Breast Friend Travel Pillow!

I feel it is important to have a destination for young hikers.  Rather than just turning around in the middle of a trail, even little ones like to know where they are "there".  Most of my favorite hikes to do with my kiddos have a river, lake or open area about a mile or two in so we can take a break before heading back.  One of my favorites for young hikers is Powerline Pass from the Glen Alps parking lot.  While there are a few ups and downs (which little kids love), it is mainly flat and the trail is wide making it hard to lose a child.  There are moose and bears, but the bikers are more of a concern.  A little over two miles down the trail is the German Bridge over a freezing river.  Both sides have little eddys perfect for wading, tossing rocks and splashing.  There also is a flat rock which I sat upon for nursing many times.  I would roll up my coat to put under my nurser for support.  It would have been so nice to have a travel nursing pillow!

The wonderful people behind the wildly popular Brest Friend nursing pillow created a travel version.  It seems there are people strongly behind the Brest Friend and those who only use the Boppy.  If you are in the Brest Friend camp and hike, travel by airplane, or get out of the house, order one of these today.  (Click right here, you don't need to read anything else.)

I let my little sister try out the Brest Friend and phone in her review as her little nursling is only a couple of months old.  Between her little one and my two wild boys, it was interesting trying to get the most important features and facts about this product.  Nonetheless, here is the review in a different format!

"The first time you set it up, it is a bit of a pain.  You have to put the fabric cover onto the plastic, but you only have to do it once.  You can collapse it with the cover on it."

          She had some trouble getting on the cover out of the box.  She found that if blown up and deflated slightly, it would slip on easier.  The upside is that you only have to do this once and the cover only has to be removed for cleaning.

"Unlike most travel things, it actually fits back into the tiny thing with the cover on.  Rolling it up is fast and easy.  Shocking."

          I hate it when a collapsable item doesn't collapse and fit into its little bag.  Apparently, it doesn't take much effort to squeeze out the air and slip it into the bag.

"It fits in a diaper bag, but it would take a lot of room."

         I asked if she keeps it in her diaper bag and she said no as it takes up a bit too much room.  She did think it would be fine for a baby carrier frame pack (like Kelty or Sherpani) or airplane carry on.  

"My favorite thing about the pillow is the lower back support.  The Boppy is more squishy, but there is no support.  You inflate the Brest Friend and it adjusts to your back.  You lean into it and it supports you."

         Every new mother who starts hiking again seems to realize how tired their back is and how sore it gets.  When nursing with support, the mother often has lean down a bit.  This allows to rest your back at your hike's halfway spot and have enough muscles to heft the kiddo back on for the ride back!

"I don't understand the added pockets.  They make it heavier and I never have used them."

         While some people like to stick in a pacifier or burp cloth, she feels they are unnecessary in the travel pillow.  

"It gives you a flat and sturdy surface for nursing."

        Although I was a Boppy user, this features sounds perfect.  While nursing at the rock mentioned earlier, I often had to jump up to retrieve my older child or get up for more bug repellant.  It would have been nice to have an extra set of arms holding the baby.  She likes the area where the babe rests as it is larger than the Boppy.  It seems more substantial as well.

"It clips around your waist so you can actually walk around with it attached to you."

         I remember trying to carry the Boppy and baby without having to readjust when I sat down again.  This was frustration.  No worries with the Brest Friend as you clip it on and it is securely fastened to your waist, but you still should support the babe.  

"The waist area is adjustable so it fits all sizes."

        She thought it would be perfect as it would fit over bulky winter clothes and then over the summer wear as well.  When hiking, you will layer down for walking will be sweaty when you start nursing, but most likely need to add more layers during the snack.  This set up will fit you during all seasons!

"It comes with a patch kit so you can fix it."

       My little sister said the fabric is tough and the seams didn't give when tugged.  The pillow part also seemed sturdy, but is glad there is a patch kit!

Even though my little sister lives in California, she was born and bred in Alaska giving her Alaskan Mom status.  She gives the Brest Friend Travel Pillow her approval for encouraging women to both breast feed and not give up their outdoor lifestyle.  I approve of her approval and think it is wonderful to have extra comforts for nursing, even when on the trail or at a campground.  Thank you Brest Friend!