Eve Mini Pillow Review
A smaller, lower pillow for children, and the most important thing on this page is when a child should have a pillow at all.
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Verdict
A smaller, lower pillow intended for children, and the single most important thing on this page is when a child should have a pillow at all. The answer is later than most people assume, and getting it wrong matters far more than which pillow you choose.
Buy it if
Your child is old enough for a pillow and you want one sized and lofted for a small body.
Avoid it if
Your child is under about 12 months. No pillow at all is the guidance, and it is a safety matter rather than a preference.
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Eve is owned by Bensons for Beds following the 2022 administration.
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| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Smaller, lower pillow for children |
| Loft | Low, which is correct for a child |
| Not suitable for | Babies under about 12 months |
| Why a smaller pillow | A child's head and shoulders are smaller, so an adult pillow is too high |
| Washability | Check the cover removes, because it will need washing often |
The scores
A sensible product, and the age guidance matters more than the pillow.
Reasonable, and plenty of cheaper children's pillows exist.
Adequate loft retention, with a little give as the night goes on.
Adequate. Worth checking against your own requirements.
Adequate. Worth checking against your own requirements.
Limited adjustment. Better than a fixed pillow, short of removable fill.
Check the cover. Children's bedding needs washing far more often than adult bedding.
Low, which is the correct answer for a small body.
Scaled properly rather than an adult pillow cut down.
When a child should have a pillow
Safety first, and this is not a preference
Babies under 12 months should sleep on a firm, flat surface with nothing else in the cot. No pillow, no duvet, no bumpers, no soft toys. Soft items in a cot are a recognised risk factor for sudden infant death.
The Lullaby Trust and the NHS are the authoritative UK sources on safer infant sleep. Read them rather than a bedding review, and speak to your health visitor if you are unsure.
After the first year, the usual guidance is that a pillow is introduced when a child moves from a cot to a bed, which is commonly somewhere between 18 months and two and a half years. There is no exact date and it depends on the child.
When you do introduce one, it should be low and firm rather than soft and lofty, which is the opposite of what an adult usually wants.
Why a child needs a lower pillow, not a smaller adult one
The principle is the same one that governs adult pillows, applied to a different body.
Pillow height should fill the gap between the head and the mattress so the neck continues the line of the spine. That gap is created by the width of the shoulders.
A child's shoulders are much narrower than an adult's, so the gap is much smaller, so the pillow needs to be much lower. An adult pillow under a child's head pushes the neck forward for the whole night.
This is also why a child's pillow needs changing as they grow. What is right at three is too low at eight. Check it against the same test you would use for yourself: looking from behind, is the neck a straight continuation of the spine?
The practical things that matter more than the brand
Washability. Children's bedding needs washing far more often than adult bedding, for reasons anyone with a child will recognise. A pillow with a removable washable cover, or a fully washable synthetic fill, is worth more than any performance claim.
A protector on the pillow as well as the mattress. Cheap, and it doubles the useful life of the pillow.
Replace it more often than you would your own. Children's pillows take more punishment and flatten faster, and a flattened pillow quietly changes the loft without anyone noticing.
A correction worth making
Commonly repeated, and wrong
Children's pillows are marketed on comfort and design, and the guidance that actually matters is about age and height. Babies under 12 months should sleep with nothing in the cot at all, since soft items are a recognised risk factor, and a pillow is normally introduced only when a child moves from a cot to a bed. When one is introduced it should be low and firm, because a child's narrower shoulders create a much smaller gap to fill than an adult's do.
Should you buy it?
Yes once your child is out of a cot and ready for a pillow, and a properly scaled low pillow is the right thing rather than an adult one.
Under 12 months, nothing in the cot at all. The Lullaby Trust is the source to read, and your health visitor is the person to ask.
Questions people ask
When can a child have a pillow?
Not under 12 months. Babies should sleep on a firm flat surface with nothing else in the cot, since soft items are a recognised risk factor. A pillow is normally introduced when a child moves from a cot to a bed, commonly between 18 months and two and a half years.
Why do children need a lower pillow?
Pillow height fills the gap between head and mattress created by the width of the shoulders. A child's shoulders are much narrower, so the gap is much smaller. An adult pillow under a child's head pushes the neck forward all night.
What matters most in a children's pillow?
Washability, because children's bedding needs washing far more often. Add a pillow protector, which is cheap and doubles the useful life. And replace it more often than your own, since children's pillows flatten faster.