Wanted to say hello and im interested in finding a mei tai and would love advice to what i need im 5 4 inches small med frame do i need padding for shoulders and do they come with padding for the babys legs? thanks so muc h any guidance as to where i can purchase would be awesome. thanks so much!

Rory i want to purchase before my guy arrives in 7 weeks lol

I own many mei tais and I have three favorites that I would like to reccomend to you.

www.kozycarrier.com
www.freehandbaby.com
www.babyhawk.com

All three of these come with padded sholder straps although I would imagine you could order one custom made without---I love my padded straps. There is no padding in a mei tai for a babys legs---a very young baby will have his/her legs up inside the carrier and padding is not necessary. I carry my 22 month old in a mei tai and not having padding for the legs has never been an issue.

Congratulations on your upcomming addition and your decission to purchase a mei tai carrier!! Do you already own a sling or pouch for your little one? As mush of a 'mei tai mama' as I am- I personally would reccomend a pouch or ring sling for a babywearing newbie that has no experience with a mei tai. They can be tricky at first- especially with a tiny babe.

Good luck and happy babywearing!

I hope I have answered all your questions- if not feel free to post more!!

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Thanks for the advice hey i went to those sites all look the same gosh so many choices out there!

I wanted to ask you I went to babywearer.com and looked for mt for sale came across one from Mei tai baby shes asking 45 dollars i saw it and is that a fair price? i thought it was good but i really need padded shoulders i have a girlfriend here in my neighborhood shes training me on how to put it on lol

thanks again

I also have a mei tai baby- It is beautiful and very well made- however I never reach for it and wouldn't reccomend it because of the fact that it doesen't have padded sholders and that is also a must for me. $45 is a great price for a gently used mei tai baby- just because I'm nosey- what fabric is it?? Mei tai baby carries some beautiful fabrics!!

Good luck and happy shopping!!

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Hey Jayna its on the website a lady is wearing her baby in her gallery shes a oriental the fabric is black w/h flowers. ok i need help then which mt has padded shoulders? i asked the lady from mtbaby she said it does have padded not true huh?

I really need the padding HELP JAYNA LOL which one?????

thanks again for your help rory

Ha ha!! I love that you're so excited about this!!

Now *MY* mei tai baby does not have padded straps- although I bought it second hand from thebabywearer.com and it is one of the first models that they ever produced. I just droped into their site and it looks as though the straps are now padded. If in fact you are getting a newer model--and the seller is telling you the straps are padded- then I'm sure they are!!

Some people (including me) swear by their Kozycarrier- although some of their fabric choices don't give very much to be desired. My kozy is done in 'windyday' - it's pretty and not to over the top. There ia a 4-5 week waiting list at Kozy- you can always get on it and once your name gets called you can simply tell her you are no longer intrested- if that's the case.

The mei tai that I reach for the most is my freehandbaby. It is amazing and I get so many compliments on it in public. It was custom made for me done in 'primary rainbow patchwork' and the workmanship is fantastic!! Blaaaa- I was trying to find some pictures of it but didn't have any luck!! You will have to take my word for it!

My babyhawk mei tai is my latest purchase. I haven't had a chance to use it much other than in the house to get some chores done. It also seems to be made very well and it is super fun and funky!!

With all that said and done (and this next statement may be debated by some )---in reality all mei tais are pretty much the same!! Simple find a fabric that you like the best and a price that you like the best- if padded straps are a must for you as they are for me then make sure the straps are padded as well. Unless you would like to purchase something brand new for your little one and have your own fabric selection- then I see no problem with going with the second hand mei tai baby from thebabyweearer- that is if it's still there!! Things get snagged up very fast over there!!

Good luck darling- let me know what you decide on!!

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OK I got on the list for the Kozy, but I wanted to do custom, so now Im looking for good quality fabric geesg now where in the heck do I find good fabric guess I need to surf babywearer huh?

I checked baby hawk wow I really love her fabrics shes got a ton to choose from

Then I emailed the lady who makes the mei tai baby .com shes got new fabric and brocades coming out in a few weeks and told me yes her MT shoulders are padded. Think Im gonna pass on the used MT, its a bit girly and we are having a boy my dh wasnt crazy about the flowers which I understand.

We have 4 daughters 9,10,15 and my bAby girl just turned 1 Aug 6th so I defintely need a carrier. Ok Im excited but yet still debating which to choose dang wish Kozy list wasnt so long but our baby is due in 7 weeks Im on strict bedrest due to preterm labor they are wanting me to get to 36 weeks so I have 3 weeks left and you would laugh my laptop lays next to me and I just stare at all the sites you gave me at all these MT's LOL, crazy huh but thats all I do is lurk while on bedrest. Ok I gave you my story but wanted to say thanks again for your help and I cant wait to try a MT!!!!!!!

Write when you can love chatting with you do you know what your having by chance I see your halfway too

Rory

As for looking for custom fabric for your Kozy- I would recommend sending Kelley (the owner of Kozy) an email asking her what fabrics are acceptable to be used when doing custom. Also ask her for some websites that she suggests going to to find these fabrics. There are some fantastic fabric sites out there- you can also make a post at TBW asking for fabric help- and the ladies there will set you up with dozens of links to take a look at!!

Oh mama- 4 baby girls and a baby boy!! How exciting for you and your family!! A carrier is a must when you have an infant and a toddler to chase around!! I'm already a freak around town- wearing my toddler!! Baby wearing isn't even heard of here!! Just wait till they see me coming with a toddler strapped to my back in a mei tai and a baby on my belly in a pouch!! I'll really get a lot of looks then!!

I'm pregnant with a baby girl right now- and my son will be 26 months old when she arrives. I will surly have my hands full- it will be quite a learning experience!! We plan on having only the two children. Currently finances aren't so much on our side- maybe in the future once my little ones are grown and I have an established career, then we can think about having more babies!! I would love a big family!!

I hope bed rest isn't getting the best of you!! I was on it for 2 weeks when I was only 8 weeks along- and oh my goodness I thought I was going to go batty!! Hang in there and take it easy!!

Happy fabric shopping!!

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