pillows are also not ideal in this case. Therefore, we are looking for a compromise and find orthopedic specimens for little children. For children, it is better to choose those products that are suitable for the configuration of the torso, with a memory effect, so that they "remember" the shape of the baby's head and neck.

Baby pillows must be breathable and absorbent. They must "breathe" and be absolutely safe, antiallergenic indicator is also important. All these points are related to the filling of the pillow.

The advantages of artificial fillers include several factors:

• hypoallergenic;
• lightness and elasticity;
• they collect less dust, they do not have dust mites;
• they can often be washed (including in an automatic washing machine);
• dry quickly;
• are inexpensive.

Let us also outline the disadvantages of such fillers:

• poor air permeability (in the heat they heat up and do not absorb moisture);
• electrified;
• wear out quickly (some artificial materials fall off quickly).

Consider the most popular filler for baby pillows - memorforms. Products made from it are durable and do not require special care. They are of medium hardness and only in rare cases can cause allergies. The main advantage of pillows for 2 years old children with a filler made from memoriformes is that they "adapt" to the shape of the child's neck and head. Memoryform foam is considered an innovative material, it is able to "remember" the contours of its owner, and supports the baby during the entire sleep in a comfortable position. But such products are able to retain heat, which means that it may not always be comfortable to lie on them.

When buying pillows from memoriform, pay attention that the filler does not contain harmful components, does not exude an unpleasant odor. Among the synthetic fillers for children's pillows, synthetic winterizer and polyurethane are also distinguished.

Among natural fillers, manufacturers most often choose several materials for the manufacture of children's pillows.

• Wool (mainly sheep). Such products are very light and soft, they keep warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather.Sheep wool is good for the child's body (it has a positive effect due to the electrostatic effect), but in some it can cause allergies. And also during operation, wool can get knotted into lumps, which creates inconvenience in using the product. However, manufacturers have recently been skillfully solving this problem by adding safe components of synthetic origin to sheep's wool.

• Buckwheat husk - natural environmentally friendly material that is completely harmless to allergy sufferers. Breathable, lightweight, resilient filler. Many will consider it a disadvantage the rustling that is emitted when a child rolls over or fidgets on such a pillow, but experts say that this "behavior" of husk is only for the benefit of the child's nervous system.

• Down (duck and goose). Quite soft pillows are obtained from bird fluff, on which it is comfortable to sleep due to the fact that moisture is immediately absorbed during sweating. But fluff can cause allergies and it is worth choosing pillows with such content with caution.

Latex products are also natural. They can serve for quite a long time without special care, dust mites will not start in them. The filler practically does not cause allergic reactions, has orthopedic properties: elastic and has a high degree of elasticity.

Latex has a porous structure, due to this, its air permeability is at a good level. When buying a pillow made of natural filler, it would not hurt to make sure that the material has undergone antiseptic and antibacterial treatment, otherwise dust mites will very quickly find a haven in it. This should be reflected in the information from the manufacturer or in the supporting documents from the distributor of such goods.

The size of the pillow matters a lot for your baby's sleep. For two years, usually small pillows are chosen (the best option is 40 cm in length and 60 cm in width), but it is preferable that the width of the pillow is the same as the mattress, so everything is individual here. As for the height of the sleeping accessory, it plays an important role in childhood. To determine the optimal pillow thickness for your child, measure the width of his shoulders - this will be the height of the pillow. Orthopedic specimens have their own sizes, they depend on the shape.

The child should sleep on a good pillow and get used to it from childhood, therefore, in order not to be mistaken with the choice, consider a few rules.

• Choose items that will not let the head "fall through", but at the same time with not very rigid filler.
• Don't choose a pillow that is too full. Pay attention to the thickness so that it allows all parts of the body to be on the same level - the spine, head and neck should be in the same plane.
• Give preference to a rectangular shape. Even with repeated overturning during sleep, the baby's head will be on such a pillow.
• The filler should not contain harmful impurities. The product should be easy to clean, easy to wash.
• Choose a pillow for a 2-year-old toddler with a breathable surface, which means it has good breathability.
• Check the seams and zippers on the cover (if any) - nothing should hurt your child. The zipper must be covered with a tape.

Be sure to keep an eye on the expiration date - yes, such a product also has time limits. After this period (the period must be indicated by the manufacturer), replace the pillow. And remember that the wrong pillow will only harm and cause unpleasant diseases associated with the spine.

Many companies produce baby sleep products, and sometimes it is not easy for a consumer to make a choice. To save time searching, take a look at the ranking of models of sleeping pillows for 2 year olds from different brands.

• Askona. There are several hundred models of orthopedic and anatomical pillows in the assortment from the budget option to the luxury type. Among the children's options there are specimens with a filler made of special foam, which can adapt to the configuration of the child.

• Liena. Offers products on a natural basis, for children from 2 to 3 years old, the "Kid" pillow made of hypoallergenic materials is popular. Latex makes such a product moderately elastic and elastic, which allows it to maintain its shape during the entire operation.

• Espera. The products of this manufacturer are often chosen by kindergartens, which indicates the high quality of the products. For children, there is a soft air cushion made of Baby viscose with a 3D effect. The child does not sweat on such a support, since the product has a cotton cover. You don't have to be afraid of allergies.

• "BioPillow". Products for children from this brand are environmentally friendly and safe, developed with the participation of orthopedists and pediatricians who collect the wishes of parents. The most popular model is "Nepoteyka" with buckwheat husk filling, with antibacterial and massage effect. It has a positive effect on blood circulation and tactile sensations in babies.

• BioSone. Highly environmentally friendly and hypoallergenic products of this Russian brand do not lose their shape for a long time, providing their consumers with deep and healthy sleep for two to three years. The best model for this age is a children's pillow with dimensions of 40x60 cm. The manufacturer chose holofiber as a filler, which makes the pillow springy.