Pillows can be a great way to calm, comfort, and soothe children with special needs. Pillows can provide a comforting embrace, making special needs children feel soothing pressure, or provide healthy sensory stimulation and an outlet for restlessness and fidgeting. Here are our top picks for the best pillows for children with special needs.
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Best Body Hug Pillows for Children with Special Needs
Leachco Snoogle Jr. – Luxuriously Soft Plush Puppy with Zippered Removable Cover
- Fun animal designs: Fox, Puppy, Monkey, Bunny, Elephant, Giraffe and Unicorn
- Unique shape for cozy lounging
- Custom-to-kids dimensions: 38 inches x 23 inches x 7. 5 inches
Last update on 2024-11-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This wrap-around body pillow from Leachco provides a stable, comforting embrace, and it’s also fun and cute. The pillow comes in four fun animal designs, including puppy, bunny, fox, and monkey, to appeal to different children. It’s sized perfectly for children, measuring 38 x 23 x 7.5 inches, and is safe for ages 3 and up. It offers 360 degrees of comfort and support.
The Leachco Snoogle Jr. Luxuriously Soft Plush Puppy with Zippered Removable Cover has a polyester cover that can be easily removed, machine washed and zipped back in place, so it stays healthy and cozy for years to come.
Pros ✅
- Pillow wraps completely around a child’s body, for comfortable support on all sides
- The cover is easy to remove and wash
- Cute animal designs appeal to children
Cons ❌
- Not big enough for adults, who will want to snuggle with it too!
Yogibo Mates Roll Pillow
This roll pillow from Yogibo is a body pillow with less of a hug, making it easy to use in a variety of positions, and allowing it to better grow along with a child. It comes with fun and playful designs, including alligator, dog, fox, panda, and unicorn. It provides great body support, and the unique Fibead filler gives the pillow long-lasting support that stays cool and doesn’t retain heat.
The Yogibo Mates Roll Pillow has a machine washable cotton and spandex cover and measures 26 x 14 x 8 inches.
Pros ✅
- Provides versatile, comfortable support
- The Fibead fill remains cool in temperature and retains structure over time
- Cute animal designs appeal to children
- Machine washable cover
- Cylinder shape can’t be outgrown
Cons ❌
- None
Best Sensory Pillows for Special Needs Children
HealthmateForever Pressure Activated Massage Pillow 🌌
Last update on 2024-11-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This massage pillow from HealthmateForever is battery-powered, and vibrates when squeezed or pressed, for calming sensory input. It has two vibration speeds, or vibration can be turned off entirely for use as a purely decorative pillow. The covers are soft and durable, and the pillow comes in your choice of 11 beautiful colors, including fun animal prints.
Covers are removable for hand-washing, making it easy to keep clean over time. Since it simply starts and stops with pressure, children with special needs can activate it whenever needed, for as long as needed, with no complicated controls or instructions.
The HealthmateForever Pressure Activated Massage Pillow measures 14 x 14 inches and is powered by two D batteries. The pillow is filled with foam, and the cover opens for easy access to the battery chamber and control switches.
Pros ✅
- No controls or instructions to operate – simply squeeze for vibration
- The cover is removable and washable
- An attractive pillow that can be decorative and functional
- Good range of colors and patterns
- Can provide relaxing massage as well as sensory stimulation
Cons ❌
- The cover needs to be hand-washed
Dash Sensations Pink Sensory Kids Body Pillow
- QUALITY COMFORT: Playtime, naptime and sleep time just got better! Kids can snuggle up to the...
- SENSORY & TACTILE: Do your little ones have trouble sleeping or relaxing? Your kids can cuddle up to...
- DECORATIVE & PLAYFUL: It’s the perfect size for your child to rest their head or bodies on during...
Last update on 2024-11-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This sensory body pillow from Dash Sensations has a plush, soft, velvety cover and a flexible shape for support and comfort in a variety of positions. It also has a microbead filling that provides extra sensory input for additional calming and relaxation. This pillow is 30 inches long and 6 inches wide and comes in either soft blue or pale pink color.
The Dash Sensations Pink Sensory Kids Body Pillow has a removable, washable cover, so it’s easy to keep clean. The filling is dense enough to provide firm support, but the pillow is still soft and huggable.
Pros ✅
- Versatile shape provides support in lots of body positions
- Removable washable cover
- Comes in two colors
- Microbead filling for additional sensory stimulation
- Soft, plush cover
Cons ❌
- None
Weighted Neck Pillow for Kids
- Portable
- Versatile
- Multi-Purpose Tool
Last update on 2024-11-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This weighted neck pillow from LakiKid is a calming sensory experience, a supportive travel and sleep pillow, and a plush toy all in one. The weight is evenly distributed for soothing, calming pressure that calms fidgets and anxiety. The fun beagle design makes this pillow easy to fall in love with, and it’s soft and soothing against the skin.
The LakiKid Weighted Neck Pillow for Kids is 10 x 8 x 3 inches and is made of durable, non-toxic material. It’s machine washable, so you can keep it clean and soft over time. It comes with a convenient carrying bag. LakiKid also supports people with special needs by donating 1% of every purchase to KultureCity.Org.
Pros ✅
- Comfortable neck pillow good for travel or sleep
- An appealing shape of a stuffed toy
- Weighted for even, soothing pressure
- Comes with a carrying bag
- Machine washable
- Made of non-toxic materials
- Part of the proceeds go to charitable causes
Cons ❌
- May not be very durable
A New Case
Not every child with special needs will respond the same way to supportive pillows, sensory pillows, or vibrating pillows, but these kinds of devices are frequently shown to calm special needs children. With a calming pillow, special needs children are often better able to focus on tasks, manage anxiety and negative emotions, and sleep more calmly and more deeply.
Our favorite pillows for children with special needs provide a variety of ways to help soothe, calm, and relax special needs kids and improve their quality of life.