Mind Games

This week we had an unusual review – we’re usually checking out books, movies, games, or even snacks – this week, we had a pillow!

We don’t get cable tv, so I don’t see all the interesting and unusual “Seen on TV” items!  I’d never heard of the Total Pillow, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Here’s what the company has to say:

VERSATILE TRANSFORMING PILLOW Cradles you with Comfort While Asleep and Awake

Most people spend approximately one-third of their lives asleep on their pillow, however the new Total Pillow has uses for the two-thirds of time spent awake.

There are pillows for all types of issues but no one pillow that bridges all conditions, until now. The Total Pillow™ is for use overnight, on the couch, sitting at your desk, driving, while on a plane or train, in college dorms, or just while watching television.  This donut-shaped pillow transforms in just seconds to more than five supportive shapes for customized relief.  The patent pending locking technology enables the Total Pillow to support the neck, lower back, ankles and knees.

“Consumers own many different pillows for different applications, identifying the need for a multipurpose pillow solution.” said Steve Heroux, CEO of Hampton Direct. “The Total Pillow transforms into five different shapes to answer a wide range of conditions.”

The Total Pillow’s ergonomic design allows your body to be cradled in support whether you’re a side sleeper and like support between your knees and/or ankles or are a frequent traveler. It’s also great for the businessperson, who needs lumbar support for the long periods of time spent seated.

Available for $19.99, The Total Pillow and can be ordered online at www.buytotalpillow.com.

Hampton Direct, Inc. is a leading international importer and distributor of consumer products. The Vermont-based company’s offerings include common household problem solving products that includes the As Seen On TV Wonder Hanger®, Twin Draft Guard® and Total Pillow®.

First, you need to see what this pillow looks like:

My kids call it “the flower pillow” – as in, “LOOK!  I’M A FLOWER!”

One side is soft and fuzzy and the flip side is smooth and satiny.  The pillow is filled with easily shifting microbeads and is sewn into a “petal” shape with an open center.

The Total Pillow site shows some of the many ways you can use this pillow:

The neat thing about this pillow is that it is very movable, but once you get it into a position – those shown above as well as the impressive twist that’s good for your lumbar support – it stays there quite well and doesn’t have any tendency to unfold before you are ready to unfold it.

I found this pillow very comfortable for the side-lying movie-watching position I tend to use when I’m watching movies at night with MechDaddy, as well as a nice stomach-lying pillow for when I fell asleep, and – folded in half – a great make-shift wrist support for when I want to use a mouse with my laptop!

I think we will take our pillow on our train trip to Boston next month – both as a traveling pillow for the train and as an extra pillow in the hotel for when we’re watching movies or using the computer at night.  It’s small enough that it will be easy to loop over the handle of a suitcase.

I was pleasantly surprised at how versatile the Total Pillow was and how much we all enjoyed it – the kids fought over it and both loved using it in a variety of situations.  My one concern is that – after some slightly-too-rough handling and some squabbles over whose turn it was, one of the seams on the back came open about a half inch and a small amount of the microbeads came out.  I’m going to patch it up, but if you own or are going to buy one of these pillows, learn from our mistake and caution your kids to be very gentle with it.  I wouldn’t use it around babies or toddlers who still mouth things, just in case the seam popped and the baby ate any of the beads!  But for adults, who can be gentle with their belongings and not eat them, it is great!

If you are interested in trying the Total Pillow, I have one to give away to a lucky reader!  Just leave me a comment – tell me how you think you might use this pillow – and next week I’ll pick a name.

This has been a MamaBuzz review.  The pillow was provided to us by Hampton Direct, Inc., and we were not compensated in any other way.  The opinions and goofy flower faces above are our own.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under giveaways, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.