Customer Reviews

Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow

5 star:		(427)
4 star:		(204)
3 star:		(54)
2 star:		(43)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

My mother sent me this product as a gift when I was 4 months pregnant, at a time when my hips and lower back were consistently stiff and achey after a night's sleep. Here are my thoughts in conjunction with the other reviews:

1. Yes, it is big and takes up space, however I now use two pillows instead of seven to get comfortable, so it's a lot less hassle to adjust when I roll over. I like to sleep with my belly propped on the long supportive side, but do find a need to keep a standard pillow on the side that has the opening, so if I turn over I have something to support my belly... otherwise my lower back is very achey by morning.
2. I like the curves at the top and bottom. When lying on my side, it supports head, neck, and knees. I also have awakened several times lying on my back, feeling VERY comfortably cradled (which is different for me, as I NEVER slept on my back pre-pregnancy).
3. I am a fuller figure mom, and the added pregnancy weight in my chest and stomach area by four months was causing significant problems with aches and acid reflux/heartburn pain. I find that this pillow can be manuevered to prop me up without shifting through the night, as my standard pillows did, which is imperative to lessen these discomforts.
4. After using it nightly for a few months, the filling has not lost any supportive qualities.

Over all, I do find sleeping with it to be more pleasurable than standard pillows, and my aches and pains upon waking are quite minimal. Reading other reviews, I cannot help but wonder if my being fuller-figured makes it a better product for me. I have a fuller-figured friend whose experience with it has been the same as mine. I could understand if it seems more imposing and cumbersome to a smaller framed woman, though.

I do regard it as a sleeping necessity at this time and am thankful to have received it as a present, however I took a "star off the rating" as I do not feel the materials are worthy of the price. It is no different from standard pillows in filling material or firmness. $$$ is quite an inflated price for a product whose only difference from other materials on the market is shape. If money is not an object, or nights are miserable and one is desperate, I could see investing the money. I personally will get the money's worth because I received it early in my pregnancy. (I would feel bad that my mom spent so much on it if I used it only for month or two, but that's just my opinion of value.) After pregnancy, I don't think that I will keep it in the bed, as I would prefer to lie next to my husband rather than a pillow. Right now I am so large that I can't get near my husband anyway without my belly getting in the way, so it's not a major problem that we have a barrier between us.

The other "star rating deduction" is about the "cover" that comes on it... It is made of a coarse fabric that causes mild discomfort when directly touching my skin. I rectified this problem by sewing my own cover (out of two yards of soft cotton fabric that added additional cost to the use of the product) that I traced from the cover that came with the pillow. This is not a pillow that one can just throw a regular pillow case on, so a custom one must be made or bought (if they even sell them). If you don't have the time or ability to do this, then the "scratchy" fabric could definitely pose a discomfort to sensitive skin. With my homemade cover, there is little STRUCTURALLY that I can complain about.

I DO use it daily and it offers me relief from a certain level of discomfort, however the bottom line is what price you put on comfort. For some, the comfort attained will not justify the price, for others it may be priceless to get even a small amount of relief.

My personal rating is 3/5 stars as it comes. If it were less costly and came with a soft pillow cover, I would change my rating to a 5/5 star.

This pillow made me more comfortable at night and I could sleep easier. Around my fifth month, I had a hard time sleeping. I could not get comfortable and was awakened by frequent leg cramps. I put this pillow under my head, around my back and between my legs. It kept me on my left side during the night and the extra support between my legs lessened my leg cramps. The cover washed up very nicely and the pillow rolled up and fit right back into the plastic bag after my baby was born.

My only complaints are that it takes up so much room in the bed when the sheets are tucked in, the pillow case is difficult to get off and on when it needs to be washed and the pillow doesn't fit me as well as it does the woman in the picture. I am 5'10" and my head just fits on the top end and the bottom end goes between my thighs instead of my knees. But overall, I was very happy with this purchase.

If you are NOT a side sleeper already, this pillow will probably be great for pregnancy. When you sleep on your side, your hips and shoulders are not evenly aligned, which can be uncomfortable plus one shoulder is always uner you and can fall asleep - not to mention the belly that hangs out as you become more an more pregnant.

If you already are a side sleeper, you probably have solved these problems. I sleep on a Temperpedic-type pillow for my neck/bottom shoulder plus use a king sized pillow paralell to my body to align hips and top shoulder. This is basically what this and other body pillows do for you.

The problem I found is with this "C" shaped design, you are forced to use the Snoogle as the pillow under your head. It is like using a brand new cotton filled pillow -my head was propped up high, causing a neck ache. I only want to sleep with my existing pillow. Also the material was hot. Every night I tried it I threw it out of bed within an hour or so.

My solution was to instead buy a "cuddle U" pillow which is shaped like a "U". I put the curved part of the U at my feet and can use my existing pillow for my head. I tuck the covers around the entire pillow and still get the body support I am looking for. I am a tall person (5'10") and the curve being at/near my feet is not a problem.

Because I am a thoughtful, awesome husband, I purchased this as a gift for my pregnant wife in the hopes of a fun sex-reward payoff. No, I'm kidding (but really I'm not). While I won't tell you what I received in return, I will offer a review of this product:

First off, you probably already realize this, but this is an expensive pillow. It was hard to justify whether a pillow & spare case was worth the $$, but can you really put a price tag on a good night sleep? (Side note - Guys, I don't know about you, but if she sleeps well, I sleep well) Having said this, I still believe it's overpriced, but I've wasted more money on less. Get over it.

Second, my wife loves this pillow. She is about to begin her third trimester and sleep has been an issue since ~week 17. This pillow comfortably cradles all her changing lady parts and offers a wide variety of configurations depending on her needs. While she mainly uses it for sleep, we both agree it will work perfectly during breastfeeding and I know she will bring it to the hospital for delivery. An insert in the packaging offers many other ideas for alternative uses.

Third, changing the case is a legitimate pain in the ass. My wife refuses to deal with it, so I am left with the duty because I've learned not to argue with a pregnant woman. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as it pisses her off, but it still sucks. They should make a case with a zipper and be done with it. (For what it's worth, the reasons I didn't give it 5 stars is because of ridiculous price and the case)

Fourth, I'm already envisioning some unique "extracurricular" uses for this pillow, but we haven't tried anything yet. I'd say I'd keep you posted, but that would be a lie. Use your imagination, you pervert.

In summary, this is a decent buy. Trust me, because I rarely waste this much time writing a review. If you're a guy reading this, sack up and do something nice for your girl. She's taking a serious one for the team right now - you owe it to her.

I'm so glad I'm not the one who paid $50 for this pillow! God bless my friend for thinking of me, but I wish her money could have been better spent. She said her daughter loved it, and maybe the Snoogle works well for some women, but after three attempts at using it, I stuffed it in a plastic bag, and there it sits on my bedroom floor to this day. Here are the reasons why:
1. It's way too firm. I could not get it to support my tummy from underneath at all; all I could do was try to sort of lean against it, but that didn't offer any support. Same thing with the back "support" -- the whole pillow is so firm, it was more of a leaning thing than a support thing.
2. Maybe this is more of the same firmness complaint, but I couldn't get used to using the pillow part. It wasn't soft enough to "mold" to my head and neck, and I ended up trying to push it far enough to the side that I could use a regular pillow instead.
3. The fabric is, as others have said, not very good quality and itches if your bare skin touches it. The farther I've gone in my pregnancy, the more sensitive my skin has gotten; I can't even imagine trying to use it now. Assuming I could stand the pillow itself, I'd have to buy one of the covers (though I don't have one, so I'm not sure of their quality, either) or make one myself.
4. The curve is too confining. I felt like I had to curl up all the time. I'm 5'6" tall, so you can use that as a measurement tool if you like. I just can't stand not being able to stretch out comfortably, and the Snoogle didn't allow me to do it.
5. It's H-U-G-E!!! God help you if you're trying to share a less-than-kingsized bed with your spouse or significant other AND this gargantuan thing. There won't be room for the three of you.
6. Don't even try to roll this thing over with you. Talk about a wrestling match!
Maybe I can recycle the Snoogle into a sort of TV-watching pillow; it's certainly firm enough for that. But it's not something I'd recommend or buy for a friend or family member. The Boppy Wedge is an INFINITELY better buy for the money (see my review of that item), not to mention being a better product overall.

I purchased this pillow when I was 19 wks, currently I am 23 wks and I absolutely love SNOOGLE. I sleep all through the night now. My hip and lower back pain and knee/leg pain are gone. My shoulder used to hurt the worst, from trying to sleep on my left side. This pillow is not in a fixed position and it will move with you and your legs etc.. You can have the pillow in front of your stomach or have it behind your back for a different position. You can also lie your head down on the pillow itself, it is actually very comfortable, I'm very, very picky about my pillows and I thought that this may be an issue, but it is not.

Yes, it is [$$] but I figured I would save money in the end by not buying the wedge that is [$], then a body pillow that is stiff and bulky for [$] and then stepping up to the Snoogle. And I am glad I made the right decision, because my sleep is definately worth [the money] and I see it no different than maternity clothes -- I will be able to re-use this with more pregnancies to come.....Plus, I kept the plastic zipper storage bag that it came in and I put my Snoogle in there to take with me on my many travels.

Can't say enough, great product, highly recommend.

Renee
EDD 9/17/03

I've never felt compelled to write a review before, but I had to let everyone know how much I LOVE this pillow. I purchased it when I was 4 months pregnant. I have been an avid tummy sleeper for 14 years (since the birth of my youngest child) and I was in a PANIC about having to sleep on my side. I tried it out the first night and wasn't really impressed (thought I could still figure out a way to sleep on my belly on my own). I put it in my closet for about a week before giving it another go. Well, let me tell you that I slept on my side so comfortably and now I cannot sleep without this thing! I sleep on my side every night without any discomfort or having my bottom arm fall asleep (as usually happened whenever I had attempted it before purchasing the pillow). I take it with me when we are on vacation or out of town and now at 7 months, it even allows me to sleep in a "modified" on my stomach position. I use the pillow with the entire thing in FRONT of me, rather than behind me (as in the picture). It does take a few days getting used to having it in the bed as it is quite large, but once you get the "turning over" with it part down, it's fantastic. I also love that it keeps your body in line without raising your head too high (so I haven't had a problem with neck pain). My back feels great! Prior to purchasing it, I had read reviews with women complaining that the pillow case is "scratchy" and difficult to remove and put back on. COME ON LADIES! You are going to go thru labor & childbirth and you are complaining about changing a pillowcase? My goodness! (I hope you are getting an epideral!) It does take a bit of work to get the case back on, but doesn't take more that one person or a few minutes. As far as the scratchiness goes, it's not like having chanielle or fleece against your face but it's not sand paper, either (think cheap sheets/pillowcases with low thread count...no big deal!). I can't recommend this pillow enough (can you tell?!) and I will be using it long after the birth of my child!

I bought the snoogle when I was five mos. pregnant. The head support is extremely padded and compares to a firm support pillow. After using it one night I was in discomfort from neck pain. I took it back. If you usually use a soft or medium support pillow, like I do, this may not be the best choice of a maternity pillow for you.

This is such a waste of money. It is not comfortable, it is cumbersome. If you are a tosser/turner - this is not for you. It is very difficult to move around in bed and I was becoming sore staying in a stationary position. Once it is opened, it can not be returned and you can not try it out without opening it so buy at your own risk. If you are having trouble sleeping b/c of your belly, I highly recommend the pregnancy pillow deluxe...it is simple but makes a big difference and allows you to move around in bed more easily.

I was having a lot of trouble getting comfortable and sleeping through the night about 18 weeks into my pregnancy. I tried everything, proping a pillow between my knees, one under my side, etc...I was so uncomfortable. I finally decided to break down and spend the money on this pillow and I can't begin to tell you how much it has helped. I love the fact that it wraps around my back and come between my legs and also under my head all at the same time. Yes, the reviews about the pillow flattening out are true but I just fluff mine back up. There were also complaints about when you want to flip over on your other side, it's hard to adjust the pillow. I just flip my body over and don't move the pillow. It's just as comfortable. It does take up a lot of room in the bed but I can't stress that a good night sleep is so worth it for a pregnant lady. I think this is a must have during pregnancy.