HELP! I need to choose an ABC/Mei Tai carrier!

[lpl47]

Help me decide please!
Which is your favorite ABC/Mei Tai? Why? Does it have any special features?

I'm expecting my second child in February (my first will be almost 2.5) and would like more babywearing options this time around (I have a Hotsling that I used with the first, although not until he was 9 months) and I have a Baby Bjorn.)

Thanks,

[tamar948]

I am loving my Kolamo MT right now. My little one is 5 wks now and I love the shape of it and high head support on it. I am not sure where to purchase these at this time (I got it on FSOT on thebabywearer.com). I think the body on this is great for little ones.

I also enjoy my babyhawk w/minkee MT. I like the short body on it and the soft minkee. It has long straps that are nicely padded. It should be alot of fun for DD as she gets bigger. I also like the variety of fabrics and strap color options she provides (www.babyhawk.com)

I don't own a Kozy (yet), but have read nothing but good things about this one!

For a more formal comparison of a variety of MTs, you might want to check out www.thebabywearer.com - they have reviews and comparisons of some of the big MT maker names.

Are there certain MTs you were looking at in particular?

- Tamar

[lpl47]

Thanks for the information Tamar.

I googled Kolamo and found out that she's now working with Ellaroo, but I'm not sure the Ellaroo Mei Tai's are available yet...

I've heard/read here a lot about the Kozy and the Freehand, but I'm not crazy about any of their fabric choices right now...

I guess these are my favorites right now...
Sachi (like the padded leg rail feature)
Cwtshi (like the fabric choices, the side loops, the head support and the way it attaches to the strap and the woman who answered my e-mail was VERY nice and helpful about how I might be able to get one given that they don't ship to the US)
Ellaroo Mei Tai

Do you have any thoughts about those?

[tamar948]

Sachi: (like the padded leg rail feature): gets great reviews. Its got a nice long body. I have a sachi, but I haven't really used it yet because I've been enjoyinng the other two so much. You really can't go wrong with Sachi since it is popular enough that if it doesn't work for you, you can always sell it on a FSOT board or on ebay. In addition, there is a good sale going on at Sachi right now that ends today (I think - if not yesterday - so you might want to take advantage of the sale if Sachi is one of your first choices)

Cwtshi: I've been admiring these for a while! I don't have any personal experience with them though. One of the challenges (as you noted) is that they don't ship to the US. However, they do turn up on the FSOT board at thebabywearer.com if you have your heart set on one. - then of course, you might also be able to find a Kolamo there too. ;)

Ellaroo Mei Tai: don't have one... they seem popular as well

If you really liked the Freehand, you could also checkout attachedtobaby.com e.g:
(http://store.attachedtobaby.com/detail.aspx?id=1) - there are some pretty things there

Another you could consider:
Mei Tai Baby (Adjustable) - gets good reviews as well

I am somewhat new at this and don't own nearly as many MTs/ carriers as some folks. The reviews and forums (in addition to the BBB boards) at http://www.thebabywearer.com really helped me with my decisions.

[lenad]

I own only 2 Mei Tais (embarassed blush, LOL), a Kozy and a Kolamo, and I love them both. Kozy is easier to carry since it's not heavily padded so it folds better. It's also quite tall so that it cradles baby's head nicely (it's good even for my 13-mo old). I love the head flap on the Kolamo. I use Kozy more for back carry and Kolamo more for the front carry. Kozy had some beautiful patterns in the past, so maybe you can get something you like off the FSOT board on thebabywearer.com or the yahoo swap group. Kolamo also had beautiful fabrics, IMO.

The two I am oggling now (not that I need them, of course) are www.napsackbaby.com for the nice wide straps which are probably very comfortable, and a norwegian www.colibribaby.com that has a back rest and fabrics I happen to like. A bit pricey though (though not if you love it and will use it a lot).

The other MTs mentioned by pps get great reviews, I just haven't tried them.

HTH,

LD