Making the Perfect Baby Sleep Pillow for Your Child
08/05/09
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. You can choose from hundreds of available designs, including some truly adorable ones. Does your child like robots? Fairies? Giraffes? A favorite sports team? You can find a pillow decorated to suit him or her.
It's also easy to make a baby pillow especially for your child by decorating a blank baby sized pillowcase with iron on decals, applique, or embroidery. 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. Take the pillow's measurements along its outermost 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 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. Roll the open edge up like a pants cuff , then sew around the innermost seam, making sure the raw edge of the fabric is rolled under. 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 not to give pillows to children under the age of two. Doctors advise that infants should not sleep with pillows because they can suffocate. You may also find that older children do not need pillows, either, since their proportions are 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!
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