Well, I think I've found it.
I've tried nursing pillow after nursing pillow, both personally and with other moms, and I think I've honed in on my all time favorite. I started with a Boppy in 2003, and have since tried some great pillows, including the now discontinued Honeysuckle pillow, the Theraline Plushy Moon pillow. I've certainly seen my share of My Brest Friend pillows, too.
But in 2007 I attended the ILCA conference in San Diego and had the chance to check out the Blessed Nest booth and see their Nesting Pillow.* And I've now had the chance to road test it with my daughter, and I have the following to report.
Here's what I love about this pillow:
- The "moldable" filling. I'm now a convert to pillows that can be re-shaped Both the Theraline and Blessed Nest pillows allow you to mush the filling around so that one side can be 'higher' than the other, allowing the baby to rest at an incline. Your baby's head can also make little indentation. The other nice thing about this is that it can adjust to your body shape. If you're long waisted, you can shift the filling over so the baby's head reaches the right height without using another pillow. I haven't tried it in a glider rocker but because it can be reshaped so easily, I'll bet it fits.
- Filling locks into place. What makes this different than other moldable pillows is that the buckwheat hull filling 'locks' into place, so there's no slippage.
- Natural, organic materials. The materials used in this pillow really set it apart. They really couldn't be better. The filling is made from certified organic buckwheat hulls, the cotton is certified organic, and there are no flame retardants used. There is no 'off-gassing' or chemical smell whatsoever. It actually smells good!
- Made in the U.S., by a mom-founded and run company. The pillows are sewn in the U.S. by moms, aunties, and grandmas. The cotton used comes from a U.S. mill. The inside pillow and slipcovers are made of 100% certified organic cotton.
- Style. There are few nursing pillows which don't either infantalize you or clash with your decor. These styles are the most grown-up, sophisticated versions of most pillows I've seen. It actually looks at home on our furniture.
- Removeable slipcover. The outer cover zips off so can be washed. Extra slipcovers can also be purchased.
The downsides? There are a few, but they haven't stopped me from loving this pillow. One, the washable slipcovers are white (with accent fabric on the sides), so can be a bit hard to keep clean. Two, the wonderful buckwheat hulls make this pillow heavy, though I actually really like the weight of it on my lap. It's just not as portable as lighter pillows. Finally, at $87, it's definitely pricier than most pillows.
All in all, this is my new favorite nursing pillow.
*Blessed Nest generously provided me with a gift of the pillow above when my daughter was born. They did not request a review, but I decided to write one anyway!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to email updates and RSS feeds. Subscribe to our podcasts on iTunes.
