Making the Perfect Baby Sleep Pillow for Your Child
Not only is a baby sleep pillow important for your child’s comfort, it is also an important decoration in your child’s room. The right pillow can make your child’s bed into a soothing and relaxing place to sleep. 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? Somewhere, there is a pillow he or she will love.
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. Decorations like decals and applique are rough and uncomfortable 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. Measure the pillow along the outer 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 the pillow is 12″ by 16″, you will need two pieces of fabric that are each about 13″ by 19″. Wash the fabric before you cut it to wash out the sizing (a kind of starch) and to preshrink the fabric. Lay the pieces together so their “outside” sides face inside, and sew around three of the edges, leaving a half inch seam. 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. Turn the new pillowcase right side out, and you are done! You can decorate the baby pillowcase further, or you can choose a pretty fabric and leave it as is. The best fabrics are flannel, jersey knits, and soft cotton, but you can also use velvet, plush, or silk if you plan to use the pillow only for decoration.
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. Good luck!