I purchased a Boppy pillow when my daughter was a little over one month old. Because I was using the "football hold" to nurse, I really needed a way to raise my baby up to the correct level. Until I bought the Boppy, I had been struggling along using throw pillows, bed pillows, sofa cushions, and anything else I could find to create a little "nest" when I nursed. These efforts were not particularly successful, since the pile of pillows tended to slip and slide, leaving my daughter without support and forcing me to either stop the feeding and readjust (not a good option for me, since we were already having difficulties with breastfeeding) or lean over. Usually I found myself hunched over completely, bent into a U-shape, before the feeding was through. As you can imagine, this led to horrible back pain.

Enter the Boppy. It's the simplest thing in the world - a C-shaped pillow that you wear around your waist. It seemed too simple at first. How could one pillow make that much of a difference? But it did. Unlike my pile of miscellaneous pillows, the Boppy was firmly anchored to my body and did not slide away from me. This made a huge difference. I was able to maintain a comfortable, upright position, and my back pain diminished.

But we also found that the Boppy was useful for bottle-feeding, or even when the baby was taking a nap - basically, any time we were seated with our daughter in our arms, out came the Boppy. Not only does the pillow raise the baby closer to you (for feeding or snuggling), but it helps distribute the baby's weight over more of your body, which is much more comfortable and makes your legs less likely to fall asleep. It also gives the baby (or toddler) a more comfortable surface to sit on (laps are great, but sometimes it's hard to get comfortable!) Speaking of falling asleep, it also provided some peace-of-mind when we had a late-night feeding or she had gas and needed to remain upright. The Boppy around mom or dad's waist provided a support that kept her from slipping out of our arms if we dozed off. And later, when she started sitting upright, the Boppy was a perfect little cubbyhole to practice her new skill. My daughter is 15 months old and the Boppy is still right by the rocking chair at all times.

The pillow is available in many different colorful prints. I threw the packaging out before I checked to see that it was machine-washable (one of those half-mindless acts of a tired new parent!), but I have washed it several times (gentle cycle) and even machine-dried it (low heat), and it comes out perfectly every time. I paid about $20 for mine.

I recommend the Boppy pillow to all new parents. Whether or not you're breastfeeding, you will surely find a million uses for it.


Recommended: Yes