Carrier ideas needed for older sibling to carry toddler on back

[IncompetentHousewife]

My 9yo daughter is forever carrying around her 17mo baby brother, even though I remind her she doesn't have to. She's requested her own carrier so she can occasionally wear him on her back (with me monitoring and limiting it so she doesn't overextend her growing body or fall and injure them both).

She put on my Ergo the other day. It worked, but it's really too big even at all the smallest settings. I have a Moby Wrap, but I don't feel so confident about her keeping him tight enough in that and she ends up with lots of extra fabric. We have ring slings, but she's not ready to learn a back carry with those.

Any ideas?

[katelove]

A short woven wrap would probably be the most adjustable for her size. Or perhaps a Mai Tai. The Didymos wovens are nice and light so wouldn't be too bulky for her. The Gypsy Mama gauze wraps are also light but I find the fabric a bit too scratchy, even after repeated washing.

The Moby and other stretchy wraps are not safe for back carries, you're right not to consider that as an option.

[Mom2M]

I think a mei tai would be great for her. Something like one of these, simple and easy to adjust.
http://www.peppermint.com/mei-tai.html
Or you could look for a used one on the babywearer FSOT. You can get a great price on mei tais
Sweet that she wants to carry him!

[momtalksCDs]

my very petite sister gets a good fit with a Becco Butterfly .... but a Mai Tai would be just as easy to get a snug fit with and a lot less expensive, if you're crafty you can even make one! 

what a sweet big sister!

[MammaG]

My 7YO son also has asked for a carrier to back-carry his 20mo brother.  I'm making him a mei tai for Christmas.  I'm just scaling down the pattern I made for myself.  The baby won't ever be sleeping on his brother's back, so it really only needs to be a safe seat to perch in (no head support needed).  I was thinking of sizing it so that the top comes to just below the baby's armpits.  The tricky part seems to be making the base small enough to go around big-brother's waist but wide enough to avoid that "Bjorn leg-dangle" for the baby.

Let us know what you decide to do, OP!

[IncompetentHousewife]

Thanks for the ideas! I ended up making her a mei tai and only had to size it down a couple inches all around. I purposely didn't go too small because I want it to be a backup that my husband can wear, too, when we each need to hold one of our little boys.

I used a tutorial on the Jan Andreas site and it was quick and easy. Unfortunately we haven't used it yet. I made it for a homeschool field trip for taking a nature hike, but that morning my daughter had to have some dental work and they suggested no heavy lifting. Even my daughter was like, "But Mom, the carrier spreads baby's weight so well it's not really heavy lifting!" It rained anyway so it was a moot point. I'll try to post a pic of her trying on brother in the new mei tai.