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.

From Baby to Toddler, From Crib to Big Boy/Girl Bed

So you're ready to transition your toddler out of the crib and into a toddler bed or "big girl/boy" bed. Or your older toddler is content in the crib or toddler bed already, but you want to make it a bit more cozy to try and squeeze in a few more hours of sleep?

Believe it or not, something as simple as a toddler pillow can help do the trick. Kids love "adult" items that are scaled down to their size and the same is true with pillows. Standard size pillows are too big for toddlers smaller necks and heads - BobbleRoos Toddler Pillows (which measure 12x16) are more in proportion to a toddlers head and neck and are perfect for naptime at daycare or preschool, as well as making the transition to the bed.

My kids, now 6 and 9, started using BobbleRoos toddler pillows around 2-3 years old. They both became attached to their toddler pillows and still use them today as travel pillows and for sleepovers. Of course, we change out the pillowcases depending on their latest interest - I have 2 boys so it's usually a sport, car or truck, and right now it's the Pirate Skulls. Younger brother usually likes to pick whatever his older brother is picking, so I also have their names embroidered on the pillowcase to keep them unique.

You can also buy satin pillowcases, organic fabrics, cotton flannels and a ton of other choices to make it easy to match your child's room decor or favorite theme. And since kids interests tend to change frequently, a pillowcase is easy enough to replace as opposed to an entire bedding set (I recommend buying a simple bedding set - solid or striped sheet sets, and accessorize with fun printed pillowcases).

So try out a toddler pillow when making the transition. Pick out a fun fabric in a theme that your child will like and then let them "cuddle up"!

How to Swaddle a Baby with BobbleRoos Blankets using the Aussie Swaddle Technique

We originally posted this article in March 2009 - almost 2 years ago! I really think this is a great swaddling technique and thought I'd repost.

After the birth of both of my sons, it took quite a while to get good at swaddling. Even with a ton of practice, I was never able to get the wrap as tight as the nurses at the hospital. These days, there are a lot of special swaddling wraps and blankets out there (I tried a few with my second son), but I still think a good old fashioned cotton blanket works the best and is the most practical since it has so many other uses after those swaddling days are over.

I frequently hear from parents about how wonderful our standard size blankets were for swaddling their infants. They are larger than most so they work out great for larger babies. I've also heard from few parents of smaller babies that our blankets worked out great for them as well because they could double wrap their child as instructed by their pediatricians.

I recently found out about a swaddling technique that works really well with our standard size blankets, so I thought it would make a great post. This technique is sometimes called the Aussie Swaddle (it was posted by an Australian mom on a baby forum a while back). There are a few variations to this swaddling technique, but you'll get the general idea. This technique works best with a rectangular shaped receiving blanket (just like our standard size blanket) in a lightweight all-cotton fabric (double-sided or thicker blankets, and some synthetic fibers like polyester, don’t breathe as well and may generate too much heat). This swaddling technique is more comfortable for many babies because it keeps their hands/fists up next to their face rather than straight down by their sides.

1. Lay blanket out on a flat surface lengthwise as shown. Fold down a flap of fabric at the top and place baby in the middle of the blanket with shoulders on the fold.


2. Place baby’s right hand under the folded flap (or you can start from the left side).

3. Keeping your baby’s hand covered with the flap (at about shoulder height), pull down the top corner of the flap and tuck under baby’s right leg.

4. Take the outer edge of this new flap of blanket and wrap it around your baby’s body and tuck under at the left side.


5. Now place baby’s opposite hand under the first original flap.

6. Flip up any extra fabric at the bottom of the blanket to create a flap at the bottom.


7. Keeping you baby’s hand covered with the flap (at about shoulder height), pull down the top corner of the flap and tuck under baby’s body.


8. Take the outer edge of this new flap of blanket and wrap it around your baby’s body to create the swaddle.

Swaddling generally works well for the first couple of months. Some people say you should stop swaddling around the time your baby starts to roll over, but I remember stopping before that milestone - it all depends on your baby. As always, check with your pediatrician for advice and resources. And please become familiar with and follow all current SIDS recommendations when putting your baby to sleep, including:

· Place infants to sleep on their backs on a firm mattress with no other objects in the crib/bed
· Avoid overheating the baby
· Keep baby’s environment smoke/tobacco free
· Ask your pediatrician for more recommendations and resources

I hope that this swaddling technique works for some of you! I'd love to see any photos or feedback.

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.

When to Introduce a Pillow to your Toddler?

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 BobbleRoos. 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 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.

Monday Madness - Steals and Deals

Each Monday throughout the month of December, we will be featuring special Steals and Deals. The deals will run until midnight and are good while supplies last. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter to get the first heads-up on the items that are in the Monday sale. Today's sale items include our No-Slip Playard Sheets, Supersize Toddler Blankets, Satin Pillowcases, and Waterproof Mattress Pads.