Should we Boppy?

[PeterPan]

I bought this newfangled Boppy pillow. Is it useful? They're rather expensive, and then of course they lure you into these adorable covers... When dd was little I had a cheap nursing pillow that slid right off my lap, wasn't useful at all. I ended up using pillows, which weren't ideal either. Really though, it was such a short-lived stage. By the time you get the cover and the Boppy, you're looking at $50. Should I take the thing back, or will I be glad to have it? If I'm going to use it, I want to wash the cover first. Oh the decisions! :)

[Mrs Mungo]

I only had a Boppy with my youngest. I LOVED it...LOVED. I even took it with me when we traveled.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I bought this newfangled Boppy pillow. Is it useful? They're rather expensive, and then of course they lure you into these adorable covers... When dd was little I had a cheap nursing pillow that slid right off my lap, wasn't useful at all. I ended up using pillows, which weren't ideal either. Really though, it was such a short-lived stage. By the time you get the cover and the Boppy, you're looking at $50. Should I take the thing back, or will I be glad to have it? If I'm going to use it, I want to wash the cover first. Oh the decisions! :)

 

Keep it. When baby starts to sit up, she can sit inside it and it will prop her up. Then when baby starts to have tummy time, it can prop her up the other way.

 

I loved my Boppy, but I never had a cover.

[fshinkevich]

Most people have told me they love them, but I never used mine.

[Kelli in TN]

Keep the boppy. You won't regret it.

[Jami]

I loved my Boppy!

 

We wore ours out with 3 kids (and I think I loaned it out to my sister for one of hers). So I get a NEW one this time around.

 

 

 

Jami

[PariSarah]

I did end up using it some, but it wasn't any easier or more convenient than the pillows I used to use with my older one.

 

It was a hand-me-down, so I didn't have to worry about the cost. But I'm glad I didn't buy one--it wouldn't have ended up being worth the cost for me.

 

Most women I know, however, raved over theirs. The woman that gave me hers told me, "This is a LIFESAVER. This was the best baby product ever INVENTED." So my experience is pretty rare.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Ours was a gift and I really used it a lot! I didn't have a special cover, though. It was just patterned fabric on it. I am fairly sure I washed the thing often too. My older was a huge spitter/diaper leaker, so it took a few shots.

[JenParrish]

I used my boppy pillow to nurse. I propped my little one in it so she could look around the room. I sat it around them when they were learning to sit up. I thought it was GREAT. It was not necessary but it was convenient.

[Osmosis Mom]

I used my Boppy a bit for nursing and a BUNCH for when he began sitting up so in that way it was most certainly worth it. However, to begin with I bought it at TJMaxx and paid $16 for it and then another cover at Target. It was not a necessary item with baby #7, but I was happy he could use it while practicing sitting.

[JudoMom]

Keep it. I wore my first one out and had to buy a new one for baby #5.

 

My boys liked it, too, because it made it easier for them to hold the baby. I also liked it just for holding the baby while I was reading or something.

[Laurie]

It makes a neat "reading pillow". An older child can just put it around him/her (like sitting in half an innertube) and rest a book on it.

[Twinmom]

I LOVED my boppy! With twins, this was an absolutely essential item. Even though I bottle fed them (for obvious reasons!), the boppy allowed me to comfortably do them both at once without developing carpal tunnel AND allowed for good snuggling while we did it. Of course, I borrowed mine from the local multiples club and didn't have to pay for it, but it was a lifesaver.

 

Yes, absolutely keep it. Use it when the baby is sitting for a sturdy support.

[Jami]

I bought this newfangled Boppy pillow. Is it useful? They're rather expensive, and then of course they lure you into these adorable covers... When dd was little I had a cheap nursing pillow that slid right off my lap, wasn't useful at all. I ended up using pillows, which weren't ideal either. Really though, it was such a short-lived stage. By the time you get the cover and the Boppy, you're looking at $50. Should I take the thing back, or will I be glad to have it? If I'm going to use it, I want to wash the cover first. Oh the decisions! :)

 

One thing you might do if you want to save a little money on it, would be to look around a few used Children's stores and see if you can find one. And then just buy the new cover for it. Goodwill might be a good place to look too. Or Craigslist. If there are people that hardly used theirs you might get a great deal on a gently used one and then you won't feel you paid too much for it if you don't use it that much.

[Jodie]

I loved mine and used it a lot. It's great for those "I'm-going-to-die-if-I-don't-get-some-sleep" nights and you can prop them up with the pillow and not stress that they are going to roll off your lap if you fall asleep.:D

[chaik76]

I wasn't a super big fan of it for nursing, although it did work reasonably well. What I used mine for (with both kids) was propping them up a bit so they could see the world better. They both loved it. I propped them on their backs and on their tummies for tummy time.

For actual nursing I enjoyed using a regular pillow more. For the propping I loved the boppy.

[PeterPan]

Oh, I'm too close, too lazy, and too tired at this point to look around for one used. You're right though, that would have been an option. I'm mainly wondering how it works when you try to nurse with it. I didn't realize it was so useful for later, hehe. My dd was crawling/mobile at 4 months and didn't learn to sit up (or slow down?) till much later, so we didn't go through the cute sit up and fall over stage. Guess this dc could be totally different though! So mainly it's a question of how it works with nursing. Guess I'll pull it out of the package and see what I think. I'm still open to more comments! :)

 

Thanks!

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Oh, I'm too close, too lazy, and too tired at this point to look around for one used. You're right though, that would have been an option. I'm mainly wondering how it works when you try to nurse with it. I didn't realize it was so useful for later, hehe. My dd was crawling/mobile at 4 months and didn't learn to sit up (or slow down?) till much later, so we didn't go through the cute sit up and fall over stage. Guess this dc could be totally different though! So mainly it's a question of how it works with nursing. Guess I'll pull it out of the package and see what I think. I'm still open to more comments! :)

 

Thanks!

 

I used mine by putting in on my lap with the opening in back. I would latch the baby on with the baby resting on the Boppy which completely surrounded my middle. Loved mine.

[PeterPan]

Ok, for those who just used regular pillows for nursing, how did that go? Was there a special dimension? It's been so long, but I vaguely remember pillows sliding off my (very shallow) lap... I'm not exactly a trim chicken, hehe, and I'm not sure what pillow would work. Did someone mention feather pillows? Or was that on a review I read? I have several feather pillows and could put a flannel pillowcase on one. I think the pillows slid off with dd because they were king size and really long, sorta flat. Any tips? If we could make a pillow work, I save $50. The sitting up thing is of less value to me, or maybe I'm just short-sighted. I held dd for 3 months non-stop, then she started crawling and didn't want to be held anymore. She wouldn't have wanted to be propped like that either.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I used it when nursing and then later on the kids laid on it/sat up with it for playtime on the floor when young.

 

it was worth the money and was able to sell it later on.

[NevadaRabbit]

Oh, definitely keep your Boppy. We Bopped while nursing, playing, tummy time, sitting up, rocking to sleep, rocking while awake, oh I loved our Boppy. :)

[nakitty]

A Boppy is a nursing mothers best friend!!! It may very well be a bottle feeders best friend as well....but I have no personal experience with that.... I just know that when you are nursing (if you are nursing) then the Boppy will save you a great deal of back and arm pain...I buy all new Moms I know one...if they haven't bought themselves one already!

[Carrie12345]

Another Boppy fan here!

 

I made my own covers with PUL fabric. My pukers/poopers/droolers/spillers always soaked through regular covers. With mine, I could just wash the cover and the pillow itself was 100% protected.

 

I HATE washing pillows.

[PariSarah]

Ok, for those who just used regular pillows for nursing, how did that go? Was there a special dimension? It's been so long, but I vaguely remember pillows sliding off my (very shallow) lap... I'm not exactly a trim chicken, hehe, and I'm not sure what pillow would work.

 

. . . rather than across the lap most of the time. So, I had two pillows lying down next to me, I was sitting up, and the baby was laying on top of the pillows with his feet behind me. (Google football hold nursing if you can't picture what I'm saying.)

 

Or, I nursed lying down and didn't need pillows at all.

 

(I don't have a small-lap problem, but we did have a . . . uh, oral-mammary disproportion problem. Football and lying down helped with that.)

 

When I nursed across the lap, which was infrequent, I stuck a small throw pillow under my arm to support the arm that was holding the baby, and I just held the baby.

 

Now that JudoMom mentions it, I remember that Isaac preferred the boppy to a regular pillow when he fed Theo. So maybe if your olders will do some of the feeding, it'll come in more handy. (He also used a big pillow just fine, too.)

[Spy Car]

We had one, but my wife never used it. People swear by them, but for us it was a complete waste.

 

Bill

[Country Girl]

I am a short woman (5' 1") and for me it didn't work. The boppy is so thick that it put baby up too high. When I'm sitting, there really isn't much room between my chest and my lap, so I pretty much just used a pillow under my arm and baby's head. So, it wasn't worth the money to me, but like so many others have stated, I know many woman who swear by them.

[Aubrey]

Hated mine. It took up space & made me feel guilty for not loving it. I tried w/ ea one, but couldn't.

 

Since then, I've heard that women who have problems nursing often have improper latch due to the Boppy. Fwiw. Obviously it's worked for some here, so...I don't know.

 

Since then, though, I've gotten one that's shaped like a bone & thicker on one end than the other. I have no idea what it is--it was a hand-me-down thing--but I LOVE it!!

 

GL!

[kalanamak]

I liked the boppy so much I had two (I got them at a used store and washed them). It really helped a painful upper back. My kiddo was big, squirmed, and ate constantly. The "hunch" was killing me.

[momofkhm]

I loved it loved it loved it. Somehow I found one at Goodwill and only paid $4 for it. At that time they did not have an interchangeable cover. I even threw it in the wash sometimes, it survived. I highly recommend it.

[Sahamamama]

Our church nursery had so many "used" Boppy pillows floating around that I was able to borrow one for a few months to use with my oldest (at that time learning to sit up). It didn't seem to help her much, in fact she used to through herself back and bonk her head more with the Boppy than without it.

 

I never used it with the twins and they sat up earlier than my oldest did., But I had learned and implemented some baby physical therapy exercises with them (because they had abdominal surgery at 3 months), so that might have been the reason why. Sorry I'm not more helpful.

[gardening momma]

I had a Boppy lookalike/imitation pillow. It had wide straps that went around the waist and velcroed together. And I'm not just talking velcro, I mean VELCRO--this thing had a rather large amount of velcro on it. I could hardly get it undone one handed.

 

One day, after I finished feeding dd, I undid the velcro straps (while holding her). As I pulled the pillow away, I found her socks attached to the velcro. The velcro pulled her socks off her feet. :lol: It was funny at the time...maybe you had to be there.:001_smile:

[PeterPan]

Ok ladies, I pulled the Boppy out to try it, and I can see why y'all like it so much! Thing is, it's a bit tight around me, tight in a way that isn't going to resolve in one day after birth, lol. ;) But y'all got me inspired, so I googled and found this free pattern http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/pillow.html that lets you tweak it to fit your own personal dimensions. So if I can get this thing made (on top of everything else I keep trying to do), then that would save me the $50 and let me have this grand, not-to-be missed device!

 

So that's what I'm going to try. If I don't get it done, I still have the Boppy. However even with the package's claim of "stretch to fit all waists" I don't think it's going to fit *mine* very well. I think I was just born bigger than average. ;)

[Jennifer3141]

My kids were both the type that wanted to go to bed to nurse so we never used it. It was so cute too. :glare:

 

Jen

[PeterPan]

Well I got the pillow and a cover sewn, just need to install the zipper (least fav part, ugh). Dd is picking up some stuffing today, then I'll be able to stuff and plump and see how it works! Should be fine though, and I was able to make it fit me at just a fraction of the cost of the store one. So the store one, albeit cute, is going back today. There's just no way it was going to fit me, lol.

 

Well thanks for the encouragement. I never would have gotten this done if y'all hadn't raved about how much you love yours! :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm impressed that you made your own! Way to go!

[PeterPan]

Aw shucks, it isn't that hard. :) It is fun though to be able to dream things up and make them. I've made a diaper bag for this baby, burp cloths, dribble bibs, a smaller blankie, and now I have a large quilt going (nothing fancy, just something I dreamed up with some duck fabric). I have a skirt going for dd and want to make another and also some church dresses. She's at such an in-between size, it's REALLY hard to find clothes for her. Then I want to make matching Christmas outfits for her and the new baby. I still don't have the pillows made for the couch, and I FINALLY finished all the curtains for the house. Maybe I sew more than I think? Hehe, I just have lots of ideas, not even necessarily good ones, lol. It is fun though to have an idea and materialize it. I had negative experiences with sewing growing up, so it's surprised me how fun and straightforward it really can be. I don't know why it took me so long to think of sewing my own boppy pillow. I think it's because I was busy with this other stuff! Oh well, didn't take long and I think it will be good. I added a gusset like the one from the store (a straight panel in the middle to make it stand up straight and not curve down) and a strap like the lady suggested in her instructions. I had leftover blue chenille and blue checked flannel from the diaper bag, so I think it's gonna be cute! :)

[A home for their hearts]

Ok ladies, I pulled the Boppy out to try it, and I can see why y'all like it so much! Thing is, it's a bit tight around me, tight in a way that isn't going to resolve in one day after birth, lol. ;) But y'all got me inspired, so I googled and found this free pattern http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/pillow.html that lets you tweak it to fit your own personal dimensions. So if I can get this thing made (on top of everything else I keep trying to do), then that would save me the $50 and let me have this grand, not-to-be missed device!

 

So that's what I'm going to try. If I don't get it done, I still have the Boppy. However even with the package's claim of "stretch to fit all waists" I don't think it's going to fit *mine* very well. I think I was just born bigger than average. ;)

 

 

This is what I was going to suggest you do! That's what I did. All the boppys, and knock off brands out there were too small for me and didn't help at all. So before I had my last baby my mom suggested I make my own. I did so using this pattern and it was great. It was so comfortable and it had plenty of room for the baby to fit on. Good luck to you!

[A home for their hearts]

This is what I was going to suggest you do! That's what I did. All the boppys, and knock off brands out there were too small for me and didn't help at all. So before I had my last baby my mom suggested I make my own. I did so using this pattern and it was great. It was so comfortable and it had plenty of room for the baby to fit on. Good luck to you!

 

 

Opps, sorry don't know why that pattern didn't work. Here's a link to something that is similar to what I made.

[PeterPan]

Thanks Stacy, sounds like I'm on the right track! Can't wait to get this thing stuffed and see how it works! :)

 

(oh man, did I really say that? lol The pillow I'm excited about, the nursing, well it's been a long time with my books to myself, not sure how thrilling this will be...)

 

:)

[musicmommy]

We used the boppy pillow for all three when nursing and for sitting up practice. For my middle guy who was born with a stomach that didn't know how to digest normal milk/formula, it would give him a little relief when we would prop him up on it a little bit.

 

And then there was hubby. I'd often walk into the room and he was using it. He'd use it for a quick nap or to prop himself up a little when playing on the floor with the kids. He was so sad to see it go. Silly guy!