What Does It Mean Between Wider or Narrower Mei Tai Carrier?

[suzhatch1]

I've read several websites descripe their Mei Tai carriers as being either "wider" or "narrow" than others & I've also read posts from several on this board refer to their preference of certain Mei Tai carriers (Kozy, Sachi, AngelPack, etc) because of the way they are made, either "wider" or "more narrow".

Sorry if this is a dumb question (Newbie Baby-Wearing-To-Be Mom here :)), but is this refering just to the width of the rectangle piece of fabric itself? Or does it have something to do with the straps?

Reason I ask is because I'm 5'7", large chested (38DD) and a size 14/16 prepreg (don't even ask about now because I'm 8 months pregnant and feel like a beached whale! :)) I'm wondering if a "wider" Mei Tai (I've heard AngelPack tends to be wider) would be better for me because of *my* size? Or is the reference to size more based on your baby?

I would think that a wider carrier would be more secure & wrap the baby up with less left exposed, plus would be even better for larger size parents. I'm wondering if the "width" is only a problem for more petite individuals because the extra fabric bunches at the sides? Can someone shed some light on the pros & cons?

I know this is kind of a rambling question & I'm not sure if I posed it correctly. I'm on the brink of ordering a Mei Tai in expectation of DD's arrival, I just wanted to make sure I covered all my bases in asking all my odd-ball questions! :) Thanks!

[npace19147]

Wide vs. narrow does refer to the width of the actual carrier. IME, the real difference for petite moms is in the height of the carrier - I have one that's pretty long that I have to roll the bottom up to make it comfortable.

The difference in body width seems to be largely personal preference, although with a very wide body and a very small baby the baby could seem kind of lost. I didn't use a MT with DD when she was very small, we didn't find them until she was older and had better head control. With a newborn I usually recommend either a pouch or a stretchy wrap (my favorite with a newborn).

One area where the width of the carrier does make a difference is in front facing forward carry - if there's too much material between baby's legs it can get uncomfortable for them, so some people prefer the narrower carriers for that (Sachi, Happy Cruiser). But you can't do that carry until baby has good head control, so you've got some time to figure out what you like!

[gour0]

Here's a post at babywearer about mei tai body widths. They don't seem to differ THAT much.

http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6764

And, here's a thread about mei tai's for plus size:
http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5973

[lenad]

As other posters have said, the body width is only relevant for the baby, not for the mom. Bigger body means your baby will be covered more (good for sleeping, not as good for an awake baby who wants to see out/move its arms). If you are concerned about yourself you may want to ask a particular maker if the straps are long enough for you, and if not could she make them longer (they all do that).

LD