I need a pillow for reading in bed

September 22, 2013 9:18 PM

I need a pillow for when I'm sitting up in bed reading/computing so I stop screwing up my back trying to get comfortable. There are a lot of options, though! What's best for back/neck support? Traditional reading pillows (the kind with arms) or wedge pillows? What material will work well for this?
posted by NoraReed to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

I used to have a terrific wedge-shaped pillow that had been a one-off made by a futon maker, but after years of propping me up to read in bed it finally self-destructed.

Online – not here, I don't recall where – someone suggested the best source of firm wedge-shaped foam pillows is certain sex supply houses, but they seemed kind of pricey and tend to run to leopard prints and the like. But you could look into that.
posted by zadcat at 9:33 PM on September 22, 2013

Response by poster: There's no shortage of pillows available, and the Liberator line (the major sex one) does make wedges that might work, but I'm looking for recommendations for specific pillows that have worked for other people for this purpose. Sex pillows also tend to be as wide as the hips rather than the shoulders.

Brands, materials and design recommendations are all appreciated.
posted by NoraReed at 9:38 PM on September 22, 2013

My fancy rich bibliophile friends have the reading wedge and knee wedge pillows from the Company Store. If you don't care about color and catch them on a sale, they are fabulous, and almost worth not waiting for a sale. If you get a combination of pillows they can be more easily adjusted for different heights and weights and such, too, instead of buying basically another piece of furniture to put on top of your bed.
posted by Mizu at 9:54 PM on September 22, 2013 [7 favorites]

Try also putting something under your knees. I think can help a lot with positioning.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:55 PM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

I still fancy one of these that I linked to in a previous thread.
posted by goshling at 10:18 PM on September 22, 2013

I have a bolster pillow from Ikea that's been great for this. The pillow is made from foam, about 15cm in diameter and 80cm long. I put the bolster against the headboard, and then I put my regular sleeping pillow against that, and it's comfortable enough that I sometimes stay in bed all day reading or using my laptop. It was also quite inexpensive -- I think about $14 for the pillow and a cover made of soft velvety fur.

I can't seem to find it on the Ikea website, so perhaps they don't sell it in Australia any more, but I think this is the one: Ikea Gosa Nejika bolster pillow.
posted by Georgina at 10:30 PM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Multiple pillows including very stiff bolsters and wedges. Extra bolster to put under your knees.

Pro tip: Put everything you could possibly need within reach before you arrange yourself on the pillows.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:16 PM on September 23, 2013

Brookstone has some nice options, and some have user reviews.
posted by invisible ink at 4:55 PM on September 23, 2013