Pillow to read on the couch?

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
1

I really enjoy the comfort of laying down on the couch and reading. Something about the just-right support below and being able to rest one side against the couch back cushions.

However our newish couch doesn’t have arms that conducive for laying my head on. They are about 8" high and are straight arms rather than rolled. So I use a pair of throw pillows against the arm but they are stuffed with a soft material so at first they are great but they compress after a few minutes.

I’m wondering if anyone has found something that works for them. I know about the classical read-in-bed pillows with a back and armrest but the couch isn’t deep enough to use one of those.

2

You may want to look at round bolster pillows. I mean the type that look sort of like a buche de Noel or roulade. They tend to be pretty firm. You might need two, stacked one atop the other.

Another option is a memory foam pillow meant for CPAP users or side sleepers. I’ve seen some that are smaller than a standard size bed pillow, so should fit on your couch.

3

There are yoga pillows that look like they would not be too squishy or compressible. Would a buckwheat pillow work?

4

glad I asked! I didn’t even know yoga pillows existed. I’m ordering one and will give it a try, but it looks like what I had in mind.

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5

I got a 26 inch square feather pillow insert at Ikea, shook all the feathers into one side and sewed across the middle so now I have a 13 X 26 inch pillow with twice the normal amount of feathers. Works great against the arm of the couch.

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6

If you like it… maybe post a link.

7

Or you could go old school and use the boyfriend pillow that college students use. You can either lie on your back with it or manipulate the arms for side reading.

8

thanks for asking!

After spending some time browsing I ended up getting this pillow from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ICBTPQS There are mixed reviews, some say they were shipped a lumpy pillow, but mine is pretty uniform. There is another brand, Hugger Mugger, that apparently is used in yoga studios and may be more durable but it is also more expensive.

I’m pleased with it, this is what I was hoping to find. It is only about 2" longer than the depth of the couch so doesn’t stick out too much. The padding has some give to it but then becomes firm enough to hold my neck and head; the problem with the throw pillows I was using is they probably have some poly filling because they eventually compress down to almost nothing. And I’ve found that if I turn the pillow vertically it looks a little silly but provides back and neck support to sit a bit more erect for an alternate reading position.

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