Those sound okay, but I might go a little light on the hops... if it makes an adult sleep, not sure what it would do to a small child. I don't think you'd want to wash it, if you want to keep it clean, I'd put a removable cover on it. I wouldn't add any EO's because EO's are also strong and at the least may irritate the child's skin or something...

You may want to avoid hops in a sleep pillow. Hops exposed to air can get "cheesy" smelling. Not a pleasant odor. Lavender, chamomile and rosebuds are perfectly fine. Sometimes an essential oil can be a little overpowering for small children. Dried herbs, like the ones mentioned, are fine. Get organic herbs. You may want to investigate why the kids aren't sleeping. Too much sugar before bed? Are they experiencing some sort of anxiety?

Lady's bedstraw. After all, that's what it was named for.

Be careful with administering any herbs internally without first consulting a medical doctor.

Thanks for all the input. Good advice on the EOs & also hops. Another thought came to mind, would mild chamomile tea work? Herbal Betty you suggested maybe anxiety or to much sugar. They have never had sugar in their diet and are very happy kids. Zoe is a heavy sleeper, Nicholas is the light sleeper since day one. He's 18 mths now. I'm not familiar with Lady's bedstraw. Thank you again. I love this site.

A few drops of essential oil in a sleep pillow mixture won't do any harm. I'd opt for lavender if you decide to use EO. Instead of using a sleep pillow, you can just put a drop or two onto the child's ordinary pillow. It's a gentle oil.

Perhaps a better way of preserving the aroma in a sleep pillow is to add some orris root powder to the mixture. It has its own relaxing violet perfume, and is used as a 'fixative'.

As for hops, use only the female flowers in sleep pillows.

Like the others here, I don't advocate giving herbal medicines to children, although chamomile tea or catnip tea (for instance) are often used to help children sleep. I think a good pre-bedtime routine is far better - you know, the relaxing bath (with lavender in it), the bedtime story, the soft music thing. 18 months is very, very young to begin giving sleep-aids. Best to let a small child gradually develop good sleep habits without medications, I reckon.

Having had a severely hyperactive child who never slept more than half an hour at a stretch until he was put on a special diet at 2yo, I know that sugar isn't often the culprit. It's more likely to be foods containing natural aspirin (salicylates), and artificial colourings and flavourings and preservatives. Check out the Feingold Diet for more information. Even if you don't go the full hog with this diet, elimination of the artificial stuff will make an enormous difference to children with sleep or behavioural problems.