Toddler Pillow Special for October

We are already well into the swing of October, however we do have a Toddler Pillow special that I wanted to tell everyone about.  In our October newsletter, we have a coupon code that you can use to get a FREE extra toddler pillowcase when you buy one of our standard Toddler Pillow sets.  Our Toddler Pillows set comes with a toddler pillowcase in your choice of flannel fabrics plus the 12x16 toddler pillow insert.  Using our October coupon code will automatically add a free extra toddler pillowcase to your shopping cart.  Because of the wide variety of fabrics available, our shopping cart does not have the ability for you to select the fabric for the free pillowcase (the dropdown list would be huge), so make sure to include your request in the Special Instructions field (appears during checkout) - we will try to honor your request for either a specific fabric, or gender/theme.  Limited quantities available while supplies last, offer ends Oct 31, 2012.

Ballet Time Fabric for Toddler Pillows

Check out Ballet Time - one of our newest percale (non-flannel) fabrics for our toddler pillows with a cute ballerina theme. This fabric is 100% cotton and coordinates well with various shades of pink bedding. Don't forget our personalization option for our toddler pillows - add your little girl's name to this toddler pillow. For thread colors - try dark pink thread, or any contrasting color such as purple, green, red turquoise.

Spotlight on.... Youth Pillows 16x20

Many of you know us for our toddler pillows, but did you know that we also sell a larger 16x20 Youth Pillow? Many of our customers have toddlers who love our toddler pillows, but as their toddlers grew, they wanted to transition to a larger pillow. We kept hearing the same request so we started offering an in between pillow - our 16x20 Youth Pillow, which is larger than our original 12x16 toddler pillow, but still smaller than an adult pillow. This size is perfect for kids going away to sleepover camps, or just sleepover parties and travel. It also makes a great bed pillow either for sleeping or decoration.

Our Youth Pillows are made (in the USA!) by the same major pillow manufacturer as our popular toddler pillows- using the same quality and construction: 100% cotton covering over non-allergenic polyester fiberfill - machine washable. Just like our toddler pillows, our youth pillows are not too fluffy, not too firm, just perfect in proportion to support young children's head/necks.

Youth Pillowcases are also available for purchase separately in most of our popular cotton flannels and percale (non-flannel) fabrics. If you are looking for a particular fabric, color, or theme, as always, send us an email and we'll check the possibility of having a pillowcase made in that fabric. We are now also offering the embroidery option to have your youth pillowcase personalized with your child's name.

Newest Percale Fabrics

Our newest percale (non-flannel) fabrics have started to arrive. We recently received a few requests from customers looking for more grown-up boy fabric options for their pillowcases. Their sons have used our toddler pillows for years and have recently upgraded to our Youth Pillows. To add to our fabric collections, we now have Skulls which is a black background with white pirate skulls, Extreme Team features extreme sports including skateboarding, biking, etc. We have also restocked Wild Blue Yonder, Daisy Dance, and Zoology. All of these fabrics are great options for toddler pillows or the larger 16x20 Youth pillows - even for older kids who use the pillows for sleepovers, travel, or camp.

We just added a new photo album to our Facebook page with images of our embroidery items. The embroidery/personalization service was extremely popular this summer/early fall as parents were purchasing items for the start of the preschool year. Embroidery/personalization is a great way to customize your toddler's items, especially if they are being used at preschool or daycare. Having the child's name on his/her favorite blanket or pillow is also great for kids at home learning to spell and recognize their own names. Personalized items also make a terrific gift. However, feel free to be creative and have your items personalized with a phrase instead of a name - "Sweet Dreams" for a bedtime set, "Explore" for a travel pillow. We also have customers personalize items with their child's nickname. As I've mentioned in the past, it's so much fun to see the different color combinations, fonts, and unique names that our customers choose. I have many more photos of items and will will be adding more images to our Facebook photo album and website - keep checking back!

New Percale Fabric Option

We just added a new percale (non-flannel) fabric for our toddler pillows- Angelina Cameo in pink. Available in our 12x16 Extra Pillowcases - Percale (3 fabrics up from the bottom in the dropdown list). Our percale fabrics are all 100% cotton fabric (similar to cotton sheeting). Many of our customers like the percale fabrics for warmer weather (although we also have customers who swear by the flannels year-round, so it seems to be a personal preference). We love the colors in this new print - perfect for your little ballerina!

Craft Ideas for Kids using Toddler Pillows

After my post last night on toddler pillows for moms, I was suddenly flooded with ideas for craft projects using Mr. Bobbles' Blankets Toddler Pillows or our larger Youth Pillows.

1. An "autograph" pillow for slumber party gift and/or summer camp. Give one of our toddler pillows or Youth Pillows in a solid color fabric along with a fabric marker or permanent marker. During the course of the slumber party (or camp session), each of the child's friends can autograph the pillow - a very unique gift, and long lasting memories.

2. Iron on photos - purchase iron-on paper at a local craft store and use your color printer to print out your favorite digital photo. Iron the photo onto the pillow. This would be great in combination with the autograph pillow idea above. You can also use the iron-on transfer paper with one of your kids drawings - what a great way to preserve memories.

3. Make an autograph pillow for a teacher gift - have all of the kids in the class autograph the pillowcase for the teacher. You can even iron on the class photo.

4. Give an "autograph pillow" for a graduation gift - something the student can take off to college or with them on their summer travels. As an added bonus, consider embroidering the recipients name on the pillow first (or maybe "Class of 2009").

5. Tie Dye one of our solid white pillowcases - this would be a great rainy day craft project, or summer camp project.

6. Make a lap desk. I remember seeing this in one of my magazines a while back. Purchase a clip board at an office supply store. Use either self stick velcro, or a hot glue gun, and glue the clipboard to the top surface of the pillow. This makes a great lap desk for car trips, the airplane, etc. Also great for eating on the road. You can do the same thing with a dry erase board.

Toddler Pillows For Mother's Day?

Looking for something a little bit different than flowers this Mother's Day? Well nNow that summer is fast approaching and people are starting to plan vacations, keep in mind that our Toddler Pillows also make great travel pillows for moms/adults. They are the perfect size for the airplane, car, train, etc. They also work out great as an extra pillow in a hotel room or when you are a house guest. I'm a 2 pillow sleeper, so whenever we stay in hotels, or even with friends/family, there are never enough pillows so I always make sure to take a toddler pillow along with me. I also took one of our toddler pillows to the hospital with me (in the Floral Charm fabric) when I was in labor with my second son - it was great to have my own piece of home with me, and because of the bright colorful print, it never got mixed up or lost with the hospital bedding - same with hotels and airplanes - it's unique, CLEAN (you know where it's been), and stands out. It was also great during nursing - just a little bit of extra comfort to prop yourself up. Four years later, I still have my toddler pillow on my side of the bed, partly for decoration, partly for the memories that it holds, but I also slip it behind my neck when reading in bed and grab it whenever we take a trip. If either of my boys comes into our bed when sick or after having a nightmare, they get to use my "special" pillow.

I'm thinking about rotating through different pillowcases depending on the occasion- a western fabric for our trips to Oklahoma, the Mermaids or Crabs/Fish print for the beach, or seasonal prints for various holidays, etc.

Another idea that I really like is to use one of our plain white 320 thread count pillowcases and use fabric markers to document all of your travels - sort of like bumper stickers of the places the pillow has been (great idea for kids!). Or at craft stores, you can buy iron-on transfer paper and print a digital photo onto the paper and iron on the pillow.

Recently, one of my friends had major surgery and was having some back pain after her surgery. I gave her one of our toddler pillows (again in Floral Charm fabric) as some extra support for her back - support sitting in a chair, riding in the car, or laying in bed, waiting in doctor's offices. In a few weeks, my friend will begin chemotherapy, which I understand will be given by IV and runs about 5 hours - so I think the pillow will be perfect for those appointments. The bright floral fabric is enough to cheer anyone up and the size makes them so versatile and packable, they can be used for so many things. So if you are looking for a little bit of pampering (yet something also practical and unique) to give to a new or expectant mom, a friend having surgery, or a mom that is on the road a lot, consider one of our toddler pillows. And consider our embroidery option as well - it doesn't have to be a name but maybe a short inspirational phrase such as "Hope", "Laughter", "Courage", "Carpe Diem", "Adventure" or for Mother's Day, "#1 Mom" or just her initials as a monogram.

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Toddler Pillow (plus one extra for mom)...

Top 10 Reasons to Use Toddler Pillows (including one for mom)...

In my previous post, I discussed how to choose a toddler pillow and when to start using one. I hear lots of input from parents so here are some of the best uses that I've heard for our toddler pillows:

1. Use with kids (2+ years old) prone to ear infections or sinus troubles, or during cold/flu season
   Pediatricians sometimes recommend a toddler pillow for a little extra elevation of the head during sleep to help promote drainage (please check with your pediatrician first!).


2. Send a toddler pillow to child's daycare/preschool for naptime
   Your child will feel special and have a comfort object from home. Also, the fabrics are unique so the pillow won't get lost.


3. Use as a special pillow for overnight stays at Grandma's house;
   Purchase a special extra pillowcase just for use at Grandma’s house – your child will see it as a special treat and have fond memories. We heard from one customer whose children visit their grandparents on their farm so she purchased our farm-theme pillowcases for her children to use at the farm house.


4. Use as a travel pillow for toddlers (or adults!)
   Our travel sized toddler pillows are a must for long rides in the car seat or airplane trips. Don't use those flimsy and dirty/germy airplane pillows - bring your own. Also great to use once you get to your destination. I don't know about you, but they never seem to have enough extra pillows in the hotel rooms.


5. Use with our satin pillowcases to reduce tangled hair
   Using a satin pillowcase helps the hair glide easily over the fabric thus reducing tangles during sleep;


6. Great gift idea for big brother or big sister
   Paired with a sweet goodnight book, stuffed animal or decorative nightlight. Or create a "theme" gift and give a toddler pillow with a pillowcase to match the theme, for example Pirates or Frogs.


7. Give as a baby gift along with a matching receiving blanket or burp cloth set
   Before baby is old enough to have a baby pillow while sleeping, a toddler pillow is great for extra support when nursing or bottle feeding. Also great for padding when baby is learning to sit up.


8. Perfect size to use as a toddler bed pillow
   Helps to make the transition to the toddler bed easier and more fun!


9. Help soothe child at night
   We’ve even heard from parents that they used our toddler pillows to help convince their toddler that he/she is now a big boy/girl and to give up their binkys (pacifiers) at night!


10. Okay, now for mom’s turn - Great for mommy too - even before baby arrives!
    Place toddler pillow behind mommy's lower back or neck for extra back support while rocking, feeding, driving, etc. I took one to the hospital with me for comfort during labor and delivery, and also used it in the hospital while nursing. I also use one with a satin pillowcase as my travel pillow.

Toddler Pillows - When to Use?

With all the safety concern regarding soft bedding items in cribs, a lot of parents wonder "when is the right time to give my child a pillow to sleep with?" I also get asked this question frequently at http://www.bobbleroos.com/. There are a lot of opinions to sift through, but currently, most of the official guidelines (from organizations like The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) are relevant for infants under 12 months of age. So does that mean a 13 or 14 month old can start using a pillow? Probably not.

In fact, we typically recommend our toddler pillows for 2 years and up and even then, it's best to check with your pediatrician. Your child's pediatrician will be up to date on changing safety recommendations and will also know your child's heath history including any issues that may impact sleeping, allergies or asthma, etc. Many leading child developmental experts agree that it's best to allow young children to sleep on a flat surface, and when you do introduce a pillow, choose one that is firm, yet flat - nothing too poofy or fluffy. Pick a pillow that is the right proportions for a child, like a 12 x 16 toddler pillow. If you think about it, giving a small child an adult sized pillow is the equivalent of giving an adult a twin or crib mattress as a pillow!

Sometimes, introducing a pillow is a great transitional item when the child is converting from the crib to a toddler bed or twin bed - but it all depends on age. With my two children, I waited as long as possible to move them out of the crib and it was usually around 3 - 3 1/2 years old. However I have friends with "climbers" who have moved their kids out of the crib before their first birthday. I also have friends with 2-3 year old children who had frequent ear infections or sinus problems and the pediatrician recommend the use of a small pillow to help elevate the child's head. I've had many customers also tell me that they knew their child was ready when he/she bundled up blankets under his/her head at night to sleep on, or slept on a stuffed animal. But PLEASE check with your child's doctor first.

If your child or baby is not yet ready for a pillow, our toddler pillows still have a ton of great uses during the daytime - your child may still enjoy cuddling up with it during playtime, or using it for a "seat" to make that wooden chair more comfy, or for playing house with dolls. It also makes a great travel pillow - even for adults. I took one to the hospital with me during labor and delivery - great to put behind your lower back or neck for extra support. I also used mine frequently during nursing. We also use ours for traveling as they squish up easily inside a suitcase, can be carried on a plane, and great for making the car seat ride more comfortable. Just make sure to keep that pillow and loose items out of the crib until they are ready.

So the bottom line is that many children are ready for a pillow around 2-3 years of age, but check with your pediatrician first and educate yourself on the current safety recommendations and pros and cons. When you do choose a pillow, choose one that is in proportion to your child (12x16 is perfect!) and pick out some fun printed pillowcases that will allow your child to get attached to the pillow and make sleeping time fun! I can't tell you how may parents have told me that our Mr. Bobbles' Blankets toddler pillows have helped restless sleepers (which is great for the child and the parents!!) Feel free to post your ideas and opinions about using a pillow with children.

Toddlers and Comfort Objects

Did You Know? About 60% of toddlers use comfort or security objects – most choose an item with silky and nubby textures to provide sensory satisfaction. Child development experts agree that a comfort object is a great asset for children and parents. Attachment to a “lovie”, usually beginning around 8-12 months, represents a big leap in intellectual and emotional development for a child - they are learning to understand symbols and to "invent" something of their own – the lovie becomes a symbol of love and comfort that is tangible. Children who have learned to use lovies can find comfort anywhere and can take control of their own comfort."A lovie has real emotional importance to a child. Like a true friend, a lovie is familiar, accepting, and faithful. It is the guarantee of safety and security; it promises a parent’s return.”

As mentioned above, toddlers enjoy the tactile stimulation of a soft, fuzzy, or nubby items like stuffed animals, blankets, or even our toddler pillows, while other toddlers may choose something like a pacifier. Whatever the choice, it is not uncommon for toddlers to give their comfort objects names and talk to them, carry them around everywhere - much like a true friend. It can help them work through problems or challenges in their everyday life and have unconditional acceptance. And as any parent with a child attached to a lovie will understand, when that lovie is lost, put in the wash, or left behind, it's like losing one's true friend and cannot be replaced.

As parents, one challenge is attempting to anticipate which animal, blanket or other object will be "the one" and we all rush out to buy duplicates just in case it is every left behind or lost. At one point, my youngest son was starting to develop an attachment to a particular green stuffed animal so I ran out and bought a handful (as well as a few in different colors - thank goodness they were inexpensive). But that phase didn't last long, and both of my boys eventually settled on blankets as lovies (which is great considering my business!). So I created the Bips - a smaller version of a favorite blanket that is easier to pack, carry, wash, etc. Plus that single satin corner to make the blanket feel special and provide that spot of interest to touch and rub. I've heard from many parents with children that are attached to our blankets, bips, or toddler pillows. I've also heard stories about special lovies getting damaged, lost, or just plain worn out. In the best cases, we still have fabric available (or can find it somewhere else) and can try to replace that item. In other cases, we have successfully helped parents replace the item with a similar theme or color fabric - yes, sometimes it does work!

Once toddlers are growing up into preschoolers and school aged children, the question becomes what level of attachment is appropriate and how do you handle it? If you have any fun stories to share about your toddler and lovies, post them here. I'm curious to hear what objects, what age, and if your child is older now, when/how did they give them up?