How to Wear a Mei Tai
Mei tais are sling-style cloth baby carriers that allow you to strap your child to your body. Carrying a baby with a mei tai more evenly distributes the child's weight and frees your arms and hands for other activities. Mei tais can be worn on either your front or your back. It's important to strap on a mei tai properly to avoid injury to either you or the baby. You can strap yourself into a mei tai, but you will want to get someone to help you the first few times, to ensure the child is supported and the knots are very tight.
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Instructions
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Front-Carry Instructions
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1
Spread the mei tai out on a flat surface in front of you, with the waist straps closest to your body. The waist straps, which are located at the bottom of the mei tai, are usually shorter than the over-the-shoulder support straps, which are at the top of the mei tai.
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2
Guide the waist straps around your waist and secure the tails with a double knot against your lower back. Allow the body of the mei tai to hang down in front of you like an apron, and give it a hard tug to make sure the knot is very tight.
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3
Lift the baby so that he is facing against your chest, and arrange his legs so that he is straddling the body of the mei tai.
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4
Pull the body of the mei tai up by the shoulder straps. The material should cradle the baby's body.
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5
Guide the shoulder straps over your shoulders and cross them over your back. Bring the tails of the straps around your waist to the front of your body. If the child is old enough to sit up in the carrier, bring the tails either over or under his legs and double-knot the straps underneath his bottom. If the child is too young to support himself, pull the straps under the baby's arms and around his sides. Knot the tails behind his back.
Back-Carry Instructions
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6
Spread the mei tai out on a bed, with the decorative side down and the waist straps closest to you. Sit on the bed with your back to the mei tai and double-knot the waist straps around the front of your body. Remain seated and pick up the baby.
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7
Lift the baby around your body and lean forward so that the front of his body is resting against your back and his legs are straddling the body of the mei tai. If you are at all unsure of your ability to support the child during this process, have another adult help you hold him in place.
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8
Secure the child with one hand and guide the shoulder straps over your shoulders with the other hand. Pulling the straps tight against your chest, release your grip on the child. The mei tai should support him as long as you keep a tight hold on the shoulder straps.
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9
Stand up very carefully. Pull down on the shoulder straps and bounce slightly a few times to make sure the baby is situated high on your back.
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10
Cross the shoulder straps across your chest, twisting them together several times. Bring the tails around your waist and underneath the baby's legs. Double-knot the ties underneath the baby's bottom. Get some help knotting the shoulder ties if you think you can't secure them tightly enough.
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Tips & Warnings
Always make sure the knots are in place while wearing your mei tai. Reknot the straps after several hours.
