Nursing and pregnancy pillows are an essential purchase for any new parent. Developed by health professionals, the bbhugme nursing pillow promises to give you all the support you need to bottle or breastfeed your baby comfortably, whether you're at home, or out and about. It is entirely customisable to your body as well as your baby’s changing needs as they grow.
Here's what our tester thought of the bbhugme nursing pillow...
How did this product make your life easier?
When we acquired this product to test it was to replace the assortment of items we could find to raise the baby enough to enable a comfortable feed for mother and baby. Normally this would be one of our own pillows or blankets, very primitive stuff. I must say it was a relief from first use. It is incredibly ergonomic due to it being filled with thousands of polystyrene balls that move to the size and shape of your baby, just like memory foam.
After reading many similar reviews online I can confirm it seems to be the perfect height for breastfeeding, regardless of body shape. You can sit up in bed and grab it quickly enabling a stress-free feed meaning less time enduring the baby crying and sooner back to sleep.
In the daytime when you just need to get things done, the long fabric ends wraps around your body and ties up at the back, allowing you to carefully rest your baby on for a feed while still enabling your other hand to complete small tasks. You can adjust the size and density of the pillow by moving the rubber stops at either end. They are tight enough on the fabric to not wiggle free losing form but easy to move with one hand - another well thought out feature. This not only makes the pillow longer or shorter but changes the firmness too.
Would you recommend this to other parents?
Yes, straight out of the box it was clear that this product was of high quality. The material is super soft, especially if you are tender after recovering from a caesarean section like I was. I wish I’d had this pillow during pregnancy as this would be just as good being used as a sleep aid to support your bump or to put behind your neck for a nap.
Although we did not receive any extras with our pillow there are additional covers available with lots of different styles and patterns to suit most parents. A bag is also an option should you desire one for taking it out and about. This pillow would be an excellent gift for an expectant mother as I’m certain this will help whatever style of feeding is chosen. Many times my child has fallen asleep on the pillow too, sometimes without feeding at all, which just shows how comfortable the pillow actually is.
Would you choose this product versus all others on the market?
Yes, I would. With my previous child, I had a couple of different pillows designed to aid in feeding your baby however I did not get on with any of them. They were either uncomfortable, bulky, or put my baby at an awkward height when the pillow was resting on my lap. I was therefore sceptical to try this one out and expected yet another bad experience. I think this is the first one I had tried that was filled with polystyrene balls; I believe others on the market are mainly synthetically stuffed.
I can honestly say though that it has transformed our feeding times. I find it incredibly helpful to help me get the right angle for a good latch when breastfeeding, which I really struggled with prior to using this. I’d tried all manner of different styles that I’d researched online but once I received the pillow it was so easy to feed no special positions were necessary.
It is also a million times better than using pillows or blankets to feed on, it moulds to the shape of your lap and your baby so it is comfortable for both of you. If anything were to happen to it, I would have to go straight out to replace it as I just can’t imagine being without it now, especially during night feeds. After everything I’ve experienced bringing up my oldest child, I wish I’d had this pillow sooner. It is extremely versatile and aids breastfeeding by creating a comfortable experience for mother and baby. I would recommend this product to any parent regardless of if it is your first or fifth child.
What changes would you make to this product?
One noticeable downside is it does not come with a spare cover. Many times my baby has been sick during or after a feed and so the cover needs to be washed. The lack of a spare cover means it is out of action until it is clean. The cover is machine washable however is not suitable for tumble drying, meaning you have even longer to wait until you can use the pillow again which can be quite frustrating when you have a baby that is sick frequently and the cover is in the wash more often than not. I also think it is quite expensive given that it does not come with a spare cover.