One Pregnancy Pillow for Two Homes: Will It Work?

Relvay makes a pregnancy pillow. We also tell you below when you should not buy one.

The short answer

Yes, one pregnancy pillow can work for two homes if it fits your half of the smaller bed, packs for the trip and has a cover you can wash where the washer is.

• Skip buying if regular pillows work at both places.
• Buy one if you sleep worse at one home.
• What matters: the stricter home sets the size.

Sunday night, pillow in the back seat

One pillow can serve two homes if you plan it around the harder of the two beds. Most people find out the hard way, on a Sunday night, with a pillow in the back seat.

Sunday, 9:40 p.m.

I was 24 weeks, standing in Theo's driveway in the dark, trying to fold a C pillow into the back seat of my car. It did not want to fold. It wanted to be a C. I ended up wrapping it in a trash bag so it would not pick up dog hair, and drove home with it pressed against the window like a passenger.

That was the routine. Weeknights at my apartment near work, a full bed, just me. Friday to Sunday at Theo's house an hour away, his queen bed, his dog, his radiator that never turns off. Every Friday the pillow came with me. Every Sunday it came back.

Then one Friday I forgot it. I lay in Theo's bed with two of his flat pillows and a rolled-up hoodie, rebuilding the whole thing every time I turned. At 3 a.m. I gave up and went to sleep on the couch so I would stop waking him. I remember lying there thinking: I live in two places and I cannot sleep properly in either of them.

• If your pillow spends more time in your car than on a bed...
• If you sleep well at one place and badly at the other, and you know it is the pillow...
• If the pillow that fits one bed takes over the other one...
• If you are not sure whether to buy one pillow or two...

You are not being fussy. A pillow chosen for one bed was never planned for a second bed, a car trip and a second laundry room.

"This is great if you have the whole bed to yourself. My partner complains I take up too much of the bed rolling over."YouTube comment on a pregnancy pillow video

"Took up a ton of our bed and we have a queen."Amazon review of a full-body pregnancy pillow

"I packed this for European travel at 26 weeks pregnant."Amazon review of a portable pregnancy pillow

What most of us try first

Most people try carrying a big pillow, leaving it at one home, or buying a second cheap one. Each fix solves one home and costs you something at the other.

1. Hauling the big C pillow every weekend.It fit my full bed at home because I had the whole bed. At Theo's it covered most of my half and pushed into his. And twice a week I was wrestling it in and out of the car.Works in one bed, a chore on the road.
2. Leaving it at my apartment.Weeknights were fine. Weekends were regular pillows, a hoodie and a lot of turning. The two nights I most wanted to sleep next to Theo were the two nights I slept worst.Good sleep five nights, bad sleep two.
3. A second, cheaper pillow for his house.It was a different shape and much softer. My body never settled into it, and I still missed the first one. "The smaller side pillow it's way too fluffy and gives you no support under your belly." (Amazon review) · Two pillows, two different nights, double the money.
4. A long body pillow, folded into a tote.Easy to carry. But every turn meant lifting it over my bump to the other side, and at 3 a.m. I just left it behind me. "It's not so easy to turn sides what with having to adjust the pillows, lifting your body up to turn, too much work." (YouTube comment) · Portable, but not much help once you turn.

Why is one pillow for two homes so hard to get right?

Because a pillow for two homes has to pass three tests, not one: it has to fit the smaller bed, survive the trip, and stay clean in two places. Most pillows are bought to pass only the first test, for one bed.

The smaller bedYour half of the tighter bed sets the size limit. A pillow that fits a full bed you sleep in alone can take most of your half of a queen you share.

The tripHow you get between homes sets the bulk limit. A car can take a lot. A train, a bus or a short walk cannot.

The laundryWhere the washer is sets the care plan. If only one home has one, the cover has to come off and travel too.

The right pillow for two homes is the one that fits the harder home, not the one you love at the easier one.

Hannah worked this out with a tape measure and one sheet of paper. That sheet is below, along with the kind of support that finally made both beds work. First, the free options.

Should you buy one pregnancy pillow or two?

Buy one pillow if it fits both beds and you travel by car or it packs small. Buy two only if one home has a very different bed or you cannot carry anything bulky. Buy none if regular pillows work at both places.

Your situation	Usually the best plan
Regular pillows stay put at both homes	Buy nothing. Keep a spare pillowcase at each place.
You drive between homes and both beds are similar	One pillow that fits the smaller half and packs into a bag.
You take a train or bus, or carry everything by hand	One compact pillow, or regular pillows at the second home.
One bed is much smaller, or shared with a child or pet	Choose for that bed. A big pillow can stay at the roomy home only if it never has to move.
You split nights almost evenly and hate packing	Two pillows can make sense, ideally the same type so your body gets used to one setup.

Can regular pillows work at the second home?

Yes, regular pillows can work at the second home if you set them up the same way every time. The trick is copying your main setup, not improvising with whatever is on the bed.

1. Keep two firm pillows at the second home just for you, so you are not borrowing your partner's.
2. Fold one under your bump so it feels lifted, not hanging.
3. Push one behind your lower back, tucked tight against the mattress so it does not roll away.
4. Add a pillow between your knees and ankles, the way the NHS suggests for side sleeping.
5. Leave the setup made on your side of the bed during the week, so Friday night starts ready.

If you sleep well with this for a few weekends, you do not need to buy anything. Our guide to whether you need a pregnancy pillow has the full regular-pillow test.

The two-homes fit sheet

Fill in one column per home, then take the stricter answer for each row. That last column is the pillow you are shopping for.

Check	Home A	Home B	Minimum common ground
Bed width and your half	Full, 54 in, alone: 54 in	Queen, 60 in, shared: 30 in	Pillow must fit 30 in
Who else is in the bed	Nobody	Partner and a dog	Stays on your half
How you get there	Car, 1 hour, back seat	Fits in a tote or the trunk
Washer and dryer	Shared laundry room	Washer at home	Cover comes off and travels
Room temperature	Cool	Warm, radiator	Plan for the warm room
Storage while away	Closet	None	Small enough to leave in the car

Hannah's answers are filled in as an example. Yours will be different, but the rule is the same: the strictest home wins every row.

One pillow is worth buying when:

• Regular pillows keep falling apart at one or both homes.
• You sleep noticeably worse at one place.
• You can carry something the size of a large tote.
• The pillow fits your half of the smaller bed.
• Its cover comes off for washing where the washer is.

Hip, pelvic or back pain that keeps you up at both homes is worth raising with your midwife or OB-GYN. A pillow is a comfort aid, not a treatment.

Which type of pregnancy pillow travels between homes best?

The types that travel best are the ones that fold or break into smaller pieces. Here is how the main types usually do in a two-home routine.

	U or C full-body	Long body pillow	Single wedge	Two wedges strapped together
Fits half a queen	Barely	Yes	Yes	Yes
Packs for a weekly trip	Bulky, back seat	Long, awkward	Small bag	Large tote
Bump and back at once	Yes	One side	One or the other	Both
Same setup in both beds	Only if both are roomy	Yes	Yes	Yes
Between the knees	Yes	Yes	No	Add a regular pillow

For a single weekend away rather than a weekly routine, see traveling with a pregnancy pillow.

How do you keep one pillow clean in two places?

Wash the cover at whichever home has the washer, and keep a spare pillowcase or a clean bag for the trip. A routine beats remembering.

• Read the care label once. Many inserts are spot clean only, so the cover is the part you wash.
• Pick one wash day, at the home with the washer, and stick to it.
• Carry the pillow in its own clean tote, not loose on a car seat with pet hair.
• Keep a regular-pillow backup at the second home for the week you forget it.

What changed when the pillow fit the smaller bed?

When the pillow was chosen for the smaller bed, the same setup worked in both places and the Sunday wrestling match stopped.

Hannah measured her half of Theo's queen: 30 inches. Her C pillow was about that wide on its own. So she looked for something that fit inside 30 inches, went into a tote, and had a cover she could wash at her apartment.

She ended up with two small wedges joined by a strap and a regular pillow between her knees at each home. The first Friday she unpacked it in two minutes. On Saturday morning she woke up next to Theo, in his bed, with the dog asleep across their feet, and realized she had slept straight through.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use one pregnancy pillow at two different homes?

Yes, if it fits your half of the smaller bed, you can carry it between the homes without a struggle, and its cover comes off to wash at the place with the washer.

Should I buy two pregnancy pillows if I live in two places?

Only if one bed is much smaller or you cannot carry anything bulky. If you do buy two, choose the same type so your body gets used to one setup.

What pregnancy pillow is easiest to move between houses?

Compact types: a single wedge, or two small wedges joined by a strap. A long body pillow is easy to carry but awkward to turn with. A full U or C pillow is the hardest to move.

How do I measure if a pregnancy pillow fits a shared bed?

Measure the mattress width and divide by two. A queen is 60 inches, so your half is about 30 inches. The pillow's width has to fit inside your half.

How often should I wash a pregnancy pillow cover?

Follow the care label. A simple routine helps: wash the cover on a set day at the home with the washer, and keep the insert clean in its own bag on the trip.

Where the Relvay 3-Piece pillow fits in

The Relvay 3-Piece is the two-wedge set Hannah ended up carrying. Here is how it does on the two-homes sheet, including where it falls short.

1. The bump wedgeA crescent-shaped wedge that tucks under your bump, thin edge toward your belly button, so the weight is not pulling on your back.

2. The back wedgeThe same shape, snug against your lower back so it has something to rest against.

3. The strap and small cushionA flat strap runs under you and joins the two wedges, so they stay together instead of drifting apart. A small oval cushion sits on the strap between them. You can set the distance as the bump grows.

Each wedge is about 17 by 13 inches and about 4 inches thick at its outer edge, tapering thinner toward your body (supplier measurement). Opened out, the set is roughly as wide as your torso, so it stays on your half of the bed and you keep your normal head pillow. Soft ribbed pink fabric on top, white sides. It is small enough to pack for a trip.

What it does not do: it does not go between your knees. Keep a regular pillow there, the way the NHS suggests. That combination covers all three points without a giant pillow.

See the 3-Piece set

Probably not for you if

• Regular pillows work at both homes.
• You travel on foot or by bus with no room for a large tote.
• You want one pillow that also holds your head and knees.
• You want free return shipping. With us you pay it unless the item arrives faulty.

Made for you if

• Your half of the smaller bed is about 27 to 30 inches.
• You drive between homes or can carry a large tote.
• You want the same bump and back setup in both beds.

Try it for 90 nights

Sleep on it through the weeks that matter. If it is not right for you, email us within 90 days of delivery and send it back for a refund. Return shipping is on you unless it arrived faulty.

$79.99

90-day money-back guarantee · Free US shipping over $70 · 3 pieces, one set

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Hannah's story is a composite based on real reviews and public posts from pregnant side sleepers. Names and details are changed.