Plow & Hearth Black Bear Plush Cuddle Animal Body Pillow
Best body pillow for kids (or the kid in you) (update: currently out of stock)
If you want some extra comfort while sleeping, a body pillow can be a great bedtime companion. Although body pillows are typically marketed to pregnant people, they’re a great option for any kind of sleeper. The best body pillow will take comfort up a notch, and help align your spine by supporting your back, hips and neck, regardless of the sleep position you prefer. A good body pillow will help you get better sleep whether you’re a side sleeper or stomach sleeper.
There are a ton of options on the market if you’re looking to buy a body pillow. Just like a bed pillow, body pillows come with varying fills (including shredded foam and polyester fiber), shapes and support levels. Given the number of options out there, finding the best body pillow for you can be quite a task. If you’re not settled on a single one, you can get multiple pillows based on your favorite sleeping position or limitations that cause neck pain.
To help you decide, I’ve rounded up some of the best body pillows for full-body support, pressure relief and a good night’s sleep. We’ve included something for everyone, including body pillows with down alternative fills, cooling covers and detachable extensions.
Read more: Best Full Mattresses
The Coop Home Goods Body Pillow is the standout choice for several reasons. It’s filled with a hypoallergenic combination of memory foam and microfiber that are cut into little pieces for ultimate adjustability and shapeability. To find your ideal comfort level, you can open the zippered cover and remove as much — or as little — foam as you want.
Everything is packaged in an ultra-breathable Lulltra fabric (as Coop Home Goods calls it), which is a combination of polyester and rayon made from bamboo that’s super comfy and lightweight, so you don’t feel too hot when you’re cuddling your pillow. With a 100-night sleep trial and a five-year limited warranty, the purchase is practically risk-free.
If you’re a side sleeper, or you like to relax on your side while you watch TV, the Full Support Body Pillow from Sharper Image is the choice for you. It’s 10 feet long, but the U-shape design minimizes its overall footprint and allows you to twist it and shape your body around it any way you want.
It’s designed to promote proper alignment of your back, neck, hips and spine while you lounge, while also alleviating pressure in these areas. The hypoallergenic polyester fill is also resistant to clumping, so the body pillow retains its shape well, even if you’re using it for some serious nighttime cuddling.
While technically classified as a pregnancy pillow, this Queen Rose U-shaped pillow is a top-of-the-line body pillow for all. It has an extra-wide top surface that fully supports your head when lying down or can be propped up to act like a backrest for reading or watching TV.
The zippered cover and adjustable polyfill allow you to remove stuffing to make it firmer or softer, depending on what you need at any given time. The cover is removable and machine-washable, so it’s easy to clean when you feel like things are starting to get a little funky.
If you’re on the hunt for a body pillow for back pain, Leachco’s got you covered with the Back ‘N Belly Chic Supreme. While this body pillow is also marketed toward pregnant women, the contoured, body-hugging design helps alleviate pressure for anyone. In addition to offering extra support for your back, it also has a natural curved shape near the top that supports your neck and shoulders to help with proper spinal alignment.
The design makes it especially great if you toss and turn from side to side during the night. The inner contours on both sides follow the natural shape of your body so you don’t have to adjust too much to get the right fit or positioning as you move.
If just thinking about cuddling up next to a full-length body pillow at night is enough to make you work up a sweat, you need the Snuggle-Pedic Ultra-Luxury Bamboo Body Pillow. Made with an extra-breathable micro vented cover that combines mostly bamboo and polyester, this is one of the best body pillows for hot sleepers.
Not only does it stay cool — and keep you cool — all night by distributing and releasing heat, but it’s hypoallergenic, dust mite-resistant and eco-friendly so you can breathe easily while sleeping soundly. The shredded memory foam fill is also nontoxic and certified by CertiPUR-US, so there’s no concern about any off-gassing like with other memory foam.
The Parachute Down Alternative Body Pillow Insert combines comfort with luxury. It’s made from super-fine, hypoallergenic microfiber that closely resembles the plushness and the cozy warmth that you get from down. Everything is nicely packaged in a soft 100% cotton shell that’s machine-washable, as long as you use the delicate cycle.
One thing to note is that this body pillow doesn’t come with a cover, so you’ll have to purchase one separately (if you want one), but Parachute offers four neutral, desert-inspired options that you can change as your style changes.
With its U-shaped design, detachable extension and polyfill blend that holds its shape, the PharMeDoc Pregnancy Pillow provides support for your back, hips, knees, neck and head to help alleviate pain and discomfort during pregnancy and beyond. You can use the pillow as-is for full body support or remove the detachable portion to give yourself more space or prop up a book or tablet when you want to sit upright.
It also comes with a zippered travel bag so if you need to take it with you on the go — or to the hospital when it’s time to welcome your little one — it’s easy and less cumbersome than others.
Whether you call it a body pillow or an enormous stuffed animal, this pick from Plow & Hearth is the best body pillow for kids and/or young-at-heart adults. Aside from being adorable, the oversized pillow is ideal for sleeping, lounging and/or lying on to read. It’s filled with polyester stuffing and covered in faux fur that’s soft and plush to the touch, but also dense and built to withstand the most serious cuddling.
If bears don’t really do anything for you, there are also other animal shapes including a fox, a labrador retriever, a fawn, a cow and a koala. For each of these body pillows sold, Plow & Hearth will donate $1 to the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA, a no-kill organization that offers shelter and care to animals in need.
How we test
CNET editors pick the products and services we write about based on editorial merit. They tested these body pillows by spending a significant time sleeping with each one, and looked at key qualities like firmness, feel and comfort.
Body pillow FAQs
How do I choose a body pillow?
You should choose a body pillow based on your specific needs and preferences. C-shaped pillows provide support for your head, neck and knees. U-shaped pillows take up more space but offer ample support for the neck, back, head, knees and the front of your body. A straight pillow can also relieve pressure between the knees and improve back alignment, but it won’t support the whole body like a U-shaped pillow.
Is it good to sleep with a body pillow?
Yes. Body pillows can help relieve back pain, promote a properly aligned spine, improve blood circulation and aid in supporting the body during a woman’s pregnancy. Depending on the pillow you choose, it can support your head and neck, while at the same time, relieving pressure between the knees and joints.
What’s is the best body pillow?
We named the following as best body pillows:
- Coop Home Goods Body Pillow
- Plow & Hearth Black Bear Plush Cuddle Animal Body Pillow
- PharMeDoc Pregnancy Pillow
- Parachute Down Alternative Body Pillow Insert
- Snuggle-Pedic Ultra-Luxury Bamboo Body Pillow
- Leachco Back ‘N Belly Chic Supreme
- Queen Rose Classic U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow
- Sharper Image Full Support Body Pillow
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