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A Gift Parents Will Love: A Baby Pillow

If you are in the market for a practical gift for a baby you know, a baby pillow is an excellent choice. Choosing the right pillow can be tricky because of the wide range of pillows available. However, choosing the right baby pillow will be easy with the help of this guide.

The first consideration is the baby's age. Sleeping with a pillow is a suffocation risk for babies under two years old. Rather than getting a sleeping pillow for a child under two years old, choose a nursing pillow or a decorative pillow. If the child is a toddler of two or older, then they are ready for a sleeping pillow.

Decorative pillows are available in almost every size, shape, and color to match any decor. If buying a pillow off the shelf does not appeal to you, you can also personalize a baby pillow. For instance, find a pretty pillow that matches the child's bedroom, and have it embroidered with the child's name and birthdate to create a keepsake. Or commission a pillow to be printed with a photograph of the baby's grandparents. If you have artistic skills, you can even buy a plain baby pillow and a blank pillowcase, and paint or cross stitch a unique design.

A nursing pillow is large and shaped like a horseshoe, and the mother rests it in her lap to hold the baby up so that she does not have to support the baby in her arms when she nurses. (Fathers can use them when bottle feeding, too!) The main brand is Boppy, so nursing pillows are often called boppies, but there are a number of competing brands on the market as well.

A baby pillow for sleeping is much smaller and less plump than adults' pillows. Children do not need as much support as adults do, so an adult sized pillow can give them neck cramps and disturb their sleep. Pillow fillings that adults find comfortable, like feathers and down, can trigger allergies in children, so you should avoid them. Choose a baby pillow that is half the size and thickness of an adult's pillow or less, with hypoallergenic stuffing and a smooth, soft cover. To finish the gift, pick out cotton pillowcases that match the child's sheets.

When you are done picking out a baby pillow, you will have a superb gift that the child and their parents are sure to treasure. When you give your present to the parents and the child, you can be sure that your gift is not only practical, it is also going to help an often fussy small child to sleep.