Based on safety guidelines, you should not buy or use a pillow for your baby until they are at least one year old.
Baby Sleep Safety and Pillows
Using pillows with babies under the age of one is strongly discouraged due to significant safety risks. According to guidance from the NHS, you must not use pillows or duvets with babies under the age of 1, as they can suffocate if their face gets smothered.
This means that purchasing a pillow for your baby is not recommended for the first year of their life. The primary concern is the risk of suffocation, where a baby's face could become covered by the soft material, obstructing their breathing. Young infants lack the strength and ability to easily move their heads away from such obstructions.
Why Wait Until After One Year?
- Suffocation Risk: As highlighted by safety guidelines, soft bedding like pillows and duvets pose a suffocation hazard for infants.
- Overheating: Excess bedding can also increase the risk of a baby overheating, which is linked to an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Safe Sleep Environment: A safe sleep environment for a baby under one year includes a firm, flat mattress in a cot or Moses basket, with no pillows, duvets, quilts, or soft toys.
Creating a Safe Sleeping Space
Instead of a pillow, focus on creating a safe and secure sleeping environment for your baby:
- Firm Mattress: Ensure the mattress is firm, flat, and fits snugly in the cot.
- Fitted Sheet: Use only a fitted sheet.
- Sleeping Bag or Swaddle: Use a baby sleeping bag or swaddle appropriate for the room temperature instead of loose blankets or duvets.
- Back to Sleep: Always place your baby on their back to sleep.
- Clear Cot: Keep the cot free from pillows, duvets, quilts, bumpers, and soft toys.
While the reference specifically advises not to use pillows under one year, it doesn't pinpoint the exact age after one year when a pillow becomes necessary or recommended. Most children transition to using a pillow sometime after 18 months or two years old, often when they move from a cot to a bed, but there is no strict age requirement; it depends on the child's development and needs. The crucial point from a safety perspective is to avoid them entirely during the first year.
