What is a Boppy Pillow for? – The 4 in 1 Product You will Love

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The Mom behind the Pillow

I imagine you have heard other mothers rave about their Boppy Pillow. Now you are wondering what they are for?

Boppy Pillows are designed to serve two main functions: to prop up babies 0-9 months while laying or sitting; support for mother and child while breastfeeding. 

Did you know that the Boppy pillow was invented by a regular mom just like us? She made a pillow to help prop her child up at daycare and realized it could be marketed. She came up with the C shape in one night and decades later it’s a household item that everyone uses. 

Obviously the way to stardom was not easy. She had a great product on her hands and the motivation to get it recognized. She was a working mom to 2 small children, trying to start her own business. Also, this was at a time when the internet around. (Think looking up contacts in the yellow pages).

I am in awe over this accomplishment. It’s a great story to remind us moms that we too can accomplish big things too. (Although Susan did set the bar a bit high…)

The first Boppy Pillow came to the market January 27 1989, and is now a household staple. It’s founder Susan Brown actually designed the pillow for her baby to use in daycare. Shortly after, she decided to market the idea after realizing the c shape design fulfilled multiple functions.

Despite being a global brand, the Boppy Co still operates fully in Colorado with a team of only 26 employees! 

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There are 4 different type of Boppy Pillows:

1. Original Feeding and Infant Support Pillow (check price on Amazon)
2. Bare Naked Boppy Pillow (check price on Amazon)
3. Luxe Feeding & Infant Support (check price on Amazon)
4. Best Latch Breastfeeding Pillow  (check price on Amazon)

4 Ways to Use your Boppy Pillow

The reason the Boppy pillow is so popular is that it is multi-functional. The Original Boppy Pillow, which is still the most popular has 3 main functions:

1. Feeding
2. Propping
3. Tummy Time
4. Sitting

Feeding 0 months +

The Boppy Pillow’s ergonomic shape fits nicely around your waist. It creates a bed for your baby to lay on while feeding. The pillow supports both breastfeeding and bottle feeding so your partner will make use of this pillow as well. 

Due to the pillow being one size fit all, the Best Latch Breastfeeding Pillow was developed for all size mommas. It is accommodates a generous size as I am 6ft, 170lbs and the pillow fit me without any issues)

The pillow mimics the support your arm gives the baby to put them into a feeding position. The reality is that it can get really tiring for that one arm to support your baby, especially if your little one is on the heavier side. 

With the Boppy Pillow, your supporting arm only needs to ensure baby stays secured within the pillow’s perimeter while feeding.

Propping 3 months +

Babies love to look around, especially as they near the 3-4 month mark and get much more aware of their surroundings. Bring the Boppy Pillow with you around the house and easily lay your baby down in the comforts of it’s embrace. The baby will feel snuggled and safe. 

This pillow can be used to prop your baby up at any age as it support their whole body. However, it’s suggested to wait until they are at least 3 months of age. Having your baby lay on their back in a jungle gym is a great activity for newborns when you what to put them down.

A few things to keep in mind.

• Do not use this pillow to prop baby when sleeping at night.
• Leave baby unattended when propped on the pillow is dangerous.
• Do not place baby and pillow on a counter or table where there is risk of them falling.

If you are are considering Safely Bed sharing, these products made my nights so much easier. You can also read about my personal bed sharing journey.

Tummy Time 6 months +

We have all received informational sheets from our pediatricians on the importance of tummy time for newborns. It is super stressful as most (if not all) babies despise this activity and will cry or whine the whole time. (If you are in the thick of it, don’t worry because it gets better, I promise!)

Using the Boppy Pillow is a great addition to the tummy time practice around 6 months. At this age they start to hold their own head up which allows for them to be propped up higher when in a tummy down position.

Don’t use this prop for all tummy time, because it takes some work away from the baby, but you can get your little one to lay in a tummy down position for longer stretches as the pillow makes it more comfortable. This allowing them to work their back and neck muscles in a slightly different way.

Sitting 9 months +

Baby’s physical development varies greatly from baby to baby, so many start using this pillow for sitting before 9 months. For example, my son started crawling around 9 months, while my friends son was already walking at 10 months.

Personally our son was ready to sit in his Boppy at 7 months when he started to gain a good deal of neck strength. This allowed him to support his own head weight which consequently led to more upper body stability.

During the second half of baby’s first year they start to practice sitting up quite a bit, so you can you the Boppy pillow to support this exciting new phase of their development. 

The pillow will sit snugly around your babies hips providing support during those weeks of sitting and a piece of mind to parents as many falls happen during this period of physical discovery.

I used the sitting position a lot with my son because it allowed him to play with both hands while not having to worry too much about balancing.

The pillow that still hangs around

I had both a Boppy Pillow and My Brest Friend Pillow when breastfeeding my boy when he was a baby. Two years later the Boppy Pillow is still in his bedroom, while I have no idea where My Brest Friend Pillow went… The Boppy pillow is still around because I used it the most but also still fits the decor of a toddler’s bedroom.

The Boppy pillow is the leading brand of feeding pillows worldwide. They are simple to put on, aesthetically pleasing and it’s round features make it fit in nicely among other pillows on the bed. 

The most popular pillow is still the original one named Original Feeding & Infant Support pillow. That is the one I had as well.

How did you hear about the Boppy Pillow? 

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The Boppy Pillow is on my Breastfeeding checklist for new mothers. You can sign up to receive the checklist right to your inbox:

You can also find some of my favorite breastfeeding products here

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