Favorite Mei Tai

[Grayson's Mom]

What is your favorite brand of Mei Tai? I really love my Kozy EXCEPT that you have to tie it at the waist and I hate having those flappy ends of the tie flapping around. Are their any Mei Tai's that have a buckle at the waist?

[Blueone]

At 2 Momma Designs (a website) you can order a custom Mei Tai and they have an all buckle option, half buckle, and only tie option. I think they have a couple other types too.

My favorite is the Canvas Eden Mei Tai.

[kinzee]

You might like something like this. http://www.ergobabycarrier.com
I know some women who swear by it

[Grayson's Mom]

Yes, I have an Ergo. But I like the top tie on a Mei tai better. Just want a buckle at the waist, I think.

[mambera]

I don't have one, but I think the Pikkolo is something like a mei tai with a waist buckle.

I am actually in the market for another baby carrier - I only have two, my Maya Wrap ring sling which I have loved so far, and a Baby Bjorn which I have never worn except to try once.

LO is now 5 months old and I need a back carrier. I really don't like the Bjorn.

I am torn between getting a mei tai (probably the Babyhawk, it got the largest # of positive reviews on Babywearer) and this Pikkolo.

Generally I like the look and feel of a fabric carrier, I think the structured-ness is one of the things I dislike about the Bjorn. The Pikkolo is very pricey and I'd want to make sure I'd use it before I go out the cash.

But I could see getting frustrated with the long long ties of the mei tai, it looks really annoying to get baby in and out. I need good poppability bc my kid gets bored easily, also bc hubby and gma like to take turns holding her when we are all out together so she gets passed around a lot.

Anybody with more experience want to weigh in on mei tai vs Pikkolo?

[batsister]

I don't have a Pikkolo (or any SSC, though my mother-in-law is working on sewing one for me ), but I have two mei tais (that she also made). Generally speaking, I like the MTs a lot, but I was alone with my son (3.5 months) at a conference last week, so I was wearing him for most of the day for several days, and I did get really tired of tying and untying the MT when he got squirmy and wanted out, needed a diaper change, needed to eat (feeding him in the MT doesn't work super well for us). I was thinking at that point that buckles would be really nice (plus the extra support of a padded waist, which doesn't come standard with the Pikkolo, but you can buy the "baby wearing belt" to use with it). One thing you can do is just loosen the MT and take the baby out, then put him/her back in without totally retying, but when I do this it still requires adjusting/partial retying each time. Others may have different experiences.

[Adasmommy]

I think you want an onbuhimo. Very mei tai like, but with only shoulder straps--no waist ties.

Here's a video of someone wearing an onbuhimo in a back carry. She's tying tibetan--you can also tie at waist in front, or wrap around the front and tie in back under baby if you don't want to flap in front.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt_1EfLB07s

[mambera]

OK, update - after scouting around a bit more I found the Angelpack LX, which got uniformly good reviews (better than the Pikkolo). It is a mei tai-like SSC with a waist buckle and chest strap instead of ties.

Also, it sounds like Babyhawk is coming out with something very similar this month - the Babyhawk Oh Snap!