Avery Row vs Hippychick Nursing Pillow: The £54 Print Is Prettier, the £40 Ties Hold Firmer

COMPARISON · PARENT CARE

A nursing pillow sounds like the most optional thing on a newborn list, right up until night three. You're on your eighth feed, hunched forward, and your baby has slid down into the crook of your elbow again. A good pillow lifts your baby to breast or bottle height so your shoulders can drop and your back can rest against the chair. A poor one squashes flat by week two, or slides off your lap every time you shift.

The Avery Row Nursing Pillow and the Hippychick Feeding Pillow look like they're aimed at the same parent. Both are British, both are cotton covered, both wrap round your waist and tie at the back. But they've been designed around different priorities. Avery Row is the bigger, softer, prettier pillow, with GOTS organic cotton on one side and organic corduroy on the other, and it costs £54. Hippychick is smaller, firmer and plainer, with long ties that genuinely keep it in place, and it costs around £40 with its own drawstring bag.

We compared the brand specs side by side, checked live prices across the retailers we work with, and read through what parents say once the newborn fog lifts. The short version: the prettier pillow isn't the one that holds its position best, and the cheaper one is the one you'll actually take out of the house.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Hippychick Feeding Pillow · 8.5/10 - firm, consistent height, ties that stay put and a carry bag for feeds away from home
• Best for Nursery Style: Avery Row Nursing Pillow · 8.0/10 - organic cotton, a generous size and a cover lovely enough to leave out on the sofa

Quick comparison

	Avery Row Nursing Pillow	Hippychick Feeding Pillow
Price	£48.60 to £54	Around £40
Size	64 x 51cm	Packs to about 48 x 35.5 x 13cm in its bag
Cover	GOTS organic cotton percale with organic corduroy reverse	100% cotton pillowcase over a cotton inner cover
Filling	GRS recycled polyester	Polyester fibre
Washing	Cover at 40°C, inner spot clean	Pillowcase at 30°C
Fastening	Back ties, on the short side	Long ties, also loop round buggy handles
Portability	Stay-at-home pillow	Cotton drawstring bag included
Extra uses	Bottle feeds, supervised tummy time	Pregnancy back and knee support, tandem feeds, supervised tummy time
Our rating

How we picked the two

Parent care is the corner of the baby list that gets the least attention, and nursing pillows are where parents most often ask us whether the expensive one is worth it. We wanted two pillows that share the classic crescent shape, so the comparison is like for like, and we left memory foam and wedge designs for another day.

Both pillows here are from UK brands, both are in stock at retailers we work with, and both come up repeatedly when parents tell us what they actually used rather than what they were gifted. We weighed brand specifications, live prices and a wide read of parent feedback, then scored each on support, fit, washability, portability and value.

What to look for in a nursing pillow

Height. The whole job of a nursing pillow is to bring your baby up to you, not you down to your baby. Too low and you'll still hunch. Too high and your baby ends up angled away from the breast. A firmer fill keeps that height consistent through a long feed.

Firmness over softness. A pillow that feels lovely in the shop can squash under the weight of a 5kg baby within a few weeks. Gently squeeze the middle and see how quickly it recovers.

Fastening. Ties or clips close the gap between you and the pillow, so it doesn't slide when you lean back or reach for water. Check they're long enough for your frame, especially postpartum.

A washable cover. Milk, posset and the odd nappy leak are guaranteed. A removable cover is the minimum; a spare cover is better.

Your chair. A big crescent can fight the arms of a narrow nursing chair. Think about where you'll actually feed most often.

After a caesarean. A firm pillow keeps your baby's weight off your wound, which many parents tell us was the single biggest reason they bought one.

Safety. A nursing pillow is for feeding while you're awake. Never let your baby sleep on it or leave them propped on it unattended, and only use it for tummy time when you're right there.

1. Avery Row Nursing Pillow / 10 · Best for Nursery Style

Avery Row is a small British brand known for organic cotton nursery textiles, and its nursing pillow is the kind of thing you buy partly because it looks lovely on the sofa. The Wild Chamomile print is a soft botanical on GOTS-certified organic cotton percale, backed with organic cotton corduroy, and the filling is GRS-certified recycled polyester.

At 64 x 51cm it's a generous crescent, which suits taller parents and bigger babies. The cover zips off and goes in the machine at 40°C, and Avery Row sells covers and inners separately, so a spare cover means the pillow is never out of action on wash day. It lists at £54, and we've seen it from £48.60 at one of the retailers we work with.

What parents love

• Beautiful fabrics. Organic cotton on both sides feels good against bare skin at 3am. One parent told us simply: 'Beautiful, soft fabric.'
• Just-right cushioning. A parent shared that it's 'not too flat or too puffy', soft enough to be comfortable but firm enough to hold the weight as their baby grew.
• Easier on your back. Parents we hear from regularly say it takes the strain off their back and shoulders during long evening cluster feeds.
• Replaceable parts. Spare covers and a replacement inner are sold on their own, so it can comfortably see you through a second baby.

What to know before you buy

• Short, fiddly ties. We hear repeatedly from parents that the back ties could be longer to suit more body shapes, and one said a popper would be easier because tying it means putting the baby down first.
• Premium price. £54 is at the top end for a non-foam crescent. You're paying for the organic fabrics and the print rather than extra support.
• Stays at home. The inner is spot clean only, and the generous size means it isn't one to pack for a day out.

Best for

• Parents who want organic cotton next to their baby's skin
• Taller parents or feeding on a wide sofa
• Nurseries where the pillow lives out on display
• Bottle-feeding parents who want a bigger landing zone

2. Hippychick Feeding Pillow / 10 · Best Overall

Hippychick is a long-established British baby brand, and its Feeding Pillow is the one we hear recommended most often by parents who have tried more than one. It's designed and made in the UK, with a 100% cotton pillowcase over a cotton inner cover and a polyester fibre fill that's noticeably firmer than the Avery Row.

The clever part is the ties. They're long enough to knot securely round your waist, which closes the gap between you and your baby and stops the pillow sliding when you lean back or stand up. The same ties loop round pushchair handles, and the whole pillow squashes into a cotton drawstring bag, so this is the pillow that comes with you to grandparents and cafés. It's around £40 at the retailer we link to.

What parents love

• Stays where you put it. One parent told us that being able to tie it round her tummy meant she could stand up and walk around without dropping it, and after a caesarean it kept her baby's weight off a tender stomach.
• Firm, consistent height. A parent shared: 'I didn't have to bend over slightly, easing the pressure on my back and neck completely.'
• Genuinely portable. The drawstring bag and buggy ties make it the rare nursing pillow that leaves the house.
• Useful beyond feeds. Parents use it for pregnancy back and knee support, tandem feeding twins, and later for supervised tummy time and sitting practice.

What to know before you buy

• Less mouldable. The firmer fill doesn't shape itself around you quite as much as softer pillows, which some parents miss on the sofa.
• Not a full pregnancy pillow. Great between the knees or behind your back, but it won't replace a full-length body pillow.
• Plainer looks. The cotton covers are smart rather than special, and the pillowcase washes at a cooler 30°C.

Best for

• First-time breastfeeders establishing a latch
• Parents recovering from a caesarean
• Families who feed out and about
• Anyone who wants proper support for around £40

How to choose

Choose the Hippychick Feeding Pillow if support is the priority. The firmer fill holds a steady height, the long ties keep it locked to your waist, and it's the better pick in the early weeks of breastfeeding, after a caesarean, or if you know you'll be feeding at other people's houses. It's also £14 cheaper.

Choose the Avery Row Nursing Pillow if you'll mostly feed in one place, you're on the taller side, or organic fabrics matter to you. It's the more comfortable pillow to sink into on a sofa, it looks lovely in a nursery, and the replaceable covers make it a good long-term buy. Just practise the ties before the baby arrives.

If you're still torn, think about your first fortnight. If it's mostly on one sofa with a partner on hand, Avery Row's softness wins. If you're likely to be juggling feeds on your own, or moving around the house, Hippychick's grip is worth more than its looks.

Add it to your Nest

Whichever pillow suits your feeds, pop it on your free BubsNest registry so family and friends can gift the thing you'll actually use at 3am. Your Nest compares prices across retailers, so nobody overpays.