Multipurpose Baby Items – The Boppy Pillow

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Living in a two-bedroom condo seems do-able for Darren and I along with our first child. We love to travel and rarely spend any time at home. Even on the weekends, we usually make our way to the beach or somewhere new. As I get closer to the due-date, I know that our excessive travels and adventures will come to a lull for a few months or maybe longer depending on the babies needs. Like a lot of new parents, we don’t have room to buy every baby product available. It’s important to find products for our baby that have multi-purposes to save on space. One product that serves many different purposes is the Boppy Pillow. The pillow can can be used for four different baby activities: feeding, lounging, playing, and sitting. A new Boppy pillow retails for $29.99.  On top of that, a washable slipcover will need to be purchased to protect the pillow, which start at $9.99. The Boppy pillow has almost become a staple baby item for parents.  As a first time parent, I didn’t really understand why a simple curved pillow for a baby was so irreplaceable,  but after research and reviews from current parents, I stated to see the wonder unfold before my eyes.

Babies that are bottle fed and breast fed can both use the Boppy Pillow. It places the baby in the right position for feeding and you in a more comfortable, ergonomic position to help relieve stress on your back, neck, and shoulders. Whether you choose to nurse or bottle feed, the Boppy pillow brings you closer to your baby, creating a stronger bond.

The Boppy offers a snug place to let your baby lounge, whether they are newborn or several months old.  The pillow allows for the baby to lean back and relax while their head, shoulders, and sides of the body are supported. The way it hugs the body makes them feel very secure and relaxed.

Another important time for very young babies is tummy time. Your child should spend at least a half hour a day on his or her stomach. The Boppy Pillow is a great place for this, since it props your baby up and helps develop neck muscles, encouraging your child to hold his or her head up. Boppy Pillows can also help strengthen muscles in the neck and back, prevent a flat head, and improve your child’s coordination.

After your baby is a few months old, you can use your pillow to help the baby learn to sit. The Boppy Pillow surrounds your child, allowing you to be certain your wobbly baby won’t fall over. It offers a little bit of support to help with development, but doesn’t create dependence on the pillow; your baby learns to sit on his or her own. By setting your child in the center of the pillow, he or she will have almost 360 degrees of a safety net for each topple over.

Boppy Pillows come in various colors so you can choose the one that fits your personal taste. They can also be covered with different designs and shades. With its removable cover, it’s very easy to clean when those unavoidable accidents happen. The removable cover also means that you can change the way it looks very easily making it suitable for a girl or boy at a very low cost. Whether you buy the Boppy new or used, I’m sure you’ll find at least one thing that makes it irreplaceable.

What do you like or dislike about the Boppy? Did you find at least one great use for it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

85 thoughts on “Multipurpose Baby Items – The Boppy Pillow”

  2. I had a boppy with our first (expecting our second now) & while it was nice to have I will recommend that you “try it on” first. Reason being, as a breast feeding mom (tangent: if you haven’t done so already-take a breast feeding class NOW & get the #s to your local la leche league & lactation consultants bc you do not have time after baby comes to find those #s or read the BF books while trying to figure it out. It’s not easy at first & women were made to help each other. If you’re determined to BF, you can do it. Once you get the initial wonkiness down it becomes SO easy. So much easier than ever making a bottle)
    ANYWAY, i found that the boppy had my son in a weird position to nurse in & it caused a lot of back/neck pain for me. I tried my feoend’s nursing pillow (my breast friend) and it was a life saver!!! Just depends on how long your torso is. Mine is shorter, so the boppy had him way too high & I performed a circus act to feed him!!

    That said-a nursing pillow is a wonderful thing to have. You’ll love it!! 🙂

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    • Maybe I’ll look into My Breast Friend as well. I still strongly believe the Boppy is worth the investment for all of it’s other uses. Most people have been saying that it’s most useful purpose is for helping the baby learn to sit. Even if I can find two practical purposes for it, it’s still a good investment.

      I just took a breast feeding class last weekend and I gained a lot of support and information. I’d recommend it for any new mother. My mother, who has six children, will also be with me for the first while to help with any questions or concerns that I have.

      Thanks for your input. It’s always great to hear from experienced mothers.

      Lesley

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      • I preferred My Breast Friend as well, mainly because it attached to my body, so I could actually move more with it. I work from home, so I could sit in my office chair and nurse or walk around the house and I loved the back support, it just worked better for me than the boppy. I still used the boppy in bed, though I never used it much for anything else. Good luck making your decision!

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  5. Haha! My kids never spent half an hour a day on their tummies as newborns — they hated being on their tummies and would scream their heads off until they were about 4 months old and able to get there on their own. I was lucky to get them 5-10 minutes a day on their tummies 🙂

    But I love the Boppy, and use it pretty consistently until the kids are able to sit reliably on their own without toppling over. I actually have two. The original idea was one for home and one for traveling, but now it’s one for upstairs and one for downstairs so I’m not having to cart the Boppy AND the baby after the two-year-old on the move!

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    • In our condo, I don’t think I’ll need two 🙂 but everyone seems to have something positive to say about it.

      As a nanny in the past, I’ve learned that not many newborns will spend a half an hour on their tummies unless you’re willing to suffer the consequences with them (crying, anger, and frustration) but it’s always nice to dream.

      It must be a fun-filled day with two young children around. Any advice on products or in general would be great!

      Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment; it’s appreciated.

      Lesley

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    • 90% of the things I’ve purchased have come from either Craigslist.com or a second-hand store. I love finding a good bargain on great products!

      Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment; it’s appreciated.

      Lesley

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  8. I didn’t find many “baby items” to be useful when I had my son 13 years ago, but the Boppy was one that I LOVED for nursing and beyond. Other useful things were a stroller with big all-terrain wheels and a place for stuff underneath and a shopping cart seat cover.

    Looking forward to hearing about your adventures with baby!

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  9. As the grandma of three girls (3 yrs-old, 6-mos & 4-mos old) I love to use the Boppy when I visit my daughters and it is my turn to feed them. It really brings the baby up close and personal, and they love the experience. The moment they see the Boppy they know it is feeding time.
    The 3-year old is a “big” girl now (at least that’s what she tells me) so she no longer needs help with feeding, but loves to use it when she reads her books.

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  10. My wife and I (who are also expecting for the first time) bought one of these as part of a shower gift for a friend of ours. She never used it, so we left it off our list of ‘things to get’.

    We’re in the same small space (urban dwellers) conundrum as you, any recomendations for any other dual usage items that lend themselves to space saving?

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  11. Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures. Thanks for liking my “horny goat heritage farms” post. Just curious… how did you find it?

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    • I love to read other blogs and find interesting things that relate to my life. I usually look under the following tags: travel, photography, newborn, Christmas, parenting, cooking, family, nursery, and vacation. When I saw that you were a teacher, I figured you deserved a second look. Somewhere along those lines, I found your post. 🙂

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  13. Loved our Boppy! For nursing I did have to prop one side up with a pillow for it to be the right height, but not a big deal. I used it when our little guy learned to sit too and it was great! Definitely worth the investment!

    I agree with the woman above- learn as much about breastfeeding as possible. It is natural, but it is a learned skill. If you know someone else that has nursed use them as a resource. I had a couple girlfriends that gave me some great tips.

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  14. After breast feeding six children, I’ll be using my mother as my right hand woman on that front. She will be staying with us for awhile when the baby arrives so I look forward to her knowledge and support.

    Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment; it’s appreciated.

    Lesley

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  16. I am also in a 2 bedroom condo with my wife and our 2 year old – it can be done 🙂 Of course, we co-sleep so no need for a separate bedroom for baby yet…

    I liked the Boppy for having a spot to put your newborn and for tummy time (when it happened – my kid hated it), but I was not a fan of using it as a breastfeeding pillow. Way to smooshy to position a floppy newborn correctly for a first-time mom learning to breastfeed. I loved My Brest Friend – a lifesaver in those early days of nursing.

    Check out my baby must-haves if you are so inclined 🙂
    http://path2parenthood.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/top-ten-baby-must-haves/
    http://path2parenthood.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/more-must-haves/

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  17. Love my boppy. I would also recommend getting the protective cover that goes over the boppy but under the decorative cover. I believe it is waterproof, so in case there is, ahem, spillage of any kind, you can protect the pillow and just change the cover (though sometimes you will have to wash both)!

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  18. The Boppy seems like such a great idea, but honestly I didn’t use one for any of my kids. I had one for each one and never found it to be useful. Would love to hear what others think! I did hear great things about My Breast Friend.

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    • I too have heard great things about My Breast Friend but it seems one dimensional. However, with the amount of time breast feeding, it may be worth the additional money and space.

      Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment; it’s appreciated.

      Lesley

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  20. Hmm.. I didn’t have a boopy but it does seem potentially useful. That said, I can’t imagine its very useful for breastfeeding as, unlike the My Breast Friend pillow which goes tightly around you, this looks like it will slip off when you put baby on it. Unless its meant to be used in a different way?

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    • A lot of other responses suggest that it is pretty useful for breastfeeding as well, but even if I can use it to help my baby girl sit up and lounge, it seems worth it.

      Happy Holidays and thanks for responding,

      Lesley

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  22. I have a Boppy pillow. While breastfeeding didn’t work for us, I was still able to use it as a support for my baby’s head (and it’s come in handy especially since he’s quite a heavy little guy). Now that he’s learning to sit, it’s been wonderful. Highly recommend it!

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    • The most practical use for it does seem to be for learning to sit, but I’ve been learning new uses with each additional post.

      Good luck with your little guy and thanks for taking the time to comment; it’s appreciated.

      lesley

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  23. I don’t believe a parent really needs many baby products, but there are some that make life a lot easier…the Boppy is one of them and a sling/wrap which you have already discussed would be another. I used the same Boppy pillow with both of my boys but did buy a new cover when the second one arrived. I thought it was kind of sad to make the new baby cuddle up on a pillow covered in stains left by his big brother. He is going to get enough hand-me-downs as it is.

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  24. I love the Boppy! My kids are 2 and 5 now… they still use the boppy as thier regular pillow in bed! They love thier pillow. I think they find comfort in it still because they have know it since birth. I’m sure you’ll find many more uses for your boppy too! – Caasi

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  25. We had one, but never really used it. When I was using a nursing pillow, I preferred the My Breast Friend, and Nora was never really into lounging in the Boppy. She also did fine with tummy time on the floor, which is really better. I can see where it would be useful, but it wasn’t for me.

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  27. I chuckled when I received my subscription email this morning because I had just posted a similar post last night. However, my feelings about the boppy are quite different. Feel free to check out my post for more details on what baby products I used and didn’t use (the boppy listed under the didn’t use section). http://inherchucks.com/2011/11/22/sorting-through-the-stuff/

    In saying that, I have lots of friends who swear by their boppy. Mostly for the breastfeeding function. The tummy time idea is a good one, but it ends up being too high for them. I always found a rolled up towel on the floor worked perfectly for that. I saw someone mention my breast friend, I had one of these as well and there is not much difference to the boppy. I think it comes down to personal preference, because they both serve the same purpose.

    Sounds like you definitely have your head in the right place as far as baby gear goes, and trying to make something work a multitude of ways. Will help keep down the clutter.

    I hope you take some time to check out my post. My goal was to give some much needed clarity to the madness of registering for baby stuff…

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  29. The only baby product I found indispensable was the sling. We had one of these boppy pillows and I used it a bit to help my first child sit up but my second and third children really didn’t use it at all. I especially found it useless for breastfeeding. It didn’t place my baby comfortably and was a nuisance.

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  30. Boppys are my standard gift to new parents! I have found them to absolutely indispensable when sitting for friends and family members because my arms weren’t quite used to supporting the weight of a little one. It worked nicely for bottle-feeding and for allowing older sibs to hold the baby. I’ve used it to help kiddos sit up, too.

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  31. Oh my gosh I love my boppy so much so I have two! I have one in the living room and one in the bedroom. I use it right now just for nursing since my son is only a month old. We don’t try to use it for tummy time, going to wait until he can actually hold his head up for that. Right now he just does the head bob. I don’t know what I’d do without that pillow more so for the 3AM feedings!!

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  32. I delivered in March this year and I swear by my Boppy. It’s so comfortable when feeding; especially the first month or two when I was getting used to handling my baby. Now he sits up or lays back in his Boppy pillow and lounges! Mine is beige with a brown monkey 🙂

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  33. I was given a Boppy just before my baby was born. I love it and have used it for multiple purposes: breastfeeding, tummy time, placing baby slightly reclined on her back, and currently to assist baby with sitting. This item is one of my all time favorite baby products. I would definitely recommend it.

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  34. Oh the beloved Boppy pillow! How I bought one but it never worked! The main reason why is that it was too low for nursing making you have to lean way down and strain your neck and shoulders. Instead I used a series of pillows that I would layer up in my bed. That seemed to work for me. I also found that the best sleeping arrangement for my second child was in no other than the infant carseat! No joke! I put her right beside my bed and nestled her in. She loved it! I forgot about all these baby things! I had it all…the swing, the vibrating chair, the pack and play and the boppy but each child is so different and each one liked one thing and not the other. The car seat remained the best hit for both kids as it was easy to carry it around the house and into the bathroom for much needed showers. It may sounds strange, but man does your life and independence change with a newborn! It gets easier, especially if you have a good sleeper. First one wasn’t. Second one was!

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  35. another nice thing abt the boppy pillow is that its’ so cute!!! i would LOVE to have one of those!!! One of the things i like about your blog is that you talk about so many different things!!! keep up the diversity! 🙂

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  36. I have Fibromyalgia so holding my niece and nephew for feedings was really hard on my neck/back/arms/shoulders, but with the help of this pillow it took a lot of stress of my body. They last a pretty long time too, unlike bed pillows they won’t go limp and get bunchy. Check out a bumbo seat too, you can do feedings in it once the baby is a little older and not have a huge high chair eating up room and it travels easy.

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  37. We love the Boppies around here. I had my first baby in 1996 and never had one until a friend bought me one with baby number 6. Really, I didn’t think we would use it. Actaully the older kids put her in it when she was pretty small. They we traveled in our RV when she was 6 weeks old and we used it alot then in the trailer. I think it will be great for you, especially living in a smaller place. It gets used plenty with child number 7 as well. He likes to climb on it now and some of the bigger people use it as a pillow.

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  38. It’s funny you should mention the Boppy. I don’t have any kids, but saw this thing on a registry a few years ago. Then after my friend had her baby, I used the Boppy and realized it’s immense value LOL Now I tell all my pregger friends to make sure they register for the Boppy

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  39. I think everyone else has this point covered but I couldn’t help but chime in. I loved my Boppy it made feeding so much easier. With a little practice, you can free your hands to do other tasks while you feed. It was also a very good lounger for the little ones.

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  40. I don’t have children of my own (yet), but I’ve heard for a few years, from other Mums that this is a GREAT gift….so I’ve been buying this as a gift for many of my friends ever since. Such a multi use pillow. Great post 🙂

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  41. I liked the Boppy pretty well. Along with the other uses mentioned, it can be good for some types of neck problems, providing good support when you want to lie on your back reading.

    For nursing, what I liked best about the Boppy was that I could keep baby in place with one hand if I had to get up to answer the phone, turn off the boiling water, etc.–because it stayed around my waist. However, my FAVORITE nursing pillow was just two regular bed pillows stacked in a homemade pillowcase–nice and thick.

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  42. I know you’ve already gotten a million responses, but I can’t help but add my two cents too 🙂 I have three children, and all three have used the boppy. It was a lifesaver with our first who seemed to want to nurse all the time (as most newborns do). I could still read books during the day (if it was nap time as i tried to interact with him all I could if it was “awake time”), played games with the hubby at the table at night, with baby snuggled in on top of the boppy. With a second baby it was great because it gave me a snug spot for baby #2 and enough room for baby #1 to still sit on my lap, without worry about squishing the baby. And a “safer” way for an older siblings (cousin, child, or even an adult who’s a little leery of newborn holding) is to put the boppy on them, set baby on it, place their arms around… perfect! Between tummy time, floor time, even sleeping as they got to be older children. Even nursing an older baby is easier with the boppy. One thing I will say, I always did wish I had two. One for home and one for taking places (we do a lot of weekend trips, family visits, etc.), but I never did. So I guess maybe it was unnecessary, but it just always seemed like a good idea (because I was always either a)forgetting to bring it or b)forgetting to bring it home) so one kept in the car seemed like a good fix. But you can always see how much you love it or not before making a second purchase (or hinting to a loved one how helpful a 2nd one would be). One more thing- if it doesn’t fit great right away, don’t worry, itty bitties are best snuggled right up on your skin anyways. As baby grows the fit will be better, so if you don’t like it immediately, don’t give up!

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    • I love your idea, “And a “safer” way for an older siblings (cousin, child, or even an adult who’s a little leery of newborn holding) is to put the boppy on them, set baby on it, place their arms around… perfect!” My sister, who is only 9 years old, will be visiting me when the baby is born. Although I trust her completely, it would be nice to have the addtional support!

      Thanks for commenting; it’s appreciated.

      Lesley

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  44. Loved my Boppy!! I used it on top of a pillow on my lap for nursing…so comfy. They were great as floor pillows…back time, tummy time, sitting up time. Great product…you’ll love it! 🙂

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  45. Those who weren’t planning a pregnancy are frequently scared, not knowing what to expect and how to behave in the course of pregnancy though those who were looking forward to it do their best to discover out everything they have to know. However, pregnancy preparing will assist you to assure that your baby will be as healthy as possible.

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  46. Pingback: Bella using Boppy as Make Shift Highchair | crystalstravels

  47. My girls are 9 years apart. In that time I changed a lot and so did the market on needed baby items. The list is even longer than when I had my first! I bought so much junk for her I never used! The one exception was the Boppy. When I found out I was having my second it was top of my list!

    BTW, In a pinch they make for a portable highchair.
    Photo: http://crystalstravels.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/bella-using-boppy-as-make-shift-highchair/

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  48. Reading more on your blog, I’m feeling your excitement at your coming baby. I remember checking out many products myself – don’t think I really used the Boppy though I had one – too hard and too low. BTW, I raised two kids in a two-bedroom apartment so it’s quite possible although, if you are a neatnik, you can be spending a lot of time picking up. I always reason that, if I had a bigger place, I’d be spending that time doing other things like tending to the yard, so it might come to the same.

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  49. I loved my boppy for the first few months. I used it a lot at first when breastfeeding! But once my son reached about 4 or 5 months old, I didn’t see much Use for it. He was bigger and had better head control. I did use it though to prop him up when we would just relax on the couch or whatnot.

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