Hot pads.
Make sure they don't let the heat through.
My mom thought she was going to be smart and made some using quilted scraps with the polyester batting. Not a good idea.
Small pillows - I bought 12x16 pillows for everyone and made washable "housewife" pillowcases for the little pillows.
The "housewife" pillowcases are sort of an envelope-type affair.