It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a Pillow Pet!
“It’s versatile as heck.”
What I bought:
Why I got it:
I can’t remember why or when I got my Pillow Pet (a stuffed animal-pillow hybrid) in the first place. To be honest, it was probably because my sister has two — one of which I bought her — and they seemed nice and soft and absolutely adorable, so I had to do the classic sibling thing and get my own.
The hard part of the decision came when I had to choose which animal to get. Ladybug? Moose? Unicorn? I ended up going with the zebra for a few reasons:
Zebras are majestic! And really cute in pillow form!
I was obsessed with zebras as a kid.
A zebra is the “mascot” of the rare disease world and, as much as I dislike how intertwined my identity has become with my chronic illnesses, it’s still nice to have a little reminder of the greater rare disease community to feel less isolated in my experiences.
(OK, I checked my Amazon order history to see when I got it — 2022, for all those wondering.)
What I liked:
Aside from being absolutely precious, my zebra Pillow Pet has actually come in quite handy on tougher pain days or when I sustain a new injury. For instance, I’ve been dealing with a sciatica and sacroiliac joint dysfunction flare-up, and my rolled-up Pillow Pet is the perfect size to place underneath my lumbar region for added cushion when lying on my back. I also like to place it between my knees when I’m lying on my side to help with the nerve pain. And, of course, it always helps to snuggle a stuffed animal when you’re having a rough day or need a good cry. The Pillow Pet is versatile as heck!
What I loathed:
I wish the Velcro on the strap that keeps the Pillow Pet in “pet” form was stronger, especially on the nights when I use the Pillow Pet as a knee pillow to help my lower back pain, but I’m also a rough sleeper (to say the least), so it could all be my own doing. I suppose the Velcro is plenty strong for the average 5-year-old (aka the intended audience, I’m assuming), so perhaps being a 28-year-old who moves around a lot in their sleep doesn’t make me the best judge of the product.
Win or Bin?:
As the commercial* goes, “It’s a pillow… It’s a pet… It’s a Pillow Pet!” How could it be anything other than a Win?
*It turns out that the commercial first aired in 2009, and uh… Where did the past 15 years go? 😅
