All moms know that parenting is 20% nurturing and 80% cleaning. At least it feels that way a majority of the time. This is why any sort of baby product that makes cleaning easier, is a winner for most moms out there. The Boppy Waterproof Cover is an absolutely essential item if you have a Boppy Nursing Pillow and Positioner. The Boppy Protective Cover is an add-on item for the nursing pillow, but it makes your life so much easier, if you have it. You definitely do not want to forget to add it to your cart, and here’s why.
Cleaning Is Easier
When you have a Boppy Protective Cover, it just makes life easier because you don’t have to worry about cleaning your entire pillow. You can just take the slip cover and waterproof cover off, put them in the washer, and replace them after the load is done, or put a spare on.
Cleaning your pillow on delicate, as recommended and drying it on low can take a long time, and when you are used to a certain routine of nursing, it can be difficult to live without your favorite baby gear product for even one feeding.
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Small Stains
If the spill or spit up is minimal, you can even get away with just washing the outside slip cover and wiping the waterproof cover off without having to wash it in the washer.
Removal
If you do want to wash your pillow and your waterproof cover, you can remove it easily by unzipping it and sliding it off. It fits snugly enough that it doesn’t wrinkle, but loose enough that it isn’t a hug pain to get in and out of the cover.
Can It Be Washed
The Boppy Nursing Pillow and Positioner along with the slip covers and waterproof covers can absolutely be washed, according to the manufacturer. Here is how they can be washed:
How To Wash The Covers
According to Boppy, you can, “Machine wash separately, delicate cycle, 30ºC/85ºF. Tumble dry low on a delicate cycle. Cool iron as needed. Do not dry clean.”
The slip covers come prewashed, and should not shrink, but to avoid any shrinking, make sure that you do not use high heat in the dryer.
You also should not have the slip cover or the waterproof cover on the actual pillow when you are washing it. This will trap more moisture into the pillow and it will not be able to dry completely. Even using detergent, a pillow can develop mold in it if it never fully dries as a result of the covers being left on. The covers could also cause the pillow to be lumpy and not fluff as well in the dryer.
How to Wash The Pillow
The manufacturer’s instructions for washing the actual Boppy Nursing Pillow and Positioner is, “Machine wash delicate cycle, 30ºC/85ºF. Tumble dry low on delicate cycle. While drying pillow, throw a sneaker or tennis ball (wrapped in a pillow case) in the dryer to help the pillow keep its shape. Do not iron. Do not dry clean.”
There are many reviews online about people who have washed their Boppy, some positive, some negative. Of all the reviews, here are some good tips for washing the Boppy.
Make Sure Your Washer Is Balanced
If you have two Boppys, you may want to wash them at the same time, though that kind of defeats the purpose of having two Boppys. You would typically want to have an extra Boppy so you could use it when your other one was in the wash, however, it is a great option to balance your machine, so the drum doesn’t go off balance. You can also put in some other pillows to help to balance it out.
Don’t Skip The Tennis Balls
Boppy says to include a tennis ball or a sneaker in a pillowcase in the dryer to help the pillow keep its shape. Some people skipped this step and their pillow ended up getting lumpy. Once a pillow gets lumpy, there is no way to get them out.
Be Careful With Agitators
Agitators in top loading washers can mess with your pillow and make it lumpy. The pillow can fold over or around the agitator in a way that makes it twist. I would avoid top loaders with agitators and instead stick with front loaders or top loaders without an agitator.
Don’t Overfill Your Washer
You want to make sure that your pillow is getting a great cleaning, and the best way to do this is to reserve the load for only the Boppy or possibly another pillow. A pillow is much more dense than a shirt or a pair of jeans, so it makes sense that it would need to be in its own load.
Or, you can just skip this step altogether and use the waterproof cover so you have no need for washing your pillow.
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Alternatives to Washing The Pillow
If you don’t have the Boppy Waterproof Cover, there are a couple other alternatives to make sure that your pillow is staying as clean and safe as possible.
Leave Your Pillow In The Sun
Although Boppy does not specifically recommend this, many people say that they will leave their pillow in direct sunlight for several hours to help kill the bacteria that could be living inside it. The heat along with the UV rays will help to get rid of any dangerous things in the pillow and sanitize it. Just don’t leave it outside, since other small bugs might be able to get into it. Rather put it in a sunny spot in your home, if possible.
Use A Multi Surface Cleaner
Many people will also use a fabric sanitizer like Febreeze to disinfect the pillow and make it smell lovely. This is especially helpful if the pillow is a hand me down from another family with a distinct smell or if you are bringing it out of musty storage for the first time.
Buy the Boppy Waterproof Cover
If you use the waterproof cover, then you will have no need to do any of the above steps to keep the pillow sanitized. It will stay clean and protected throughout some of the roughest use.
Why Should You Protect Your Pillow?
Many people sleep on a pillow every night and wash them very irregularly. So why is it important to wash your baby’s pillow?
Danger You Cannot See
You might wonder why you should protect your pillow if your baby doesn’t spit up often. According to CBS News, pillows can “absorb germs from our skin and the air, they become a breeding ground for mold, bacteria and dust mites.” Even if your baby isn’t sleeping on the pillow, he or she is likely drooling on it and getting other kinds of organic matter in it that can lead to the mold, bacteria, and mites.
Effects of Mold
Even grown adults can have bad reactions to these things–especially mold–so just imagine what it could do to your growing baby. Mold can get into the lungs and give your child respiratory problems, nausea, and even headaches. Dust mites can contribute to allergies. And there are all kinds of bacteria, good and bad, that you might have to worry about.
If you have a waterproof pillow protector, you will know that your pillow is safe and secure from these things growing in there. However, you still may want to wash your pillow from time to time using the manufacturers instructions from above.
Extend Life of Pillow
Even people who have washed their pillow with success over the years will ultimately put more wear and tear on their pillows. If you want to extend the life of your Boppy pillow, then you will want to make sure you wash it infrequently. You can easily resell the pillows, so it makes sense to take care of them.
No one wants to wash something with heavy use infrequently. Using the waterproof cover will save you a lot of time and energy while extending the life of your pillow.
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Price
The one thing that disappoints me about the Boppy Waterproof Cover is that it isn’t included in your purchase of a Boppy Pillow. Literally everyone would see the value in having a washable waterproof cover for their nursing pillow. It just makes sense to include it in the purchase of the actual Boppy Pillow.
Instead, it is a separate purchase. It is very affordable and only adds around $10 to your total cost. However, when you consider the cover is a sixth of the price of the pillow, it seems as though it should be a bit cheaper–or worked into the cost of the whole pillow.
Conclusion
Overall, the Boppy Waterproof Cover is a very small purchase that will save you literally loads–laundry loads–of time. Your Boppy Pillow will remain in better shape after years of use if you don’t have to wash it in your washer every time it gets spit up on, which for some people is every day.