They say necessity is the mother of invention…and in our case that’s doubly true!
The original Boppy was born in 1989 when our founder was caring for her own baby. Not wanting to rely on a stack of sleeping pillows to support her little one, she set about creating the world’s first C-shaped nursing pillow.
The pillow was specially designed for the comfort of both herself and her baby, and immediately gave her and other moms more support while nursing and bottle-feeding.
Drawing from First-Hand Experience
Over the course of our history, there have been many more moments like this - moments when first-hand necessity sparks the invention of truly helpful products. Members of our product development team, many of whom are moms themselves, draw from their own experiences to create products that solve real-life issues.
Take, for example, the Boppy Uplift Nursing Pillow, which made its debut just a few years ago.
The Uplift offers a supportive incline that’s ideal for reflux-prone babies. It was the brainchild of Haley Gibbons, Boppy’s Senior Product Designer, who spent hours stacking and angling and adjusting pillows while feeding her newborn. She was looking for just the right incline to keep her little one comfortable and fuss-free.
Using Instinct to Design the Uplift
Haley’s intuition told her that propping up her pillow to adjust her baby’s feeding angle could make a real difference. And she was right! Her pediatrician agreed that feeding babies at an angle can help with reflux.
“I was frustrated using two pillows when it could have been just one!” says Haley. "I saw a lot of other parents doing the same thing, and I thought: Why haven’t we made a pillow that does this?”
After she returned from maternity leave, she took her concepts to the Boppy drawing board, relying on her instincts to translate her ideas into a prototype for the Uplift Nursing Pillow. We tested a few different sizes first with other Boppy moms, then took prototypes to local organizations where dozens of moms could try out the pillow and offer their feedback in person.
The result was a pillow with a subtle incline, a unique comma shape that fits more body types, and a gentle cradle that supports baby's body in the ideal position. No stacking or angling required!
Continuing to Coax Innovation from Real Life
We know from both our founder's and Haley’s experiences that the best ideas don’t start big - they start with a mom paying attention to her child’s needs (as well as her own!).
That’s why we continue to gather feedback from moms, both on and off the Boppy team, to learn how they’re quietly improvising solutions to common problems, then designing products that meet those needs.
The goal, Haley says, is to “get parents what they need before they’re frustrated!”
