Nursing Pillow Positions

As a new parent, you may be feeling overwhelmed—not only by a lack of sleep and newfound responsibility, but also by all the tricks and products that come along with feeding a baby. As a parent, efficiency is key, as is the care and safety of your baby. Enter, Tushbaby.

Tushbaby is a well-known and well-loved hip seat carrier (for many reasons), but one feature that moms really appreciate is that it doubles as a breastfeeding pillow. It allows you to go from comfortably carrying your baby on your hip with the Tushbaby to sitting down and breastfeeding with support—all without restrictive designs, aches and pains, or the need to stop and grab a breastfeeding pillow. Even at home, moms are on the go, and Tushbaby understands that. Our products are designed to go with you anywhere, while making life with a baby easier—and safety is a top priority.

Keep reading as we review how to use a nursing pillow when it comes to various nursing pillow positions, and more about the many ways you can position your baby for nursing.

Breastfeeding Positions with Nursing Pillow

Table of Contents

#1. Cradle position
#2. Football hold position
#3. Reclined position
#4. Side-lying position
#5. Koala hold
#6. Dangle feeding
#7. Dancer hand nursing position

How do you arrange pillows for breastfeeding?

For mothers who are nursing, having to support their babies while trying to keep good posture can be a serious challenge. When your baby is crying, you may rush to create a makeshift feeding spot—which works—but isn’t always the safest option for you or your baby. And when breastfeeding, it’s important to have proper support.

When using a traditional breastfeeding pillow, generally, you place it on your lap, rest your baby on the pillow, and feed. When you use the Tushbaby in the feeding position, it works the same way—only you don’t have to rush around to find the pillow as you’re likely already wearing the Tushbaby.

Want to up your game? Clip our Paci Pod, an attachable zip-up pouch to store a clean paci in, onto the carrier for easy access when baby gets fussy. Need a wet wipe? Reach into one of the five storage pockets on your Tushbaby and grab one. Tushbaby features 4 ways to carry baby, including the feeding position, which makes this the ultimate baby carrier and nursing pillow duo. Plus, the five functional storage pockets allow you to keep your nursing necessities close (nipple cream, burping rags, paci, you name it).

Different nursing pillow positions for baby

#1. Cradle position

This common nursing hold is where the baby lays across your chest with their belly toward yours. Mom sits upright or stands, cradling the baby across her body.

The Tushbaby Carrier can be used in the cradle position for extra back, arm, and upper body support. Simply strap your Tushbaby high and tight above your waist, with the seat in front of your torso. Lay your baby across the plush pad, bringing your baby to your nipple. For our visual learners, check out our instructional videos to see how this hold can be achieved.

#2. Football hold position

In the football hold position, your baby is held under your arm instead of across the front of your body. Your baby’s back can rest on your forearm or your Tushbaby Carrier, just like you’d see a football held. Simply wear your Tushbaby with the seat to your side and under your arm to achieve the football hold with added support.

Note: This position is especially helpful for moms who are recovering from a c-section as it keeps your baby at your side, rather than over any healing incision sites.

#3. Reclined position

For mommas who are nursing, you’re bound to have times while feeding when you just want to kick your feet up and relax—and the reclining position is a great way to do just that.

In this position, be sure that you still have back support—you can achieve this in a reclining chair or with the use of pillows under or behind your back. You’ll also need to hold your baby close to your body for good core support, which can be done with your nursing pillow or Tushbaby.

#4. Side-lying position

In this position, both you and your baby will lay on a flat surface facing each other on your sides. This can be on a big bed or the floor with a blanket or mat.

Keep your baby’s mouth at the level of your nipple so you don’t have to lean or fold forward. It’s recommended to use a pillow to support your head and neck, and keep your body straight while side-lying.

#5. Koala hold

Koala hold, also called the upright hold, is where your baby sits facing you with their legs straddled over your thigh and their back and neck straight while feeding. While this nursing position is more easily achieved once your baby can sit upright alone, it can still be used for newborns so long as there is plenty of support. This position can be especially beneficial if you have a baby who suffers from reflux, where it’s also recommended to keep your baby upright after they’ve nursed.

#6. Dangle feeding

With this position, your baby will lay down on their back while you quite literally dangle your breasts to bring your nipple to their mouth— hence the name. It’s recommended that Mom be on all fours for this one.

While it’s probably not likely you’ll be using this position often, some say this method is helpful if you’re struggling with clogged ducts or mastitis and don’t want your baby lying over your tender breasts. Sometimes it just feels good to switch it up, too—you do you.

#7. Dancer hand nursing position

The dancer hand position is done when Mom uses one hand to hold her breast and supports the bottom of her baby’s face/chin. This can be helpful for a baby who is having trouble latching or has low muscle tone due to a disability or being born prematurely. This extra support from Mom can help guide the baby and provide extra support for mouth muscles to aid in latching.

As you can see, there are plenty of breastfeeding positions with nursing pillows that can be used when feeding your baby. Don’t be discouraged if some of these positions aren’t right for you—having the support of a nursing pillow like your Tushbaby Carrier can make all the difference when it comes to finding what works best for you and your baby.

Keep trying new positions to see what works and enlist some extra support from your Tushbaby so you can enjoy stress-free (and strain-free) nursing. If you are still wondering, ‘Are nursing pillows worth it?’ we hope you can now see the answer is a resounding YES. Especially when your nursing pillow is as functional as the Tushbaby.

Done nursing? Use your Tushbaby to burp them or soothe indigestion, or carry your baby throughout the house while freeing up a hand to get your to-do list done.

At Tushbaby, we know how hard parenthood can be. That’s why all of our products are designed to make the everyday of parenting a bit more seamless, and a lot more comfortable.

Shop Tushbaby’s best selling parent-friendly products that make life with a baby, easier!