Pillow? No no.

Now that Em's a toddler, we're looking at moving her out of her "childhood" crib and into a bed. To get her ready for the transition, I've been letting her fall asleep in the parental bed. This has included her lying on a pillow. The look on her face of child-ecstasy as she falls into the pillow is incredible.

So... thinks dad putting two and two together in a vein attempt to equal four... maybe if we put a pillow in Em's cot she'd be happier going to bed.

One night I went to bed, putting the pillow under her head and marvelling at my thoughtfulness, mentally writing my dad of the year award as I walked, rather pleased with myself, back to bed.

Then I did some searching on Google which prompted me to jump out of bed, rip the pillow out of her bed and mentally scold myself for being the largest dufus in the world.

What did I find? The long and the short of it is - toddlers don't need a pillow and to prove how much they don't need one, they can die from SIDS if they sleep with one.

I quote from one of the happier posts I found:

Pillows

Pillows could be dangerous for babies.

- They can cause suffocation, either by the baby turning face down and burying his face in the pillow or by getting his head under the pillow. This is rare.

- Babies do not need a pillow to sleep comfortably.

- Do not use pillows until the child moves from the cot into a normal bed, usually at 2 to 3 years. Even then pillows are not essential, but children usually want to have one to be like everyone else. Once our shoulders are wider than our heads, most of us sleep more comfortably with a pillow.

- Young children should start with a flattish and fairly firm pillow. Older children usually choose the type and size they prefer. The type of filling does not matter unless there is an allergy problem.

To tell the truth, I didn't really get beyond the first half of the first point before my better judgement felt that it was easier to explain to Emily why she couldn't have a pillow than to explain to Sue why we have a dead child.

I think the hunt for a bed is still on, but I walk the pillow line with sweaty palm and dread in my heart.