How to Make or Choose the Perfect Baby Sleep Pillow
06/05/09
A baby sleep pillow is not only essential to your child's comfort, it is also a prominent part of the decoration of your child's bed. If you want your child's bed to be a comfortable and soothing place to sleep, your child needs the right pillow. There are hundreds of baby sleep pillows on the market, including some really cute designs. Does your child like robots? Fairies? Giraffes? A favorite sports team? 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. Just remember to leave one side of the pillowcase undecorated. 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. Take the pillow's measurements along its outermost seams. To find the dimensions of the fabric you need to make the pillowcase, add half an inch to all sides, plus two to four inches along the longest side so you can finish the open end of the pillowcase. For example, if your child's pillow is 10" by 10", each piece of cloth should be about 11" by 13". Wash the fabric before you cut it to wash out the sizing (a kind of starch) and to preshrink the fabric. Line up the pieces with their "good" sides facing inward, and, leaving a half inch seam, sew three of the four edges together. 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. once you turn the pillowcase right ride out, you are finished! You can decorate the baby pillowcase further, or you can choose a pretty fabric and leave it as is. It's best to pick cotton, jersey knits, or flannel, but if you plan only to decorate with the pillow, you can make it out of a delicate fabric like silk, plush, or velvet.
Remember, give pillows only to children aged two and up. Infants can suffocate if they sleep with pillows, so doctors advise parents not to give small babies pillows. 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. Let your child help you design or pick out the pillow, or make it a wonderful surprise. Happy sleeping!
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