A newborn is like a little cotton ball, delicate and soft. If not completely, its head certainly is! You see, babies are born with a naturally flexible, moldable body and there’s a reason for it. Basically, a baby is designed to be able to pass through the birth canal, which is, very narrow. For this reason, all of the baby’s bones, including the skull, are flexible and not fused together. This way, a baby’s body can adapt to the small space in the birth canal and easily pass through. But the head is the biggest portion of the body, takes the biggest stress out of whole body parts. Due to the tight passage, the head commonly gets misshaped and newborns often end up getting uneven head shapes at birth. To help with this issue, women for decades have been using Mustard seed pillows. We bet you want to know more so read on!
mustard seed pillow

  • What Is A Mustard Seed Pillow?
  • Why Is A Mustard Seed Pillow Used?
  • 5 Benefits Of Mustard Seed Pillow For Newborn
  • When To Use Mustard Seed Pillow?
  • How To Make Mustard Seed Pillow At Home?

What Is A Mustard Seed Pillow?

A mustard seed pillow is nothing but a small sized pillow made for newborn babies. It is filled with mustard seeds and once sealed; it is kept under a newborn’s head for support.

Why Is A Mustard Seed Pillow Used?

As discussed before, a mustard seed pillow is used mainly to provide support and shape to the baby’s head. It is used widely to provide, the more acceptable round head shape. Since babies are born with all sorts of shapes, especially those born with help of forceps, women resort to using different ways to give their babies the ideal round shape. This is done in order to give a more refined, “normal” look to the head. After all, no one wants their kid to look like an alien with a deformed head!

5 Benefits Of Mustard Seed Pillow For Newborn

So now that we know that newborn babies have delicate, soft heads, we also need to know that their skull bones do not always stay the same. The skull can take 3-4 weeks to come back together and fuse into one. This is when the mustard seed pillow is used. So that before the head fuses together into the deformed shape forever, you can reshape it however you want by using different techniques. Let’s see some of the benefits of mustard seed pillow:

  1. Proper support and cushioning for baby: Since the mustard seed pillow feels very tender, it provides the much-needed support and cushioning to the baby. This is very relaxing for them
  2. Smooth shape to head: It has been observed that using the pillow for support gives a smooth shape to the head. Little dents, uneven surfaces, and bumps can be easily fixed using this pillow
  3. Reduces pressure on baby’s head: As the pillow is filled with seeds, the pillow shapes according to the baby’s head movements. So if your baby moves to the right, the seeds adjust their positions to give support while maintaining their shape and support. This helps to reduce the pressure on your baby’s head
  4. Reduces the chances of flat head: You would have noticed that some babies prefer to sleep in a certain position or direction. But this usually ends up making their heads flat on that side due to continuous pressure on one place. To help with that, mustard seed pillows come in very handy
  5. Has natural warming properties: It is believed to keep away common cold from babies as mustard has natural warming properties

mustard seed pillow

When To Use Mustard Seed Pillow?

In case you are using the pillow for its shaping benefits, you can start using it right after birth for the baby. However, the same pillow can be used for head support and sleeping purposes up until the age of 8-9 months. It is recommended that the pillow is used right after birth so that the head can take up a round shape before the skull fuses together and hardens for permanent shape. That means the sooner the better!

How To Make Mustard Seed Pillow At Home?

It is very easy to make a mustard seed pillow at home. Here are some simple steps to make one conveniently at home for your newborn:

  • Take about half to one kg of mustard seeds. You can buy them easily from your daily grocery shop. Wash them and dry them completely. Remember, there should be no moisture left in the seeds as it can totally get contaminated and infected in the pillow
  • Take 1-meter long soft cloth of your choice. This could be cotton, muslin etc. If you have bought it recently, wash it and dry it. This will make the fabric more breathable
  • Stitch a pillow case from the fabric in a rough dimension of 9 x 14 inches. You can make the size as per your liking. However, ½ to 1 kg mustard seed will fit better in this size
  • Using machine or hand, stitch three sides and keep one open for filling the mustard seeds later
  • Once the three sides are stitched properly, fill in the mustard seeds from the open side. Make sure there is a good amount of seeds in the pillow to give optimum comfort. It should not be too filled as this makes the pillow very stiff. It should not be under filled as it will lose its purpose of supporting the head. The key is to fill perfectly
  • Once the pillow is filled with the right amount of seeds, stitch the fourth side and make sure all the sides are now completely stitched and sealed. No seeds should fall out
  • Now you must double or triple stitch the pillow sides to ensure a longer pillow life
  • You must either buy a suitable pillow cover or stitch additional pillow cover for the pillow so that you can wash it regularly and maintain hygiene. Please note that to clean the pillow, the pillow cover needs to be washed and not the pillow itself

As a mother, you will often feel worried as to what all you can do for the baby’s comfort and right development. Getting a round shaped will definitely be one of your concerns. Hope we were able to clear some doubts and helped you in making motherhood a more enjoyable experience through easy information and knowledge share!