My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow is one of the more unique nursing pillows on the market. The wrap-around feature that helps youhave good posture and keeps a latch strong is one of the biggest reasons why people love it so much. But does it compare with the variety of slipcovers that other leading brand pillows like Boppy have?
The short answer is “yes!” My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow has a lot of different designs and some fabrics to choose from. They might not have the vast supply of options that Boppy or Nursing Pillow have, but they have a good amount to choose from and as their supply changes, you can buy the new styles coming out.
Here is a bit of information about the slipcovers that are available:
Original Nursing Pillow Slipcover
The original nursing pillow slipcover is the slipcover that is pretty standard and will fit any of the My Brest Friend Nursing Pillows. Also, an important note, the pillow is exactly the same between the original nursing pillow and the deluxe. The only difference between the two is the slipcover–so make sure you figure out what is the best deal when you purchase it. You might want to buy the deluxe with the pillow and buy a backup slipcover in a different fabric, to save money.
Fabric
The fabric is 100% cotton that comes in several different designs. There are not as many design options as the Boppy, but there is something for everyone.
The Original Nursing Pillow Slipcover is machine washable on a gentle cycle. Try to wash it on cold to avoid any possible shrinkage. Hang to dry.
Deluxe Nursing Pillow Slipcover
Just like the Original slipcover, the Deluxe will fit any of the My Brest Friend Pillows, except the one made for twins.
Fabric
The design of the Deluxe Nursing Pillow Slipcover is exactly the same as the Original slipcover, but the fabric is different. The fabric for the Deluxe is soft, similar to minky. Minky fabric is meant to resemble the feel of actual mink fur and it is ultra soft to the touch. The length of the pile is very short so it won’t disrupt your baby’s eating. This fabric is extra cozy and will feel warm and welcoming to your baby’s soft skin.
Like the Original Slipcover, you can wash this on the gentle cycle and hang it to dry.
Organic Nursing Pillow Slipcover
As a response to many nursing mothers who wanted an all-organic option for their slipcover, My Brest Friend developed a slipcover just for that purpose.
So How does the Organic slipcover compare? It is made from an organic cotton and bamboo blend. The organic fabric is soft, but you may not feel a huge difference between the regular cotton and the organic one. It is pesticide and preservative-free and is ideal for babies with sensitive skin.
What Does Organic Fabric Mean?
When a lot of people hear the word “organic” they most likely think “more expensive.” And that is true in a lot of cases, but that is because it takes a lot more effort and time to produce anything organic than something that is not certified organic.
But why would you need to have an organic fabric option? It’s not like you are going to be eating it. Many people–especially moms–are starting to make more conscious decisions as far as the textiles that they buy for their clothing or other fabric needs. There are more benefits to organic cotton than just a chemical-free product, because that may not matter as much as eating something organic.
Environment
Organic cotton benefits the farmers and the environment more than it directly affects the consumer. With organic food, consumers understand that they don’t want to put chemicals in their bodies. However, organic cotton is more about taking care of the earth and the farmers.
According to Organic Cotton Plus, an organic textile reseller, “In addition to being one of the most widely grown crops in the world, growing conventional cotton is also one of the most chemical-intensive. These chemicals have tremendous impact on the earth’s air, water, soil, and the health of people in cotton-growing areas. They are among the most toxic chemicals as classified by the Environmental Protection Agency.”
If you thought chemicals used by food crops were dangerous, they are nothing to the ones used for cotton production. This can be dangerous for farmers, their families, and their community’s environment.
Food
Aboutorganiccotton.org also states that even though we don’t eat cotton, cotton seeds can be used in our diet. Cottonseed oil makes up a part of many vegetable oils and is used to feed our cattle. So the chemicals can even make it into our diet even if we don’t eat cotton itself.
So What?
Even if you cut out products that could be made with cottonseed oil, you can make a difference by buying products that support organic cotton farms. These products typically cost more because the farmers must use pest control such as bait plants and actually weed invasive plants rather than spraying them with weed killer. This takes more time and time is money. But supporting these farms by buying their products will increase the market for it.
As of 2011(according to the Textile Exchange Organic Cotton Farm & Fiber Report) only about .07% of cotton produced was from organic farms worldwide. This number is small but it is growing as more and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of it.
This is a lot of information that ultimately comes down to this: if you buy an organic cotton slipcover you may not feel a difference in the textile. Your baby might not be getting a “safer” product. However, you will be helping the environment by supporting cotton farms that are pesticide-free.
Travel Size
One really neat feature of the My Brest Friend nursing pillow line is that they have a travel size of the pillow that can fold into a pocket of your diaper bag but is big enough to have a standard size slipcover.
How is this possible, you ask?
It’s a blow up pillow, which in my opinion is genius. The original My Brest Friend Pillow is meant to be firm enough that your baby doesn’t slip in between you and your pillow (which I mention in this post here about the nursing pillow) so having a firm blow up pillow works great.
Obviously, it isn’t the exact same feel as a foam cushion and may not be quite as comfortable as the original, but the blow up option is very nice. And I love that it is the exact same size so that you don’t have to worry about getting an extra slipcover for it or making sure you keep the right slipcover with the right pillow.
When you are a mom, and you find a baby product that works for you, it can be torturous trying to live without it. If you have become very dependent on your My Brest Friend pillow and you don’t want to leave the house without it, you don’t have to worry about toting around an enormous, bulky pillow. You can simply bring it with you in your bag and blow it up when you need it.
Twin Plus Nursing Pillow Slipcover
Then there is the Twin Plus nursing pillow, which is the only slipcover that doesn’t fit any of the other models. It makes sense why, of course. The Twin Plus pillow is much bigger than the other models and there is not a travel size for this one.
This slipcover has much less options as far as the fabric print goes, but that makes sense because the market for twins is much smaller than single babies.
Do You Need A Twin Plus Nursing Pillow?
So you do happen to have twins, do you actually need to have the Twin Plus pillow or can you just use your regular one?
Of course you can just have your regular My Brest Friend Pillow and that will work okay, however there are many reasons why the Twin Pillow is convenient. In fact, many twin moms say that they couldn’t imagine feeding their babies without it.
Simultaneous Feeding
Breastfeeding your babies simultaneously takes half the time of course, which is why many moms prefer this. Otherwise you might feel like you are nursing for the majority of your day–especially in the beginning when your babies take longer to eat.
It is also nice to have your babies on the same schedule. It is so difficult to remember all the things that a baby needs. You need to remember their pooping schedule, their peeing schedule, how long their naps were and when their next ones should be. This is all overwhelming with one baby, so imagine how hard it would be to keep track of if your twins were on different schedules. And how could you remember which one needs to be fed?
Having them on the same schedule just makes everything slightly easier to keep track of. And feeding them at the same time is really difficult to do unless you have a Twin Plus Nursing Pillow.
Having Your Babies Close
It is also convenient to have your babies together when they are newborns. If you are stuck on a couch nursing and your other baby fusses, it may be impossible for you to get up and help your other baby if you already have one in your arms. If you have both of them supported on the pillow, even if one is not hungry or feeding, you can interact with them at the same time and will always be near to fulfill any of their needs.
Professional Cover
There is another slipcover that anyone can buy and it is the professional slipcover. This cover is usually used by professionals (hence the name) like lactation consultants. You might see this cover on a My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow that you could use at the hospital if your lactation consultant has one on hand, or you could see it at group meetings after your hospital visit.
You can see this cover in the video below:
The fabric used for this cover is 100% antimicrobial vinyl and is specially made to be easy to wipe clean. It might not be as soft and luscious as the deluxe version, and that is why most parents don’t opt for this one–though it is easy to keep clean. Covers for personal use can be cleaned regularly in the washer, but when one mother is using the cover one right after the other, it makes sense to have a fabric option that cleans easily.
These have the same care instructions as the other fabrics. You should wash the covers on the gentle cycle with cool water and mild detergent, then hung to dry.
If the cover is used in a professional setting, then it should be sprayed with an antimicrobial spray and wiped down before the next person uses it.
Waterproof Cover
One slipcover that I would recommend to anyone and everyone is the waterproof cover. If you don’t want to buy the waterproof cover, I would say don’t even buy the pillow.
Babies are so messy! They just are. They have no control of any of their bodily functions. There is always some kind of mess coming out of one end or the other. And there is no way of predicting which end it will be and how badly it will be coming out. It is always a surprise and it happens more frequently than you probably would think it would.
The waterproof cover is your only real defense for the pillow since you cannot submerge the foam pad in water or wash it in the washing machine.
How Do You Use It?
The waterproof cover slips on neatly underneath your stylish other cover that has the pocket attachment and the buckle–so one does not replace the other. You could not really get away with just buying the waterproof cover because you would not have the buckle that you need to use the back support.
If there are any accidents or mishaps while the waterproof cover is on, you can simply wipe it off and replace the slipcover with a clean one. You can even put the waterproof cover in the washer and completely clean it, if it is a really bad mess. Though you won’t want to dry it in the dryer.
How Many Should I Buy?
Many people wonder how many slipcovers they should buy. You can buy as many as you want to of course, but I would never get less than two. If you want to throw one in the wash, it is nice to know that you will have another one handy in case you need to nurse again before the wash is over. This is especially important because you cannot dry these in the dryer so they take a bit longer to clean than a typical load of laundry.
The deluxe option is so soft, and it is not a lot more money than the original slipcover, that I would at least get one deluxe slipcover and use the original as a back up. The original one is not rough at all, but once you feel how soft the deluxe is, you might never want to use anything else.
Care Instructions
The care instructions are not complicated at all. In fact, the whole pillow is pretty easy to keep clean if you do a few certain things.
Cover Instructions
When you are washing the slipcover, whether it is the original, deluxe, or organic, you will use the same washing instructions. You should wash the slipcover on a gentle cycle making sure to use cool water. If you use hot water, there is the chance that the cover could shrink. Also, hang it to dry for the same reason.
Pillow Instructions
The pillow is actually not a typical pillow made of batting so it is actually easier to keep its shape. Since it is made of foam, it is more like a couch cushion and should not be submerged in water.
If the pillow does get dirty, then spot clean it with a damp cloth and allow it to sit out and dry before putting any covers back on.
Waterproof Cover
Because the pillow cannot be washed, as mentioned before in this post, you will definitely want to keep it protected with the waterproof cover. It is the only real defense you have from your baby’s bodily fluids.
Conclusion
The My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow is one of my absolute favorites on the market. It may not have a humongous selection of different prints for its slipcovers, but it has all the important features. There are enough options to choose from where you can make a decision based on your baby’s needs or environmental needs. If you can’t decide, then get one of each! You will be sure to blow through them quickly.