Of all the different types of carriers available for your baby, a Mei Tai is without a doubt one of the most versatile. Mei Tai carriers are styled after Asian carriers, it is basically a piece of fabric with waist and shoulder straps attached – simple design, but one that requires come specific qualities to be done well. Babyhawk has the design down perfectly.
The body of the Babyhawk Mei Tai is 16.5″ x 18.5″, which will carry a pretty small infant up to a decent size toddler (up to 40lbs). The waist strap is a 3.75″ wide, 70-72″ long continuous piece of fabric sewn into the bottom of the carrier – the continuous nature of the strap is an important safety feature, making sure that pieces cannot detach from the body. The shoulder straps are nicely padded for mom’s comfort, and there is a nice padded headrest for baby too.
Mei Tai’s are great for wearing your baby on your front (facing in or out, although out is harder on your back), back or hip, and make an awesome impromptu high chair too – I’ve used it to “tie” my baby to chairs for mealtime when a traditional high chair wasn’t available. (Note: This is only safe on chairs with full backs to them.) Wearing instructions are sent with your carrier and are also available online. The Babyhawk version is strong, but compact when folded and fits easily in my bag – not something I can say about all of the brands I’ve tried.
Babyhawk Mei Tai’s can be purchased in many colors and patterns and can be customized to any solid/pattern combination you like! They are also reversible – I can wear the pattern out when I use it, but my husband can wear the solid color out and not feel girly. Already found your dream fabric? Babyhawk will make you a custom Mei Tai out of YOUR fabric!
Babyhawk is definitely one of the best manufacturers of Mei Tai’s that you will find, they have a long history and great reputation. Traditional Mei Tai carriers from Babyhawk start at around $80, or you can choose their new Oh, Snap! soft structured carrier for $140.
After a decade in the corporate world as a working mom, Rachel, a MWC guest blogger, is a new stay at home mom to her 9-year old daughter and 3 month old son. She also writes for The Examiner as the Baby and Toddler Gear Examiner in the Seattle area. Check out her stories and reviews HERE.