Mei Tai and a young infant (5 months)

[simple life]

I have been using the mei tai with our daughter from about day one. I have always froggied her legs. I am wondering how I'll know she's ready to not have them froggied. I have tried her like that, but she doesn't seem to like it, but I don't know if it's just because she's not ready, or if she just doesn't like it. She's little (compared to my son), about 15 pounds, maybe 16. Maybe a wrap would be better for starting her on the dangly legs ?

[chase_mommy]

Is there a reason you want her legs to dangle? Maybe the MT has to much fabric between her legs? Have you tried cinching the fabric between her legs to make it narrower? I have also heard of people doing one leg in and one leg out... don't know how safe that is though?

I should also add that I didn't use a MT until DD was much older so I don't know whats age appropriate for LO's.

[simple life]

I was just afraid she was getting to heavy for them to be folded up (like the weight on her knees?) And one of the mei tais I have, she sits pretty tall in (works very well for a toddler on your back though, but maybe not a little one), and I thought it would be better if she wasn't half out. But no, not any real reason, just mostly wondering what people used as a sign of readiness, if you will , of having the dangly legs.

Also looking forward to put her on my back , but I don't think she's there yet, she still likes to arch her back to see behind her, I'm afraid she'll topple over.

I do think there is too much fabric, hadn't thought of trying to make it smaller. I used a wrap with my first child, but it's so much harder to do quickly in a parking lot than the mei tai! I may just have to get it out though, especially with the warmer weather (it's a homemade gauze wrap).

[alegna]

I had both of mine's legs out by 5 months- but they were a good bit bigger. I put legs out when their legs are long enough to do so... no real guidelines, sorry!

-Angela

[MsVyky]

We go legs-out in the mei tai, too. My daughter is a week past five months.

[simple life]

It seems like 5 months is about the average . I may get the wrap out and see if that works better. She does have very short legs though, so maybe that's some of the issue with her. She doesn't seem to mind being froggied.

My son was legs out early too, but he was much bigger than her, he was 24 pounds by five months. He wasn't a whole lot taller than her, but I know he didn't have a lot of trouble fitting into the 12 month sleepers that he wore, whereas she still needs like 0-3 month bottoms, and 6-9 tops/onesies.

[chase_mommy]

Originally Posted by simple life

I was just afraid she was getting to heavy for them to be folded up (like the weight on her knees?) And one of the mei tais I have, she sits pretty tall in (works very well for a toddler on your back though, but maybe not a little one), and I thought it would be better if she wasn't half out. But no, not any real reason, just mostly wondering what people used as a sign of readiness, if you will , of having the dangly legs.

Also looking forward to put her on my back , but I don't think she's there yet, she still likes to arch her back to see behind her, I'm afraid she'll topple over.

I do think there is too much fabric, hadn't thought of trying to make it smaller. I used a wrap with my first child, but it's so much harder to do quickly in a parking lot than the mei tai! I may just have to get it out though, especially with the warmer weather (it's a homemade gauze wrap).

You can fold the lower part (where the waist straps are) of the MT up to make the rise of the body smaller... if that doesn't make sense I can try to better explain. I use to do that with DD because I made a large body MT so it would last in toddler-hood. To make the crotch smaller, I would just take a ponytail holder to bunch the material together right after where the butt would sit in the MT, makes less material where the legs would come out.

[tankgirl73]

Just a suggestion about the wrap in the parking lot -- I just would put on the wrap at home, put DD in to get it adjusted just right, then take her out and go. Arriving wherever we were going, I just pop her back in. Piece of cake -- especially in the winter (just had the wrap on under my coat.

In fact, the way a wrap opens in a kind of V in the front, makes it easier to pop in and out (without untying/retying) than a mei tai, IMO. Slide her in one side, then the other, spread over her back, pull up the panel part to cover the whole thing, voila. Especially in a stretchy wrap it's super-quick.