Carrier Review: Mei Tai Baby

You might say I've become addicted to babywearing. Go ahead, say it. I'm proud to wear my baby. And for mamas who want to get out of the house, there is no easier way to bring baby than to wear him.

Like a good addict, I've acquired a small stash paraphernalia to support my habit. My latest acquisition: A Mei Tai Baby carrier. I already have some wraps and soft structured carriers, all of which I love, but until last week my collection was missing the staple mei tai.

 

I did some digging around before I decided to order a carrier from Mei Tai Baby. The carriers have good reviews on TheBabywearer.com, and the designs looked great from what I could see on the website. I saw this khaki-colored carrier in the Ready-to-Ship section of their shop and decided to go for it.

I am thrilled with this carrier. It is extremely well-made, the construction is flawless and the shape of the carrier is perfect. It's very comfortable, and look at how good it looks! I've worn it for several hours every day the past few days and it still feels great. At $89 the Mei Tai Baby costs about the same as many popular buckle carriers, and if I had to choose only one, I'd go with the Mei Tai Baby.

The only thing I wish I had done differently is to order the optional snap tab extender for an additional $3. The bottom of the front panel comes with snaps to cinch the carrier in for smaller babies, and B is currently in an in-between size where he's too big to sit in the carrier with it cinched, but too small to sit in it uncinched. This isn't a huge issue, I'm using a swaddle blanket in the carrier until the extender that I just ordered arrives, but it would have been nicer to have it from the get-go

Overall, the Mei Tai Baby is a beautiful way to carry your little one. It is so artfully made that I'm excited to wear it out of the house.

WearYOBaby: Lucky Baby Wrap Review

I've already shared my love of babywearing, and how it's a wonderful way for mamas to get out of the house. Like any new enthusiastic convert, I've already purchased and used a couple of different wraps and carriers as a happy new babywearer.

I saw this Lucky Baby wrap on sale on Zulily and figured I might as well add another stretchy wrap to my stash. The Lucky Baby wrap has a decorated fabric panel in the middle of two long stretchy tails. Unlike the Moby, the Lucky Baby wrap tapers out towards the ends, and has much less fabric overall. I figured at the very least this wrap would be much prettier than my Moby, so I'd probably reach for it more.

The Good
The Lucky Baby wrap is pretty, and easier to tie than the Moby because there's much less fabric. It's also easier to throw in a bag and bring along with you because of it's smaller size. It is nicely constructed and easy to care for since it's machine washable.

The Bad
The Lucky Baby wrap is very stretchy, and it does not bounce back very much so it's prone to stretching out quickly while you wear it. This means you have to tie it on very tightly if you want to keep baby in a good position for more than a half hour or so. This also means it is not a good wrap for heavier babies. My son is just over 13 lbs at 8 weeks old, and I feel like this wrap is already too stretchy to wear him in for any length of time. While it is nicely constructed, the wrap does look handmade, especially on the center panel where the cut edge of the fabric is visible on the inside of the wrap.

Conclusions
The Lucky Baby wrap is a great starter wrap for new babywearers with newborns. It's easier to tie than other stretchy wraps, and this alone might be what a newbie needs to gain confidence babywearing before moving on to other wraps. The Lucky Baby wrap is not a good option for larger babies or even extended wear with newborns because it is far too stretchy and doesn't bounce back nearly as well as other stretchy wraps on the market.

Bottom line: If you have the extra cash to buy a starter wrap that you probably won't use very much, and you're intimidated by long panels of fabric on other stretchy wraps, go for it. Otherwise, you're better off starting out with a heftier stretchy wrap, or better yet, skip the stretchies and go straight for a woven.

WearYOBaby: Moby Wrap Review

I am all about getting out of the house, and the easiest way to do that is to wear your baby.

I knew before I had B that I'd want to wear him, so I picked up a Moby before he was born and practiced wrapping it. I know many people shy away from wraps because they look complicated to use, but I found that after doing it just twice I was able to wrap it once B came along without peeking at the instructions. If I can do it, you can too. Trust me.

I was desperate to start wearing B in the Moby around the house as soon as we got home, but waited until he was about two weeks old because I didn't want to bust open my C-section incision. Let me tell you something about my Moby: It was love at first wrap. Not only does it allow us to get some really great skin-to-skin action going on when I'm doing thing around the house (and by "doing things" I mean sitting around searching Zulily and watching movies,) but B absolutely loves being cuddled up close, and this is the best way to do it.

The Moby is a stretchy wrap, meaning the fabric has some give. The best advice I got about tying it was to tie it "ten minutes too tight"--tie it so it feels too tight at first, because it will loosen up a bit after about ten minutes. Stretchy wraps are great for newborns because they swaddle them up nice and tight. Moby says you can use the wrap until your little one weighs 35 pounds, but I'm pretty sure I'll be reaching for my woven wraps almost exclusively once B is that big.

One thing I did find was that B struggled a bit at first when I wore him using the newborn hold. He became much easier to put in the wrap once I started wearing him with his legs out. Either way, though, he typically falls asleep and stays asleep in the Moby for as long as I wear him. This is pretty awesome, because I don't have to fear that he'll start screaming in the middle of a crowded place and send me running out the door in shame.

So far, I've worn B out in the Moby to the mall, several restaurants, new moms group, and the movie theatre. We haven't had a screaming fit yet, so I'd say it's been a success. The best thing about the Moby is that you can pre-tie it at home before you leave, and then slip baby into it in the back seat of the car when you reach your destination. This is absolutely necessary for us right now since we're in the middle of a Chicago winter--try to tie your Moby in the parking lot and you'll end up with slush-soaked tails.

Of course, the Moby isn't the only stretchy wrap on the market. I just got my Lucky Baby stretchy wrap in the mail, so I'll do a write-up of that next. (Thankyouverymuch Zulily for your impossible-to-ignore deals.)

Linkies:

• Here's a great video showing an alternative way to tie your Moby
• Babywearing International of Chicagoland
• The Babywearer

Do you wear your baby? What's your favorite wrap? Any tips for new babywearers?