Why is a Mei Tai better for baby than a Bjorn? Which MT for 2 month old?

[citymama]

I am a sling user so far, but considering getting a MT. I also have a hand-me-down Bjorn, which my DD seems quite comfortable in for short trips. I've heard that Bjorns are not appropriate for infants b/c of the strain on their spines from having to seperate their legs and have their body weight on their crotch. Don't Mei tai's pose the same problem? Forgive my ignorance; I've never actually used one!

Also, any advice re which MT is better for a small (but wriggly!) 2 month old (11 lbs and 24 inches at last count)? I love the Babyhawk designs, but have heard that other MTs like Colibri have better head support. Thanks for your help!

[maestramommy]

I really don't know how true this is, but the concern over Bjorns and others like it is that the legs are not supported and can cause or increase the risk of hip dysplasia. I've only known one baby with hip dysplasia and she was born with it. The Bjorn is a mainstream favorite, so I'm sure if there was a problem we'd hear about it. However, I do think the MT has the advantage because it supports not just the bottom but most of the thigh. So it must be more comfy. Think about whether you'd rather hang for an extended period from just your crotch or your entire bottom and at least half of your thigh. This is based on observation because I've never used a MT, but it just looks more comfy.

[hobie]

A MT is also way more comfortable than the Bjorn, because part of the weight of the baby is on your hips. A MT can also be used for back carries, and some can be used for hip carries too.

[mshen]

In a Bjorn, the baby is dangling; in a MT, the baby is in a sitting position. When my baby was younger, I preferred the smaller body MT, like Freehand and Sachi, coz she is lost in the bigger body ones. Colibri is really awesome, but it's harder to find one, because she's closed to new orders. If you do end up with a bigger body MT (like Kozy, Napsack, or Babyhawk XT), you can just roll the bottom to make it shorter. Works fine.
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[lenad]

Not to be neglected, an MT will last you until your kid is at least 35lbs, which basically means as long as she will let you carry her.

I loved my Kolamo (now Ellaroo) Mei Tai, because it had a shorter body, so it didn't need to be rolled up, but it had a head flap, so I had head support for my dd. Now that she is a toddler I have an extended Colibri, but I don't use it much. It gets great reviews though, and when I put my 22-lb dd on my back her wright truly disappears.

I am personally a great fan of head support in MTs, but many others certainly work well for a long time as well.

[chicagojo]

Having just made the conversion from the Bjorn to the MT, I can testify that the MT is about 1000 times more comfortable for the parent vs. the Bjorn. It's hard to say whether DS is more comfortable, but I'd imagine that he probably is, since he's in more of a sitting position vs. a dangling position - in the MT, his legs stick out to the sides, vs. dangling straight down in the Bjorn. From my other recent research on this site and babywearer.com, I also gather that for a small baby like yours you can actually put the legs inside the MT so they're in a more fetal-like position.

I bought a Babyhawk XT and it's long enough that it offers great head support for DS (who's in the 90th %ile for length at 9 mos.) In fact, he's dozing peacefully in it as I type right now.

HTH...

[brittone2]

ITA with the PPs. With a Bjorn, there is little surface area to disperse all of that downward force, so baby is hanging from his/her crotch/small area of pelvis, whereas with a Mei Tei the weight is spread across the backs of the thighs, the baby's entire bottom, etc. so there isn't such a "hot spot" if you think of it that way.

FWIW, I worked as a pediatric physical therapist before DS was born and I became a SAHM. I have a lot of concerns about Bjorns...IMO not so much hip dysplasia as just a LOT of downward force on a young spine, pelvis, and sacrum. Spondylolisthesis is something that would concern me as well.

IMO, I'm not a fan of babies being held in any unnatural position when it can be avoided. YOu would never carry a baby in your arms dangling by its "crotch" for lack of a better word, but instead would spread the weight out using your arms, your hip, etc. It is unlikely you'd have them totally vertical and hanging with support only on a small area of their body.

[Judegirl]

MTs will last a lot longer, but might be too big for a baby that young - I'd use a pouch at this point.

Jude