Kali Baby Mei Tai Carrier Review
My husband and I are self-declared hands-on parents, and have been accustomed to Attachment Parenting: Breastfeeding, Co-sleeping, and Babywearing, and now we're Preschool Homeschooling. And we love the reward that comes with it, the strong connection and love between us and our children.
Breastfeeding became natural to us, and we co-sleep because of it. Babywearing on the other hand, was not as familiar and natural to us when we became new parents. I was introduced to the ring sling by a friend of mine when my first born was still an infant. She says it's helpful for easily carrying the baby even when you're doing house chores, and you can even breastfeed while carrying your baby.
We practiced babywearing when our kids were newborns up to babies, but we've never tried babywearing them now that they're toddlers. Most of the time we bring a stroller (or two) when we go out. But then, I was asked if I could "Test Drive" the new Kali Baby Mei Tai for a review, and I became excited to try babywearing again, so I said yes!
I have two toddlers, a 3-year old and a 17-month old, of which I could "test" the carriers on for a "drive". I was given 2 carriers to try, the first was the Moby Go (you can read a separate review HERE) and the other is the Kali Baby Mei Tai carrier.
What is Kali Baby Mei Tai?
The Kali Baby Mei Tai is made from a handwoven wrap. A Mei Tai is an Asian carrier where Mei means to carry on the shoulder and Tai means strap/band. It's a carrier that offers two-shoulder support and at the same time can easily be folded and tucked inside a hand carry bag.
AT A GLANCE:
The Mei Tai is lightweight and the fabric is soft. The design and colors are very "Pinoy" - handwoven, earthly colored wrap. It has a waist belt with buckles for support and makes it easy to wear too.
The fabric looks like it was made with love :) Kali Baby uses hand woven fabric from our local weaving communities to support our local sewers. This is to encourage them to continue weaving and help pass on their tradition to the younger generation, thus, to keep the tradition alive.
I like this little detail of the garter for the extra strap in the waist buckle, very clever and convenient :)
How To Use the Kali Baby Mei Tai:
First, you wear the waist belt and adjust it to your comfort.
Next, you get the long straps and place it on your shoulders, wearing them across your back. It has to be a cross-shoulder, for support and comfort. Now that the straps are in position, make room for your baby in front of the carrier, and slip one foot after the other.
Now, get the long straps from the sides and place them across the sides of your waist going to your baby's back, then just under baby's bum and legs. Pull the straps to adjust, and then tie at the back. I recommend two knots, and not a ribbon, just to make sure it's safe for baby :)
This is just one variation, you can watch more variations of wearing the Mei Tai in this YouTube Video.
You can adjust and spread out the shoulder straps to make it more comfortable.
The little one is enjoying her "ride" :)
This is how it looks like at side view... I like this variation of tying because it supports baby's back and bum, makes it easy to carry her.
Look ma, no hands!
I love the colors, don't you? :)
We also used this when we went out for groceries. It was helpful since the kids don't always stay put in the trolleys, so they were carried...
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| Daddy is wearing our 3yo using the Moby Go (you can read the separate review HERE), while I am wearing our 1yo using the Kali Baby Mei Tai :) |
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| She loves being carried... This makes it easier for us :) |
Our Honest Review:
- We love the soft, colorful fabric. Babywearing can be fashionable too! I appreciate it even more, knowing that it is handwoven by local crafters.
- It’s comfortable and ergonomic. Baby loved being carried because she feels comfy in it. I found it comfy too because weight was equally distributed because of the support for the cross-shoulder straps and waist belt.
- It is not as easy and quick to wear, but provides full support. Unlike other carriers with buckled straps, it took me some time and practice before I found the ideal wrap for us. Also, it’s been a while since I practiced baby wearing so it was a challenge to try tying the straps across. But after all the practice, the support and comfort to babywear was worth it.
- It is easy to pack. It’s lightweight and easily foldable, so it can fit in any baby bag. Beats having to bring a stroller along.
- It’s affordable. Considering that it is handmade and is an ergonomic carrier, the Kali Baby Mei Tai will be available for sale soon at 2450php SRP at Pinay Mommy PH.
Do you like this product?
Mitz Logarta Leviste is the mompreneur behind Kali Baby. She is of course a babywearing mama too! Kali Baby was born out of the need to provide for a retailer’s request for carriers through www.pinaymommyph.com, Mitz’ online store. The incident inspired Mitz to develop carriers of her own to meet the retailer's needs. She searched for materials, found experienced sewers and helped trained them in creating safe baby carriers.
Kali Baby's core mission is to help spread the baby wearing love:
"Baby wearing here in the Philippines is still in its early stage. It saddens me that there are some baby sections in our local retail stores where only unsafe baby carriers are available. Slowly through Kali Baby, I get to help moms discover the benefits of safe baby wearing one carrier at a time... I want other moms to experience the love of baby wearing themselves." -Mommy Mitz, Pinay Mommy PH
What started out with ring slings, Kali Baby is now in the process of adding mei tais and wrap mei tais to their portfolio.
You can soon get your own Kali Baby Mei Tai at Pinay Mommy PH.
Website: http://www.pinaymommyph.com/
Facebook: Pinay Mommy PH
Happy Babywearing!
Disclosure: Lique’s Antics has been selected as one of Pinay Mommy PH’s mommy blogger partners in this Babywearing Road Test Project. The carriers were lent to Mommy Lique for 7 days for review. The feedback and opinions expressed in this post are purely the writer’s own. Read more about this blog’s Disclosure Policy.
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