Ergobaby Natural Curve Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product
Ergobaby Natural Curve | |||||
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Awards | Budget-friendly Posture Pillow | Best 100% Organic Pillow | Best for Travel | Best for the Tight Budget | |
Price | $55 List $55.00 at Amazon | $118 List $118.00 at Amazon | $36 List $26.99 at Amazon | $54 List $49.99 at Amazon | $35 List $29.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | This firm foam pillow provides ergonomic support for comfortable nursing sessions | Comfortable support that molds to mom and baby for easy to use breastfeeding | Small and packable sling cushion that simplifies nursing on the go | Body close, supportive pillow for moms of different shapes | A simple pillow that is easy to use and is popular for a reason |
Rating Categories | Ergobaby Natural Curve | Blessed Nest Organi... | Humble-Bee Nurse-Sling | My Brest Friend Deluxe | Boppy Bare Naked |
Nursing Comfort (35%) | |||||
Ease of Use (35%) | |||||
Material (15%) | |||||
Ease of Cleaning (15%) | |||||
Specs | Ergobaby Natural Curve | Blessed Nest Organi... | Humble-Bee Nurse-Sling | My Brest Friend Deluxe | Boppy Bare Naked |
Dimensions | 25"L x 13"W x 8"H | 26"L x 16 W x 5"H | 20.5"L x 6"W x 4.5"H | 20"L x 17"W x 5.5"H | 23.5"L x 19"W x 6"H |
Weight | 2.3 lbs | 5.5 lbs | .9 lbs | 1.4 lbs | 2.2 lbs |
Belt | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Free of Flame Retardants | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Materials | Core: Polyurethane Foam Cover: Polyester Velour and Cotton Poplin |
Core: Organic Buckwheat Hulls Cover: Organic Cotton Canvas |
Core: Polyester Fiber Cover: Cotton, Spandex, and Polyester |
Core: Polyurethane foam Cover: Polyester |
Core: Polyester Fiberfill Case: Polyester, Cotton |
Removable Cover | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Machine-Washable | Cover Only | Cover Only | Yes | Cover Only | Yes |
Firmness | Very Firm | Average | Very Soft | Firm | Soft |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Ergobaby was born in 2002 when, as a mother, Karin Frost, could not find a baby carrier that fit her needs. Using a background in design, she created a more comfortable and ergonomic product to keep baby close. Since then, Ergobaby has expanded on its soft structured carrier and has different designs to choose from. While soft structured carriers still take center stage, Ergobaby makes a variety of other useful products intended to add comfort to the journey of motherhood.
Performance Comparison
Nursing Comfort
Ergobaby created the Natural Curve nursing pillow with the goal of developing a comfortable nest for a baby to nurse, and to encourage good posture for mom, thereby reducing hunching and back strain. The foam is shaped in a way that slopes inward towards mom, creating the ideal belly-to-belly nursing position with minimal effort and shifting from mom. Both ends bulge upward to help keep the baby's head above the stomach and provide a place for mom to rest her arms.
The Natural Curve is not the kind of pillow you can cozy up and fall asleep on as the foam is relatively stiff. Because of this, the pillow will not lose its shape over time and should require minimal adjustments while feeding. However, some moms do not like how limiting it feels. You cannot fold or reshape the pillow to suit your needs or your nursing space, and it does not have a belt to keep it snug around mom's belly.
Ease of Use
Without zippers, straps, or adjustments, the Ergobaby is very simple and easy to use. Just plop it on your lap and lay baby down. The pre-shaped pillow does not require any adjustments before or during feeding time. We found that it retained its supportive shape throughout the duration of every nursing session, and we never had to slouch or reposition the pillow to accommodate the baby. It has a carry handle to make transporting the bulky item less awkward and at 2.3 lbs, it is one of the lightest options in the group.
Unfortunately, this pillow is not very flexible and does not mold to the user's shape. The stiffness, combined with a rather tight c curve, makes it suitable for a smaller range of sizes only. Many parents also note that it does not work well in a chair with arms, as it is too wide to fit. It is recommended that you sit on a surface with lots of elbow room and good back support.
Materials
The cover of the Natural Curve pillow is a combination of two different fabrics. On the top side is a plush polyester velour that is cozy to the touch. The sides and bottom of the pillow have a smooth cotton poplin with a printed texture. The pillow itself is constructed with polyurethane foam. While we aren't huge fans of synthetic materials, we appreciate that it does not have any flame retardants, reducing the number of chemicals mom and baby are exposed to.
Ease of Cleaning
The large zippered opening on the cover of the pillow makes it easy to take off and throw in the wash. If you only need to clean a small portion of the cover, the smooth poplin fabric is easy to wipe down. Unfortunately, the fuzzy velour may be a bit trickier if anything spills, but most users did not have issues with stains.
The inner foam is not machine washable. If you have any major spills, Ergobaby recommends wiping the foam with a damp cloth and allowing it to air dry completely before replacing the cover.