Body Pillows

• Sleeping Bean (66 x 10 in). Fill options: Poly, kapok, Staph-CHEK. Pick it if: You sleep on your side and want one pillow for knees, chest and arm.
• Teen Bean (54 x 9 in). Fill options: Poly, kapok, Staph-CHEK. Pick it if: Teens, smaller adults, twin beds.
• Maternity (U-shape, Velcro-adjustable). Fill options: Poly, kapok, Staph-CHEK. Pick it if: You're pregnant, or you roll over a lot and hate repositioning.
• Comfort Reading Pillow (25 x 25 backrest with arms). Fill options: Poly. Pick it if: You sit up in bed to read, work or recover from surgery.
• Kidney Bean, kids (36 x 7 in). Fill options: Poly, kapok. Pick it if: Kids who sleep restlessly or want something to hold.

Body pillow for side sleepers

Side sleeping loads three points: the top knee drops and twists the lower back, the top shoulder collapses forward, and the hip takes the weight. A body pillow fixes all three if it does two things: runs from knee to shoulder without a gap, and stays where you put it. Straight pillows roll away when you shift. The Sleeping Bean's curve follows your body's S-line, so one end stays between your knees while the other holds your chest and arm. At 66 inches it reaches for most adults; the 54-inch Teen Bean suits shorter sleepers. More on posture in should your shoulders be on the pillow.

Kapok or poly fill

• Recycled poly. Hypoallergenic PET fiber made from cleaned, shredded bottles. Slightly firmer, the least expensive, and the whole pillow can go in a front-loading washer. Pick this for a first body pillow.
• Organic kapok. A plant fiber that feels like down, with an organic cotton shell. Breathes better than poly. Animal-free. See are kapok pillows good.
• Staph-CHEK. Medical-grade fabric that's fluid-proof and antimicrobial, on the Sleeping Bean and maternity pillow. For care facilities, post-surgery recovery and incontinence.

Fill settles over time. Instead of replacing the pillow, add kapok fill and it's back to full loft.

Body pillow covers and cases

A zippered cover means weekly washing without wrestling the whole pillow. Ours come in organic cotton sateen in a range of colors and hemp, each sized for the adult, teen and kids pillows. A standard 20 x 54 body pillowcase from a department store won't fit: the Sleeping Bean is 12 inches longer and round, not flat. All covers are in pillowcases.

Care

Covers: machine wash cold, gentle cycle, tumble low, no bleach. The pillow itself depends on the fill. Poly versions handle a front-loading washer; kapok needs different treatment. Read can you wash body pillows in the washer and how to wash a kapok pillow before you try.