Photo: LeManna (Shutterstock)
Safe sleep for babies involves putting them on their backs in a crib without pillows, bumpers, or blankets. That’s still the case even if a pillow is marketed for babies, and even if it says it prevents SIDS or helps your baby’s head grow in a more natural shape. Or, to quote the FDA: “If you own an infant head shaping pillow, throw it away; do not donate or give it to anyone else.”
Pediatricians have been saying for decades that pillows don’t belong in babies’ cribs, but baby gear companies keep making and selling stuff to put in cribs. “Head shaping” or “head support” pillows usually have a hole or indentation to keep the baby’s head facing forward. But babies don’t need them, and they can be dangerous.
Why are baby pillows dangerous?
Sudden unexplained infant death (SUID) is a category of deaths that can occur when babies are sleeping. It includes SIDS, but also things like suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment. And we know that the risk is lowest when babies sleep in a crib with only a fitted sheet.
So the recommendation is to keep all that other stuff out of there. No pillows, even “head shaping” ones. No stuffies. No bumpers. No quilts. (Just dress them in warm jammies if you’re worried about them getting cold.) The FDA doesn’t mention any recent infant deaths in their warning, fortunately, but head shaping pillows are still considered unsafe for the same reason that other pillows are considered unsafe.
There’s another downside to the head pillows: If you’re using them because you’re worried about the shape of your baby’s head, you should probably be talking to your child’s doctor about it instead. A slightly flattened head will often take on a more normal shape as the kid grows, but there are also medical conditions that need professional attention—like synostosis, in which the bones of the skull fuse too soon. Time that you spend waiting for a pillow to work its magic is time that your pediatrician could be helping the child with approved treatments.
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Are there head-shaping pillows that actually work?
No. There are no pillows on the market that are FDA-approved for preventing or treating flat head syndrome or any other medical condition. The agency does not consider any pillows to be safe and effective for this purpose—not even the ones that are marketed with pseudo-medical language like “pediatrician designed.”
There are caps, helmets, and headbands that are approved for changing a child’s head shape, or that are intended to be worn after surgery for synostosis. But your child’s pediatrician would be the best person to advise you on that.
The bottom line is that if your child has a problem that’s worth medical attention, a pillow won’t fix it; and if your child has a problem that isn’t worth medical attention, a pillow still won’t fix it. But the pillow could present a risk to their safety. So it’s best to do as the FDA advises, and chuck it.
