There is a new name in nursing pillows that maybe you haven’t heard of yet. However, just because it isn’t as well known as some of the bigger brands, doesn’t mean that it is any less appealing, depending on what you want. So what is it really like to use the Borje Nursing Pillow?
Well, to be honest, it is very similar to other brands in some ways. It does have a couple features that are unique to that particular pillow. It also does not have some certain features that you might find on another nursing pillow that you might have tried before. So here’s the scoop on what it’s really like to use the Borje Nursing Pillow.
Size
The thing that surprised me the most about the Borje Nursing Pillow is how small it was. Right off the bat, that is was what struck me first.
The Borje itself is shaped almost exactly like the Boppy pillow if you can picture that. It is a standard U shaped pillow that comes with an additional headrest for your baby.
It’s funny, because according to the dimensions that I found online, the Borje measures at a length of 22”, a width of 15”, and fullness of 6”. This is actually bigger than the Boppy pillow that is supposed to measure at a length of 20”, a width of 16”, and fullness of 5.5”, according to Amazon.
However, it seems much smaller than the Boppy and I think the main reason is due to the packaging.
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Vacuum Packed
More than one customer mentioned that the Borje came in a vacuum-sealed pack. We get it, shipping costs are expensive, and if they’re saving some money with shipping, good for them.
The problem is when they undo the vacuum seal, the pillow is a bit underwhelming with its fluffiness. Maybe originally it was those dimensions, but it likely lost some of its fluffiness in the vacuum-sealed pack.
I have had enough really cheap pillows in my day to know that they do lose fluffiness fast, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the vacuum seal was the culprit.
Fits Boppy
That being said, the slipcovers for the Boppy and for the Borje should be interchangeable, so if you have both, you can use them on either one, which makes life just a little bit easier.
The Company
It’s always a bit odd when you can’t find a lot of information about a company online. Most companies what to market themselves and want to spread the word in any way possible that they have a product to sell.
In fact, most companies nowadays will have not only their own website but a social media presence on at least Facebook, if not Youtube and Instagram. Marketing is the way to have a successful business after all, especially if your business is selling products online, rather than in a brick and mortar store.
However, the Borje company seems to not exist. In all honesty, looks like one of those foreign companies that could be a bit questionable when it comes to the quality of a product. There are a few tips that will give this away:
Shipping
On Amazon, it seems that the Borje qualifies for Prime shipping, and that’s what worked for me, however, other customers said that it changed it to 1 to 3 weeks instead.
This is unusual for Amazon because they pride themselves on being one of the best responders for immediate shipping, and they do a dang good job. However, this might be a little clue that the product could be shipping from a bit further away than your local warehouse or a state or two down the line.
Not that there is anything wrong with getting products from another country, but if you’ve ever been on the wrong end of an internet scam, they can make you a bit wary.
Positive Comments
I like to read customer reviews online before I buy almost anything. But I get a little skeptical when all the comments in perfect English have at least a complaint or two and the 100% positive reviews always seem like they aren’t perfect English.
But, hey, no judgment on your English skills. You can write a review no matter where you’re from and Internet English is not always quite the same as regular English. I’m not trying to be the grammar police or anything. But when you see a comment that has nothing bad to say about this product at all and it doesn’t really sound like what a fluent English speaker would say, you wonder a bit.
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Loose Ends
I’ll admit, I’ve bought some of those ultra-cheap clothes online from a website that looked amazing and failed to deliver. Most of these were from China. It’s hard to keep your curiosity at bay when the clothes look so good and are oh, so cheap!
But it always ends up being a mistake. And there are a few calling cards that these super cheap companies send you along with the ill-fitting clothes.
Loose Ends!
Most companies really care about their reputation and know that word of mouth is vitally important. They don’t want to sell a product to you once, they want to sell it to you and then they want you to buy one for each of your friends. This is a great thing because they will keep their quality level up high.
However, when you are in a foreign country that is making a product to mimic another product that people love on the cheap, you don’t really care about making a great impression. You mostly care about being so cheap that someone will buy the product because they can’t justify buying the more expensive one when theirs is so cheap.
So these companies skimp on a few details. They might have small holes in areas, stuffing coming out the seams or lots and lots of loose strings that they never cut. The little details don’t necessarily make the product unusable, but it definitely shows its true colors.
Actually Using It
So to the real heart of the post, what is it really like to use the Borje?
How It Feels
The Borje has a very soft, comfortable fabric, so from your baby’s skin’s standpoint, it probably feels really nice.
The pillow itself is very soft and plushy. It is by no means a dense pillow. If you are expecting something firm, like the My Brest Friend Pillow, you will be disappointed. If you are expecting something like the Boppy, you will be disappointed as well–though that is closer. The Borje nursing pillow is more like a less plushy version of the Nursing Pillow brand breastfeeding pillow.
Using It
Since the pillow is less dense, it does have less support for your baby. If you have a short torso, this could be just perfect for you. But if you have a longer one, you might want to go with My Brest Friend, where you can adjust it and keep it at a certain height on your body.
The Borje is very soft and your baby can sink into it, which could be a problem, but one thing they have helps this issue. Borje has a headrest, which your baby can prop up on. This is actually pretty genius because babies, especially newborns, have a hard time getting in the right position and staying latched in the right position. The headrest can help to point them at the right angle.
As babies get older, they may not need this as much, and the headrest is removable, so you can get rid of it when they are done with it.
You can also move the headrest from side to side depending on what side you are nursing on. This is a great feature, but I kind of wish they had snaps instead of velcro to attach it. The velcro can be really loud and startle your baby if they are starting to fall asleep. I can see how that would be pretty inconvenient. But if you’re used to using a burp cloth as a headrest for your baby, this will be a big step up.
What If You Hate It?
Return It
As of right now, Amazon is the only company selling this pillow. You can return this pillow if you find that it won’t suit your purposes. Unfortunately, you can only return it if it is unused, so you can’t try it out for a week or two and figure out if you like it or not and then return it.
The returns are free as long as you take them to a returns center that you can find on the website.
If you did use it and cannot return it, and don’t want it to go to waste, here are some things you can do to make it easier to use.
Fill It
If your problem is that it just isn’t thick enough, then you’re in luck. You can actually open the pillow stuffing area conveniently with a zipper, buy some stuffing from a grocery store or craft store for less than $5 and stuff it until it is as plushy as you want it to be. This really is a great fix and you can shape it to exactly the shape you want.
This pillow is meant to be washed in the washer, so you might find that it gets lumpy anyway. In this case, you can stuff it more or you can dry it with some tennis balls to fluff it up some more.
Siblings
The pillow may not be as full as you need it to keep your back at the proper position, but it could be just perfect for your baby’s older siblings. If you have an older child who is eager to help out, the Borje would be a perfect pillow to help prop the baby up in their arms while they snuggle or bottle feed. The pillow probably does work best with shorter torsos and it could be the perfect size for a teenager or younger child.
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Use The Slipcover
If it really is so unhelpful that you feel you need to buy something of higher quality, then by all means go out and buy another pillow that will work for you. The Boppy and the Nursing Pillow both have very similar dimensions to the Borje pillow and you can still use the slipcover on either one of them if you decide to go with that brand.
Or you can always keep it in a lesser-used area of your home. Keep it in your nursery where you have a seat with arms that gives you more support than maybe your couch does during the day. Or keep it at work for the times your baby visits.
Use It as A Prop
If you’ve read my review on Boppy’s, you’ll know the importance of using your nursing pillow as a prop for your baby. It can help your newborn lounge, your 2-month-old do tummy time, or your 4-month-old sit up.
I always think it is so awesome when there is a piece of baby gear that can be used for multiple purposes. Even if the pillow doesn’t put your baby in the right position that you need to have the perfect latch and keep it, you can always have your baby use it for the other purposes listed.
Babies love to be put in different positions. It helps them view the world in new ways. It also keeps them from getting bored. Some of these positions are vital for them to develop important muscles in their bodies. In fact, all pediatricians encourage you to start tummy time early in life and to help your baby practice sitting up when they can prop themselves up on their elbows.
It’s always nice to have an extra pillow around for all of these purposes. Heck, get one for every room in the house.
Some Positive Points
Now that I’ve talked about all the negative things, here are a few positive notes about the Borje.
Variety
The Borje has an amazing variety of super, super cute prints. In fact, I like all of the Borje prints more than I like any of the nursing pillow covers that I have seen on the market currently. And let me tell you, there is a lot on the market right now. But in all seriousness, these fabrics are so darn cute.
I love how they are really aesthetically pleasing, but not super predictable. It’s not all arrows and things that have been overdone.
Honestly, these pillows are so inexpensive, it might be worth even buying one just for a backup and for the slipcover. Even if you didn’t like the pillow necessarily, if you have the Boppy, you could use the slipcover over it if you want to have a cover that stands out a bit more from the crowd.
Fabric
One thing that customers all agree on as a positive is that the fabric is cute, but also a very cozy texture. It is 100% cotton like a lot of the other slipcovers on the market, but most customers just rave about how soft the fabric is and how it probably feels so nice on their baby’s skin.
Price
As mentioned above, it is almost impossible to pass this deal by. This pillow is the absolute cheapest one I have seen on the market. It’s cute, it’s supposed to be in the dimensions of the Boppy (one of the more popular brands), and it’s super cheap. How can you pass it up?
I think most people who look at it wonder if it really is poor quality and wonder if the price isn’t too high to just try it out. It’s basically the same price as a t-shirt for goodness sake. And if you have Amazon Prime then you don’t have to pay for shipping, of course. It makes a lot of sense to buy it, even with some of the more negative reviews.
So what if it isn’t as bulky as most pillows? So what if it has some loose strings on it? If you just want a little prop to help you, nurse, then maybe it’s worth seeing if you like it. It’s better than nothing for sure.
The price is definitely hard to say no to, especially since it is nearly the same price as some of the leading pillow’s slipcovers.
Click for the Best Price on the Borje Nursing Pillow
Conclusion
Overall, the Borje is definitely not the highest quality nursing pillow on the market. It hasn’t been vetted by lactation consultants. It has very little company presence and it is a bit risky. But, the risk isn’t very high because it is one of the most (if not THE most) inexpensive nursing pillows out there. Would I recommend it as the best product out there? No, I wouldn’t. But I definitely would say it’s worth trying if you’re curious.
If it’s between that and a couch cushion, I’d say go for the Borje. It’s worth checking out! And if nothing else, you get a really cute slipcover or a very convenient second pillow so you don’t have to carry it all over the house.