All About Mustard Seed Pillows For Babies

5 min read

Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting..

baby sleeping

Before coming to the topic of mustard seed pillows for babies you should understand why mustard seed pillows to your little one. 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. 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 and takes the biggest stress among all the 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!

In This Article

Video of How Mustard Seed Pillows Can Help With Flat Head Syndrome
What is a Mustard Seed Pillow?
Why is a Mustard Seed Pillow Used?
5 Benefits of Mustard Seed Pillow for Newborn
When Should You Use a Mustard Seed Pillow?
How is a Mustard Seed Pillow Made at Home?
FAQ’s

Video of How Mustard Seed Pillows Can Help With Flat Head Syndrome

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 of the baby’s head. It is used widely to provide a more acceptable round head shape.

Since babies are born with all sorts of shapes, especially those born with the 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.

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 fuse into one.

This is when the mustard seed pillow is used so that before the head fuses together into a deformed shape, you can reshape it by using different techniques.

Let’s see some of the benefits of a mustard seed pillow:

1. Proper Support and Cushioning for Baby

Since the mustard seed pillow feels very tender, it provides 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. This helps to reduce the pressure on your baby’s head.

4. Reduces the Chances of Flat Head

baby sleeping on mustard seed pillow

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 in one place. To help with that, mustard seed pillows come in very handy.

5. Has Natural Warming Properties

It is believed to keep away the common cold from babies as mustard has natural warming properties.

When Should You Use a 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 is a Mustard Seed Pillow Made at Home?

baby pillow

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:

Preparation

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 with the seeds. Dampness can get contaminated and infect the pillow.
Take a long soft cloth (around one meter) 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 pillowcase 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.

Procedure

Using a 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.
Also, 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 an additional pillow cover so that you can wash it regularly and maintain hygiene.
Please note that to clean the pillow, the cover needs to be washed and not the pillow itself.

Conclusion

As a parent, you will often feel worried as to what all you can do for the baby’s comfort. Getting around shape will definitely be one of your concerns. Hope we were able to clear some doubts and help you in making motherhood a more enjoyable experience through easy information and knowledge sharing!

FAQ’s

1. Can a Mustard Seed Pillow Change the Shape of My Baby’s Head?

A newborn baby’s head is soft. It can change shape until they are a few months older. A mustard seed pillow offers enough support to change the baby’s head shape to look rounder.

2. Can I Use a Mustard Seed Pillow for My Infant?

Yes you can. You can use these pillows from day 1 until they are about 7 – 9 months old. After this, their heads take a firm shape and require more support.

3. Is it Safe to Use a Pillow for a New Born Baby?

Ideally, doctors advice to wait till the babies are a year old atleast, to start using a pillow. Pillows can cause SIDS in babies. However, a thin mustard seed pillow can be safe if you keep checking on your child regularly.

4. Can I Wash my Baby’s Mustard Seeds Pillow?

Yes you can. Ensure you wash it with your hands. Be cautious to not use water that is too hot and do not wring it.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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Responses (1)

Archana

Jul 28, 2019

Diz post was really helpful... But am kinda late for dis... Bcoz my lil angel s 19 months old... Vit a hint of flat head... S thr ny solution.. Nd can I use diz mustard pillow now on???