This Folding Tablet Stand Will Save Your Joints - Without Sacrificing Your TikTok Couch Time
When you have a chronic illness, you spend a lot of time in a reclined position, whether it’s on a couch or a bed or some combination of the two, and you quickly learn just how you want things set up to be the most comfortable and least flare-inducing. For me, my perfect spot in on my couch (I bought mine from Crate & Barrel, they don’t make it anymore - I bought it on sale when they were transitioning to an updated version that’s just slightly different). It’s the best couch in the best room of my house, and I spend the majority of my at-home time there. I watch TV, cross stitch, write, and use my iPad. It’s very comfy, but I knew there was room for improvement, mainly around how I hold my iPad when I’m couch-bound.
I have an iPad Mini, which is (you guessed it) small, but it suits my needs perfectly. Because of my arthritic joints, sometimes holding a tablet for a long time can be a literal pain. I have this stand (I actually have two of them, they’re excellent), but as you can imagine, such a spindly stand doesn’t work when you’re in bed or on the couch. I have used a book under the stand before, but it’s not sustainable, and I’d rather have one thing that works instead of a workaround to make something imperfect be passable. I had seen these tablet stands that are pillows, and I liked the idea, but the pillows looked so bulky. I guess many people agreed, because the same company that makes the Pillow Pad stand also makes a folding version.
The Pillow Pad Foldaway is exactly what I was looking for. It’s perfect for holding your iPad while you watch videos, play games, or read. And because it folds up, it’s much easier to stow away when you’re not using it, or, if you’re me, use it as a laptop stand.
I love my Pillow Pad Foldaway, but it does have one flaw: It doesn’t stay closed. There was a review that mentioned this, but it’s not a dealbreaker for me like it may be for some people. It doesn’t make my laptop go flying across the room or, more realistically, make it hard to type on. As long as there’s some weight on it, the Foldaway stays folded. But when it’s just laying around, it goes into Croc Mode:
You can also see the “storage” inside the Pillow Pad Foldaway. What can you store there? A stick of gum? A pamphlet? I don’t use it. Maybe it fit stayed closed I would.
This picture makes it look like a gaping maw, but really it’s open about an inch, maybe an inch and a half. It’s not a big deal! But it is why I’d suggest paying as little as possible for this stand. It’s $20 most places, but at Bed, Bath and Beyond, with a coupon, it’s $16. To have added comfort and less joint pain while I’m using my iPad, AND a better on-the-couch laptop stand than what I was using (this pillow), $16 is a perfect price.
Look, it’s upside down. I’m watching this video, from a creator I ADORE.
Here’s an extra tip: If you’re using the Pillow Pad Foldaway to watch TikTok on your iPad, flip it upside down. The speakers are in the bottom of the iPad, and the sound is muffled if you put it on the stand rightside up. It took me multiple TikTok viewing sessions to realize this embarrassingly simple trick.
