Mei Tei Baby Wrap!

With baby E taking longer than usual to walk and crawl, we've needed some other "modes of transportation!"

We use a sling (mine's from Hotslings, via Goodwill).

A better carry for a baby of this size is the hip carry (they sit in the sling as if you were carrying him on your hip, but carry baby's weight on your shoulders through the sling instead of your arms! E, unfortunately, still has some trouble keeping his head up, so this isn't so easy yet. Smaller babies can be cradled.

And my homemade Moby wrap was wonderful since it helped calm E when he was having his 4 hour screaming fits. (The link shows a good picture, but I've seen them made with tee-shirt type material, so you don't have to sew anything.)  I have also appreciated the mei tei (Yes, I have a lot of baby carriers!). this is the one I have been using...

Much thanks to my lovely friend who lent it to me, but its not quite appropriate for Eli!  She calls it the "Easter Egg" herself! I'd been eyeing up this tutorial for a loooong time, and since E is also not so great at supporting his head yet, I think the headrest is perfect for him! It can be worn on the front for a smaller baby or in back for a larger baby/toddler. I believe you can do a hip carry too, but I haven't figured that one out yet.

Here's how mine turned out:

With almost-3-year-old L!

See how that headrest helps him out?

I did not read my tutorial closely enough, thus the 10 lines of sewing along the waist belt...

This is the inside; I used soft, yummy Minkee fabric.

Here it is with the headrest/hood loose. It can just hang, or can be tied up over baby's head for a little hood while sleeping.

I'm pretty excited and am looking forward to really trying it out one of these days! It wasn't super difficult, other than sewing through all multiple layers (the waist band has fleece inside to cushion you while wearing). Online, a good mei tei can cost you around $80-90. Mine cost about $15-20 (that's a guess, I haven't looked at my reciepts well enough...).  But a HUGE savings over a purchased one! If you want to try making your own, click HERE. These directions were fabulous; I feel like a have a very sturdy, well constructed carrier.