What is a "mei tai" anyway, you ask?

"Mei tai" (pronounced "may tie") is a generic term for a particular style of baby carrier, generally a square- or rectangle-shaped piece of fabric with straps on all four corners. The "traditional" mei tai has a history that stretches back hundreds of years. The carrier has its roots in Asia, where mothers often carried their babies in simple fabric carriers that tied onto their bodies.
The mei tai style of carrier is now becoming popular in the Western world as well, due in part to its supreme comfort and versatility. With a mei tai carrier, your baby can be worn on your front or your back, from the earliest newborn days through to toddlerhood and beyond. This gives the carrier a longevity not found in most popular carriers, which often can only be used comfortably for the first few months of baby's life.
Many mei tais made in the West today are created by work-at-home-moms (WAHMs) committed to the practice of "babywearing". These "modern" mei tais have usually been updated in a variety of ways to suit the Western consumer.

Your confusion is easily understood, Grasshopper. The babywearing market has exploded in recent years, and there are a wide variety of carriers out there. Wraps, ring slings and pouches are all different types of carriers, and as I mentioned above, "mei tai" is just the generic name for yet another type of carrier. Mei Tai Baby^TM is the brand name of the carriers I make and sell. I've been selling mei tais online under the Mei Tai Baby^TM name since 2004. Back then, almost no one had heard of a mei tai type carrier, so I thought "Mei Tai Baby" just sounded cool and slightly exotic. Of course now that mei tais are everywhere, it can lead to some confusion. Many carrier companies call their product a "Mei Tai Baby Carrier", and rightly so - that's what it is! But there's only one Mei Tai Baby^TM brand mei tai, and you've found it. New Mei Tai Baby^TM brand carriers are NOT sold on eBay or through Etsy. The only places online to get an authentic new Mei Tai Baby^TM brand mei tai is through my website or from one of the shops listed on the retailers page. A few select brick-and-mortar boutiques throughout the country also retail Mei Tai Baby^TM carriers. If you're in doubt as to what you're about to purchase - either new or secondhand - feel free to email me. I remember every mei tai I've made, so I can let you know if you're getting the real deal!

Check out the new In-Stock Shop! The in-stock carriers are pre-made and ready to ship. If you're in a hurry, in-stock is the way to go!

Plus the Build-Your-Own page just keeps getting better and better. Now not only do you get real-scale fabric previews on actual carrier shots, but you get close-up views of the fabrics on mouseover so you don't miss a single detail. Also, no more typing in fabric choices! Just click "add to order" under the thumbnail to pop your fabric choice into the order form. (You can hit "clear" to empty the box if you get a little too click-happy.)

I've added a Guest Book! Click the link on the Customer Service menu on the left to give comments on the site, feedback on your Mei Tai Baby™ purchase, or just to say hello! The Guest Book is NOT the best way to reach me with questions or comments requiring a response. For those types of things it's best to email me.

The Mei Tai Baby™ Zippy is a carrier with removable, interchangeable decorative panels. CLICK HERE for more information. Why is it called the Zippy if there's no zippers on it? An excellent question. It *used* to have zippers in its earliest incarnation. The zippers were super-cool, and I really wish I could have made them work, but they just weren't up to the task. So the zippers were tossed in favor of Velcro, but the "Zippy" name stuck. (The Mei Tai Baby™ "Rippy" just didn't have the same ring to it.) So there you go! (On a related note, if anyone is in the market for approximately 600 bridal-size separating zippers, just let me know. Seriously.)

The buckle-vs-tying thing is really a personal preference. I really prefer the limitless adjustability and ease of tying. You don't have to reconfigure anything to share the carrier between two wearers, and there's nothing hard and plastic-y anywhere on the carrier to potentially dig into the wearer or the baby. I think some people feel like buckling is "faster", but once you've tied a carrier on just a few times it really does become second-nature and you do it in no time at all. Plus I say once you factor in all the time it takes to adjust the webbing through the little slots (which I personally find absolutely maddening), you've negated any time saved by clicking the buckle. Also, with a buckle you're locked into the position that it supports the baby on the side. I'm not sure if that makes sense ... with a tie, you choose where you cross it across baby's back - you can place the ties a little higher or a little lower to add support where you need it. With a buckle, there's one spot where it clicks in and that's it. If you want more support under baby's bottom, for example, or wish you could move the support an inch higher on your baby's back as he grows, too bad. It clicks where it clicks, know what I mean?

If you think you really want buckles, The Beco or the Pikkolo are lovely carriers, and I'd say you can't go wrong with one of those.

The current wait time on all non-instock orders is 2-3 weeks. In-Stock carriers normally ship within 24-48 hours. ALL other orders (including organics and accessories) are subject to the wait time. I try my best to get all packages out within the estimated wait time, but please bear in mind that sometimes delays can occur. If you have a concrete deadline by which you must receive your carrier, let me know before you order and I will do my best to accommodate your needs. Orders received after 6PM go on the next day's queue.

NOTE: The current wait time mentioned above is updated whenever it changes, so whatever wait time is quoted is the best estimate I can give. My sewing ladies are already working as fast as humanly possible, so the construction time cannot be expedited. If you need a carrier sooner than the estimated wait time, please check the IN-STOCK SHOP or one of my retailers for a ready-made Mei Tai Baby^TM.

Carriers are shipped via Priority Mail, which the USPS estimates to take 2-3 days to deliver within the USA. An upgrade to Express Mail can be added on the order page, but note that the Express Mail upgrade expedites the SHIP TIME only, the wait time for construction on non-ready-made carriers still applies.

The USPS just raised rates drastically on international orders, so international orders will no longer ship via Priority Mail. International orders now ship First Class. The US Postal service estimates approximately 6-10 business days in transit to addresses outside the US. A note about international orders: marking parcels from Mei Tai Baby as "gift" to avoid customs charges constitutes mail fraud. I cannot mark any parcels as "gift". International customers are responsible for any duties or customs charges.

Customers in the US should receive a ship notice from Paypal with a USPS delivery confirmation number when the package goes out. (Note: a delivery confirmation number is not the same as a tracking number. The package is only scanned in at the time of delivery, not at every stop along the way.) Shipping insurance is highly recommended (US addresses only). MEI TAI BABY^TM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PACKAGES ONCE THEY ENTER THE POSTAL SYSTEM. ONLY INSURED PACKAGES WILL BE REPLACED/REFUNDED IF LOST BY THE POSTAL SERVICE.

The Mei Tai Baby™ CAN be used with newborns! Provided baby is nestled down properly in the carrier, the padded edge of the carrier comes up high enough to support a small baby's neck and head. Also, the adjustable feature makes it even easier to use the Mei Tai Baby with little ones. However, some people prefer to wait until baby has some head control before using a mei tai type carrier.

It is possible to wear a baby facing away from your body in a mei tai, and the adjustable option can make this a bit easier to accomplish. I'll be honest though, I have never found this position very comfortable, and many people maintain that it is not a healthy position for baby's developing hips and spine. Often babies who are old enough to want to check out what's going on around them are happy in a high back carry, which allows them to see the world while still being properly positioned. That's the beauty of a mei tai - you have so many options! Try everything and see what the two of you like best.

Okay, here's the scoop: the adjustable feature adds two snap tabs at the base of the carrier. Snap these two tabs together, and the bottom of the carrier is cinched smaller, allowing for tiny babies to comfortably have their legs out of the carrier and still be properly positioned. (Some babies just hate having their legs "froggied" inside the carrier, so this works out great for them!) With the snap tabs, the carrier has two positions: fully-cinched or fully open. Many people are completely happy with just these two "stations" of adjustability. The optional snap tab extender is available for those who would like incremental adjustability. Add the snap tab extender, and you're able to *partially* cinch the carrier in about 1" increments between all-open and all-cinched. If this makes no sense whatsoever, feel free to email and I can try to explain it better!

The Mei Tai Baby™ is 15"x20". The top straps are padded, angled and have a generous finished length of 72". The bottom strap is straight across, unpadded and also measures 72". All straps are 3.75" wide. The Mei Tai Baby^TM should fit people wearing a Women's size 2/4-22/44 or a Men's S-XXL. If you are very petite (under 5', under 100 lbs or under size 2) you may want to order custom shortened straps. Unfortunately, since my straps are pre-cut to the 72" length I can cut them down to be shorter, but I can't make them longer than the standard 72".

The Mei Tai Baby^TM is recommended for babies up to 35 lbs. (Although the carrier is sturdy enough to handle heavier loads, we've found that 35 lbs is about the max that is comfortable on the average person's shoulders for any length of time.) There is no height limit associated with the carrier.

Yep! All carriers and panels (even the brocades) are machine washable. I recommend washing separately on cold and line drying for best results.

I am thrilled there are so many people and entities out there fighting the good fight and supporting babywearing and other forms of attachment parenting! I'm so proud of my product, and wish I could provide everyone with free demo models so more people could see the Mei Tai Baby™ awesomeness in person. Unfortunately, I get dozens of these requests per week, and I'm just not in a position to give that much product away for free. I really do applaud everyone's efforts on behalf of babywearing though, and I wish everyone the very best of luck in their projects.

No, I'm sorry! That fabric is sold out. It was awesome though. If I ever see it again I'll definitely snap up more.

All Mei Tai Baby^TM products can be returned for a full refund (less shipping costs) or exchanged within 14 days of receipt. Returned/exchanged items must be in like-new, resellable condition. Items deemed to be in unacceptable condition when received by Mei Tai Baby will be sent back to the customer and no refund or exchange issued. All refunds are issued in the form of funds returned to the Paypal account used in the original purchase. Refunds are usually issued within 24 hours of order return/cancellation, but refunds can take up to 30 days. All sales final on custom work.

Feel free to send an email to info@meitaibaby.com with any other questions, comments or feedback you might have. Thanks!