Q&A:
When can I give my 15-month-old a pillow to sleep on?

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Answered by Linda Jonides R.N., C.P.N.P.

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"I have worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner (P.N.P.) for over 30 years," says Linda Jonides. "I continue to thoroughly enjoy forming new relationships with parents and newborns and working with them through infancy, childhood, and adolescence."

Linda Jonides is a pediatric nurse practitioner in a private pediatric practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received her Diploma in Nursing and Certificate as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is a past recipient of the Michigan PNP of the Year Award. She has a B.S. in Nursing from Eastern Michigan University. She has published articles and lectured on childhood obesity, infant colic, role of the P.N.P., growth and development issues, and infectious diseases. She was an author of "Clinical Insights Column," published biannually in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care for nine years. Jonides is past president of NAPNAP. Currently, she is a steering group work member of NAPNAP's HEAT (healthy eating and activity together) project. One outcome of this group's work is the clinical practice guideline, "Identifying and Preventing Overweight in Childhood," that was published as a supplement to the March/April '06 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care.

Ms. Jonides has been married to John, a university professor, since 1971.

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Question

At what age is it safe to give my 15-month-old baby a pillow to sleep on when he goes to bed?

Answer

Anytime after one year of age there is far less concern that a baby could suffocate from a pillow. However, another factor to consider if you want to use a pillow in your child's bed is whether he could use the pillow to climb out of the crib. Make sure the crib mattress is as low as possible and make sure a pillow would not give him the ability to climb out.