Mei Tai Baby Carriers

A Mei Tai (pronounced "may tie") baby sling is a type of baby carrier with a square or rectangle body of fabric in the center, with two waists strap and two long shoulder straps attached to each of the corners. This allows you to tie one set of straps around your waist and the other around your shoulders so that you can carry your baby on your front, back or side. The length of the straps means it can fit any body shape or size, so it easy for you and your partner to share. It is less structured than well known Baby Bjorn type carriers. However some Mei Tais have more support and include a stiffer upper portion to support a newborn's head. You will often hear a Mei Tai baby carrier being referred to as an Asian Back Carrier or an ABC for short. An ABC refers to baby carriers from Asia such as the Mei Tai, Podaegi and Onbuhimo. Some ABC's just have two straps from the top like Podaegi and Onbuhimo style. However the Mei Tai has four straps from all of the corners.

What age can my child use a Mei Tai carrier?

A parent can practice "baby wearing" with a Mei Tai carrier from a new born baby up until the age the parent can still manage to carry the child. This varies but on average you will be able to use this up until around 35 to 45 lbs which is around the age of a toddler at about 3 years of age but this may be less in some cases.

What styles does a Mei Tai offer?

MeiTais have a very beautiful and stylish oriental look and you can find Mei Tai carriers in a wide range of materials, patterns, styles and colours.

What benefits does a MeiTai offer?

A Mei Tai sling is very light, portable and easy to use. It can be easily folded away in to your bag.

• A Mei Tai sling is very comfortable and the parent is able to wear one for hours on end. This is due to the fact the weight is spread evenly across your hips and shoulders.
• When using a MeiTai the baby should be in a position called spread squat. This means that the knees of the baby should be higher than their bottom and the legs should be spread at the hips as almost as if they are seated. This is said to improve the health of the baby and in particular help their hip and spine develop correctly.

What baby carry positions does a Mei Tai have?

A Mei Tai can be used to carry a baby in a front carrier or a back carrier position. You can also use a Mei Tai in a hip carrier position on your side.