Pains in the neck pillows

Neck pillows are a fake industry. They don’t actually work. I bought a very expensive one for Allen back in August that has higher sides and can be anchored to the back of the chair. But the opening in the very front offers no support for your chin at all. Your chin just slides right between the two sides. And it’s just not snug around my neck. I bought a contoured one that is also very loose but when turned sideways can offer *some* support. The child sized one I got for Henry in the spring was useless for him but he liked the adult sized one *when* we tightened it with a Velcro strap (eliminating the chin gap). I bought another one that said it was smaller and made for people 90-140 pounds. It still fits incredibly loose and required a Velcro strap to offer any support at all. But because it’s smaller, the height of the neck support is lower. So I got to sleep, but woke because my neck was incredibly uncomfortable. 

I have bought and returned 3-4 pillows, and even the ones I kept are not that great. Allen’s seemed to serve him well as far as neck support. It has a strap that you can actually secure it to the back of your chair so you don’t slump over. But the loop strap on the case completely broke while he was getting on to the plane. It was $40. More than twice the cost of the other pillows. 

Allen’s: Cabeau $40. Good side support. Held secure to the back of chair. But no neck support and fit me too loosely. 

Henry’s, $22. Very loose for me. Worked well for him but only with a velcro strap we had to add around to squeeze it tighter against him. 

Mine-sized “small,” $15: still loose. Required a Velcro strap. Lower height offered less support for my neck. Worked a little better if I turned it sideways but then support was only on one side. Would have been better if turned backward but the Velcro cinching I had to do made it bulky there so I couldn’t turn it backwards. 

Velpeau Neck brace. This is the one I bought for Henry but had to return because I followed their sizing instructions but it was too tall for him. I think this would have been the one to get but we didn't have time to order another size. 

Those neck pillows you see in the airports for $20 can offer side to side support but won’t do anything to support your chin. That would be fine if you were able to recline and keep your head back, but an airplane chair doesn’t really recline enough to lean your head back, so your chin will still fall forward, especially with the bulk of that pillow behind it pushing against it. 

Moral of the story. You can sleep on a plane when you are tired enough, but you can’t *stay* asleep because the pain in your neck will wake you up. Unless the Cabeau fits you…and it doesn’t fall off the strap before you make it to your seat. 

Febraury 2024 UPDATE: 

I've been burned by so many other neck pillows. They clasp under your chin but your chin falls right through the opening, and you can't make them tighter at all. I'm a thin person so most adult pillows just don't fit me snuggly enough to offer support. Child pillows fit better but aren't tall enough. I basically was done trying. But I saw another very expensive neck pillow featured on a website and thought maybe I could find a similar pillow and just add my own eye mask. So I started searching for a wrap around neck support. I found this BUYUE, and for the low price decided to give it a try (I got it for less than $18). This one is so adjustable and legitimately supports my head in a way that doesn't feel like I'm being squeezed. I can wear it in different positions. The back doesn't feel so bulky and push my head forward. And it even comes with an eye mask! The very expensive pillow that inspired my search was $150! This is a fraction of the cost and I'm very happy with it.