The perfect round head. That's a thing with babies? Oh the things I've been learning to prep for baby. According to my mom, aka 'Lola' (grandma in Filipino), YES it is a thing. I remember having a rice pillow as a little kid but never knew exactly why we used them until recently. My mom explained to me that certain families from Asia and Southeast Asia grew up using rice pillows because they were obsessed with making sure their child had the perfect shaped head. Other cultures may use beans or buckwheat in their pillows.
Basically it prevents the baby from getting a flat head or plagiocephaly. Baby experts say that your child should not use a pillow until the age of two to prevent suffocation, however it is ok to use the rice pillow only while they are awake, interacting or playing. The rice pillow shouldn't be used while baby is sleeping. With that being said by the baby experts, my mom didn't follow those exact rules. With me and all of my siblings, we all slept with the pillow intermittently and I'm happy to report that all four of us have round heads! We use the rice pillow from birth to a few months old.
Other benefits of a rice pillow include reducing a baby's startle effect and elevating the head can help with colic and reflux. Some parents add aromatherapy to soothe the baby and because it's filled with rice it's easy to warm up in the microwave or put in the fridge to cool down for baby's comfort.
'Lola' wanted to make one for her grandson, so I told her to call Uakea, owner of ME + U. She is incredibly talented! My girlfriend Rona ordered me a beautiful custom keiki futon, blanket, diaper stacker and burpee set. I am obsessed with it! {Scroll down for deets on how you can win a ME + U burpee set!!}
So 'Lola' gave Uakea specific instructions to make matching pillow cases and a rice pouch to the set that Rona had made me. They came out perfect! Can I get an adult sized one made too?
Here is how we use it:
I filled the white pillow case with about 4 1/2 cups of rice. We have jasmine rice at home. I love how it smells! Add more or less depending on how flat and firm you want the pillow.
I tested out to see the firmness of the pillows in each of the cases that were made just to make sure I liked how it felt.
Ta-da! It passed the 'Lola' test so next she showed me how to prep it for baby.
Making a fist, you press down in the middle to make a little crater for your baby's head. The rice around it will support babe's cranium and the head can rest comfortably.
That's it! The pillow case is making it hard to see the indentation. Luca's sleep sheep was the stand in model for this production. You can adjust the level of rice in the pillow to make sure it's comfortable for your baby's head. (UPDATE: we took out about a cup of rice when we tested it out on him. So it ended up being about 3 1/2 cups of rice.)
DISCLAIMER: This is a cultural practice that my families in the Philippines and Pakistan have used for generations.
It's GIVEAWAY TIIIIIIME (I feel like Oprah)!!!!! Want to win this super ADORBZ burpee set by ME + U? This 3 piece set is valued at $28 and features their latest fabrics. Perfect for your new bundle of joy or a great gift for parents-to-be! Here is how you can enter to win:
- Follow @lovemeanduhawaii & @yasmindar on instagram.
- Repost this photo to your IG feed using the #WINYDL
- Finally like or comment below!
A winner will be announced on Aloha Friday July 18! Good lucky :)
