Orthopedic pillow for newborns: advantages and disadvantages

Most recently, the so-called orthopedic pillows for babies .

They are advertised as a commodity useful and simply necessary in everyday life of each newborn.

Feeling full responsibility for their child, parents are trying to provide it with everything necessary and the best.

Providing all sorts of benefits to their children, moms and dads will no doubt rude on such things.

In this case, in most cases, they do not even try to figure out - is such a pillow necessary for a newly born baby and so it is really useful for him in reality?

Do babies need orthopedic pillows for children?

It should, supporting the neck and head, ensure a reduction in the entire burden on the cervical region and the normalization of blood circulation in this area and muscle tone.

Plus, the pillow for babies( as in the photo) optimally ensures heat exchange, does not cause allergies, and, without losing its properties, it is easily washed and dries.

It also provides treatment and prevention of torticollis in a child, prevents the development of rickets in the early stages.

But, despite the endless list of advantages voiced by manufacturers, their opinion does not quite match the point of view of orthopedists. Where does the disagreement come from?

Thanks to natural processes, the cervical bend of the spine is formed at the age when the baby starts to hold his head. Breast bend will be formed in the period when the child learns to sit.

With regard to the lumbar region - this period occurs during the training of the baby walking. Acceleration of this process can lead only to an undesirable outcome.

And it turns out that a newly born baby, who has not yet formed a neck bend, is forced to bear the full load on her.

Therefore, an orthopedic pillow for babies does not need , since it does not take any advantage. On the contrary, it presses on his neck, and this will not have a positive effect on his further growth and development. The positive effect is exactly the opposite of what the producers say.

When should children need orthopedic pillows?

There are cases when the use of orthopedic pillows is really necessary in the opinion of doctors.

For example, in the treatment of a pathology such as torticollis.

In such cases, everything will depend entirely on the curvature and general condition of the baby.

To exclude the use of such innovations follows the newborn, prone to frequent regurgitation.

Orthopedic pillows are shown to children :

• with birth injury if cervical vertebrae are damaged;
• with a diagnosis of torticollis;
• with an uneven head;
• if the child has a raised or lowered muscle tone of the neck.

There are difficult cases when you have to treat torticollis promptly or with the help of medication. At this point no pillow will help.

First of all, you should listen to a doctor who is treating physical abnormalities. And he will determine the set of necessary actions. The need for a pillow is decided only by the doctor, not the manufacturer.

How to use the pillow: a brief instruction manual

Since in the infancy the pillow is needed in extreme cases, then at the age of more than a year this issue can become more relevant .In its choice, the priority is not to put the color and the form, but the size - it will in this case matter.

Once the selection and purchase process is completed, the parents will have a new headache - - how to properly place a pillow under the head of a child ?

How to make sure that it does not harm and actually become a useful addition?

What to consider when buying, so this is the age of the child, the state of his health and so on. Hence, then start off.

If you look at the design of the pillow, you can see some asymmetry in it. On the one hand, it has a small, and on the other a large cushion. The smaller size is put under the head of the baby during sleep on the back, and the big one - when on the side.

This allows you to maintain the normal position of the neck relative to the entire spine, distributing the load and relaxing the muscles.

The cushion has a recess in the middle - for the head. Sleep on it can be from 4 weeks to 2 years old.

If this rule is followed, the neck will remain flat.

Are there any contraindications: opinions against the use of a pillow for babies

Anyway, before the year of a child should not put any pillows on .If she really needs it, then only on the recommendations of the doctor in special cases.

Important fact is that the orthopedic pillow limits the mobility of the child's head in a dream.

For any specific cases, this can be good. But I do not want to imagine the situation when a child bows and still can not turn his head.

Consequences can be different. In this regard, if the child is prone to frequent regurgitation, the orthopedic pillow is contraindicated.

Do not forget about the factor like sudden infant death syndrome( GAD) in infancy.

A pillow, especially at the age of less than 6 months, can contribute to child suffocation.

Generalized reviews of mothers about the use of

According to many mothers, their babies do well without pillows.

But there are children who can not sleep on a flat surface.

The choice for today of cushion products for very young children is huge and each of them has its function.

The type of model of the chosen pillow depends on how correctly the skull and spine of the growing baby will be formed.

Here are some of the most popular models of orthopedic pillows:

Butterfly Pillow.

This model is designed for normal growth and development of the cervical vertebrae and the baby's head.

As you can see in the photo, this pillow model resembles an annular roller with a hollow for the head in the middle.

Applied from the 4th week to two years .

To fix in any position of the baby the pillow-positioner will help.

The head of the child is placed in the middle on a thin cushion, and on the sides for fixation there are two large cushions.

The width and position of the rollers with the growth of the child can vary.

Pillow-headrest

This model is very popular in the opinion of mothers of newborns. Its width is the same as the width of the crib.

This is very convenient, since there will not be a child to crawl from it. Its height is quite small, and the angle of inclination is up to 15 degrees.

When choosing a pillow, it is worth considering that its angle should not exceed 30 degrees. In the opposite case, problems with the spine can not be avoided.

Another important integral part of the pillow is its filler.

The best option is natural ingredients, but in case the child does not have a tendency to allergies.

For allergy sufferers, the pads are made from hypoallergenic materials.

The shapes of pillows are also full of their diversity - rectangular, semi-circular, square, with a roller. The main thing is that it should not be more than 3-4 cm in height.

For a soft cushion, it is better to choose medium hardness. Hard will deliver discomfort, and soft can only harm the baby's spine forming.

If you do not like the pillow for him, then he can not sleep on it, it will be a long time spinning or crying. Do not torment the baby with this pillow, it's better to stop using it. Surely it just does not suit him, causing only inconvenience.

Average prices for pillows in Moscow

Buy an orthopedic pillow for very young children can be in any children's store or online store of children's bedding.

The assortment is huge and able to satisfy all the needs and tastes of children: by color, size, filler, shape, manufacturer and other characteristics.

Pillows of Russian manufacturers are not expensive: on average from 400 to 1500 rubles .The prices for imported models are higher and constitute from 1500 to 2500 rubles .

Very often the cost of foreign products is formed not because of the quality of products, but rather the popularity of the manufacturer.

Video on the use of pillows for children

See the video with the recommendations of leading pediatricians on the use of pillows for babies and children up to 3 years, as well as considering the most comfortable models in terms of orthopedics: