# Blanket, pillow or stuffed animal: when can a baby sleep with one?

> Not until 12 months. The AAP advises keeping blankets, pillows, stuffed toys and bumpers out of a baby’s sleep space through the first year. Its parent site…

Source: https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/when-can-baby-sleep-with-blanket-pillow-or-lovey/
Publisher: Actually Sleeping LLC · Reviewed by Dr. Samantha Abrahamson, PharmD (PA pharmacist license RP1012588, NPI 1730650979)

Not until 12 months. The AAP advises keeping blankets, pillows, stuffed toys and bumpers out of your baby’s sleep space throughout the first year. Its parent site acknowledges that research hasn’t pinned down exactly when these items become completely safe, but most experts agree that after 12 months they pose little risk to healthy babies. From then on, begin small: a single small lovey first, then a light blanket. 

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## Year one: a fitted sheet and nothing else 

For babies up to 1 year old, the AAP’s parent site says the bed should hold no blankets, pillows, stuffed toys or bumper pads. Soft objects and loose bedding can raise the risk of entrapment, suffocation or strangulation. The CPSC sums it up as “Bare is Best”: a fitted sheet and nothing more. 

Instead of a blanket, a sleep sack keeps your baby warm. Layering your baby’s clothing is safer than using blankets. 

## Beyond 12 months 

The AAP’s parent site is candid about the evidence: research hasn’t established when it becomes 100% safe to have these objects in the crib. It goes on to say that most experts agree they pose little risk to healthy babies after 12 months. If your child was born early or has a medical condition, check with your pediatrician about what applies in their case. 

## Picking a lovey after 12 months  
- **Keep it small and simple.** A small soft toy or small cloth, with no long ribbons, strings, buttons or loose parts. 
- **Just one, not a heap.** A crib full of toys becomes something to climb. 
 

Lots of parents ask about a lovey or blanket in the hope it will help their child sleep. Safety rules come first — and the sleep problem prompting the question is the part Actually Sleeping fixes. 

## Pacifier clips and plush pacifiers 

The NIH Safe to Sleep campaign advises against attaching a pacifier to clothing, stuffed toys, blankets or anything else. That covers pacifiers sewn into plush animals too, at least through the first year. After 12 months, if you do use one, treat it like any other soft toy and keep it small. 

## Blankets for toddlers 

Plenty of toddlers kick their blankets off, so a sleep sack frequently keeps doing its job well into the second and third years. When you bring in a blanket, start with a thin, small one tucked in no higher than chest level. 

## Pillows 

The AAP’s safe-sleep guidance covers the first year and doesn’t specify an age for pillows. Toddlers don’t need one, and many families hold off until the switch to a bed. When you do add one, pick a small, flat toddler pillow rather than an adult one. 

## At a glance  
| Age | Blanket | Stuffed animal or lovey | Pillow | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–12 months | No; use a sleep sack instead | No | No | 
| 12 months and older | A small, thin one if you wish | A single small one | Not necessary; small and flat if you use one | 
| Once in a toddler bed | Yes | Yes | Many families introduce one at this point | 
 

## When the lovey is supposed to solve sleep 

Often, parents ask about a lovey or blanket because their baby isn’t sleeping — waking overnight, crying at bedtime, needing a parent to settle. The hope is that a comfort object can take the parent’s place. Before 12 months, it can’t safely go in the crib at all. After 12 months it may comfort some toddlers, but it seldom changes things for a child who needs feeding, rocking or holding back to sleep several times a night. 

That waking is what can be fixed, and it’s what Actually Sleeping does. Whatever your child’s age, Dr. Sam writes a plan for them within the safe-sleep rules that apply at that age, with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins. Toddler parents describe the difference in [reviews from families of children 12 months and older](https://actuallysleeping.net/reviews/12-months-plus/). See also: [separation anxiety at bedtime](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/separation-anxiety-at-bedtime/) and [toddler bedtime stalling](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/toddler-bedtime-stalling/). 

If you’d been counting on a lovey to finally sort out bedtime, book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping. 

## Keep reading
- [White noise machines for babies: safety and the right volume](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/white-noise-machine-safety-and-volume/)
- [Dressing your baby for sleep: layers, overheating and TOG ratings](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/what-should-baby-wear-to-sleep/)
- [Toddler keeps getting out of bed? How to fix it](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/toddler-wont-stay-in-bed/)
- [Toddler sleepwalking: is it dangerous, and should I wake them?](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/toddler-sleepwalking/)
- [New baby on the way: how to protect your toddler’s sleep](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/toddler-sleep-new-baby-sibling/)
 

## Ready to solve this for your baby?

Actually Sleeping offers 1:1 coaching: Dr. Sam writes a sleep plan for your baby, we coach you bootcamp-style before the first night, and we check in daily until it is working. We’ve coached 700+ families, collected 129 video reviews, and back it all with a written guarantee: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.

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## Common questions 

### Is a small lovey OK for my 10 month old at sleep time?

The AAP recommends keeping stuffed toys and soft objects out of the sleep space throughout the first year, so wait until 12 months. In the meantime, the lovey can be part of awake cuddle time and stay outside the crib. 

### What about a muslin or breathable blanket before 12 months?

No. The AAP says your baby’s sleep space should have no blankets during the first year. A sleep sack does the same job without loose fabric that could end up over your baby’s face. 

### At what age can my toddler have a pillow?

The AAP’s safe-sleep guidance, which covers the first year, doesn’t give an official age. Toddlers don’t need a pillow, and many families add a small, flat one when they move to a bed.  

## References
1. [HealthyChildren.org (AAP). A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep.](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-Parents-Guide-to-Safe-Sleep.aspx)
2. [HealthyChildren.org (AAP). How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: Preventing SIDS.](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/preventing-SIDS.aspx)
3. [Safe to Sleep campaign, NICHD (NIH). Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk.](https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/reduce-risk/reduce)
4. [U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Urges Parents and Caregivers to Check Baby's Sleep Space During Baby Safety Month. 2023.](https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2023/CPSC-Urges-Parents-and-Caregivers-to-Check-Babys-Sleep-Space-During-Baby-Safety-Month-Shares-Dos-and-Donts-for-Infant-Sleep-Safety)