Choosing The Right Pillow For Your Child
By: Susan Hutson | Posted: 01st February 2010
Children need plenty of sound sleep to replenish their energy and maintain a healthy mind and body. One of the most important components in helping your child enjoy good sleep is their pillow. However, many parents tend to ignore the importance of the pillow for a child, especially as the child is unable to express the cause of his or her discomfort or disturbed sleep.
Choosing the most appropriate pillow for your child can be a far more difficult exercise than you may imagine. Some pillows may be excessively soft and thereby incapable of providing sufficient support to the neck and head. On the other hand, other pillows may be too hard or bouncy for the child's tender body.
Most pillows that are available in the market for kids vary by age range. Appropriateness depends upon the design, height and density factors of the pillow. At the same time, it depends upon the physical height and weight of the child, too. Therefore, it is very easy to go wrong while selecting a pillow for your child, and even a seemingly small difference might end up making a big difference for the child's ability to sleep.
An important factor to consider is to ensure that the pillow allows for an even distribution of weight between the neck and the head, and allows for natural alignment of the spine. The pillow must perform the following 3 functions:
a. provide adequate support to the neck
b. keep the head firmly cradled
c. be properly aligned to the spine's natural curvature
Another important aspect to consider while selecting a pillow for your child is to take into account the usual sleeping position of the child, and estimate the gap between the child's shoulder blade and the base of the neck. Furthermore, it is important to judge how far the child's shoulder sinks into the mattress. Therefore, the flexibility and softness of the mattress should also be considered while looking for the appropriate pillow.
Contoured pillows are superior to traditional pillows that simply support the head and not the neck, and tend to get pushed away from the child's head during sleep. Contoured pillows tend to support the neck and cradle the head to ensure that the child maintains a healthy posture and enjoys healthy and sound sleep all through the night.
Mumoocie is a Mom owned business invented, patented a talking luxury body pillow for children afraid to sleep alone. Fits any shape and size. Featured in Self Mag. Made in USAThis article is copyright
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Tags: density, gap, sleep, spine, flexibility, softness, mind and body, sound sleep, pillows, good sleep, appropriateness, height and weight, mattress, sinks, shoulder blade, even distribution, adequate support