Make Your own Comfortable Baby Carrier
Easy Mei Tai/Wrap Style
When my first son was born, I really wanted one of the "sling" style carriers that was rated all the way down to newborns and boasted that you could even nurse while using it with ease. I got my hands on one and was so excited to get it out of the box, only to find that it was longer, bulkier, and not nearly snug and secure enough to even consider putting my precious cargo into. Back into the box and back to the store it went.
A few weeks later, I tried a Snugli front carrier, they looked comfortable and were definitely affordable. I found that my son loved it and often dozed off to sleep within minutes of being carried that way, but within minutes the tops of my shoulders were aching and wearing the carrier for even 20 minutes meant I would be sore the rest of the day & into the night. (And yes, I tried adjusting the straps and making sure my baby was sitting high/low enough. And the straps were padded...) I threw it into the bottom of our closet and just gave up, figuring carriers weren't going to work out for me.
A few weeks later, I tried a Snugli front carrier, they looked comfortable and were definitely affordable. I found that my son loved it and often dozed off to sleep within minutes of being carried that way, but within minutes the tops of my shoulders were aching and wearing the carrier for even 20 minutes meant I would be sore the rest of the day & into the night. (And yes, I tried adjusting the straps and making sure my baby was sitting high/low enough. And the straps were padded...) I threw it into the bottom of our closet and just gave up, figuring carriers weren't going to work out for me.
On to my second son, and I thought I'd give it a go again. I really did want to hold my baby close and have both hands to use! This time, I'd heard about Moby Wraps, and I was sure I'd found a solution to my problem. No buckles, no padded straps. I looked around online and finally ordered an Ultimate Wrap (which at the time was carried by BabiesRUs online) because it was (in my opinion) the same thing as a Moby Wrap with a lower price tag.
Got it in the mail and was amazed at how long this piece of fabric really was. I mean long. Nineteen feet long by 16" wide, I measured. WOW!!! I watched the DVD showing me how to put it on and carry my baby in multiple positions. The last phases of putting the carrier on was just wrapping the excess around your waist (like maybe 4x?). I found this odd, but it did help with lumbar support. The material was so comfortable, you could stretch it out across your shoulders to evenly distribute weight so I wasn't sore at all. Major problem was, it was so hard to get it on properly. If you put it on too tight, you had a hard time trying to get your baby in place, but if you put it on at all loosely, it didn't support your baby and pretty soon he was sitting way too low with too much "slack". There's no way to tighten the sling up without taking baby out & starting all over. Since then I've seen this style of wrap have reviews that clearly state it has a LONG learning curve. For sure! Even so, I tried & tried because when I got it on properly, it was the most comfortable carrier I've ever tried. Second issue, with all that extra fabric, it was like putting on a heavy sweatshirt, not to mention the heat of having your little one right next to you. I found it to be way too hot to wear unless it was a bit chilly (and who keeps their house chilly with a new baby inside? not me) and if you wanted to wear it outside and it was cool, then the bulky clothes you'd have on your baby to keep them warm made it impossible to get them into the carrier. Another fail. Well, not exactly....
Because with my third son, I was really lamenting not having a carrier. Why did other moms have carriers that worked for them? Surely there was a solution for me. So, the newest rave in baby carriers had become the Mei Tai style baby carrier. Two major makers are Mei Tai Baby and BabyHawk. While the simplicity appealed to me, the price was out of my range. I kept thinking, why couldn't I just make one myself? Well, one day, I was fed up with my Ultimate Baby Wrap carrier, so I cut it up into pieces and did just that.
I used the Ultimate Baby Carrier fabric to make the straps (since they were sooo comfortable) and I bought a 1/2 yard of fashion fabric to match from my local Walmart (less than $4). I am not at all greatly experienced with sewing. I have made a few small quilts, but I don't follow patters or fold my hems properly, I just go with the flow and have less-than-perfect items that are handmade with love. I've never even dared to try sew any piece of clothing, because I'm sure it would be a waste of fabric and time. (like I said, I've never followed a pattern before) Anyhow, I stumbled upon this pattern at Jan Andrea at Home on the Web* (see my note at bottom of this page) and it was just what I'd been thinking of doing on my own. The name, "Frankencozy", not at all the name I would give a baby carrier, but that is irrelevant. It is basically a mei tai style carrier that doesn't have regular padded or unpadded straps, it has wide strips of comfortable, but not too stretchy, fabric (think t-shirt material) exactly like the stuff Moby and Ultimate Baby wraps are made of. Jackpot!
I had to reread a few of the steps in the instructions more than once to make sure I understood what was being stated, but they were basic enough and the photos for each phase were so helpful! In one day I made this:
Got it in the mail and was amazed at how long this piece of fabric really was. I mean long. Nineteen feet long by 16" wide, I measured. WOW!!! I watched the DVD showing me how to put it on and carry my baby in multiple positions. The last phases of putting the carrier on was just wrapping the excess around your waist (like maybe 4x?). I found this odd, but it did help with lumbar support. The material was so comfortable, you could stretch it out across your shoulders to evenly distribute weight so I wasn't sore at all. Major problem was, it was so hard to get it on properly. If you put it on too tight, you had a hard time trying to get your baby in place, but if you put it on at all loosely, it didn't support your baby and pretty soon he was sitting way too low with too much "slack". There's no way to tighten the sling up without taking baby out & starting all over. Since then I've seen this style of wrap have reviews that clearly state it has a LONG learning curve. For sure! Even so, I tried & tried because when I got it on properly, it was the most comfortable carrier I've ever tried. Second issue, with all that extra fabric, it was like putting on a heavy sweatshirt, not to mention the heat of having your little one right next to you. I found it to be way too hot to wear unless it was a bit chilly (and who keeps their house chilly with a new baby inside? not me) and if you wanted to wear it outside and it was cool, then the bulky clothes you'd have on your baby to keep them warm made it impossible to get them into the carrier. Another fail. Well, not exactly....
Because with my third son, I was really lamenting not having a carrier. Why did other moms have carriers that worked for them? Surely there was a solution for me. So, the newest rave in baby carriers had become the Mei Tai style baby carrier. Two major makers are Mei Tai Baby and BabyHawk. While the simplicity appealed to me, the price was out of my range. I kept thinking, why couldn't I just make one myself? Well, one day, I was fed up with my Ultimate Baby Wrap carrier, so I cut it up into pieces and did just that.
I used the Ultimate Baby Carrier fabric to make the straps (since they were sooo comfortable) and I bought a 1/2 yard of fashion fabric to match from my local Walmart (less than $4). I am not at all greatly experienced with sewing. I have made a few small quilts, but I don't follow patters or fold my hems properly, I just go with the flow and have less-than-perfect items that are handmade with love. I've never even dared to try sew any piece of clothing, because I'm sure it would be a waste of fabric and time. (like I said, I've never followed a pattern before) Anyhow, I stumbled upon this pattern at Jan Andrea at Home on the Web* (see my note at bottom of this page) and it was just what I'd been thinking of doing on my own. The name, "Frankencozy", not at all the name I would give a baby carrier, but that is irrelevant. It is basically a mei tai style carrier that doesn't have regular padded or unpadded straps, it has wide strips of comfortable, but not too stretchy, fabric (think t-shirt material) exactly like the stuff Moby and Ultimate Baby wraps are made of. Jackpot!
I had to reread a few of the steps in the instructions more than once to make sure I understood what was being stated, but they were basic enough and the photos for each phase were so helpful! In one day I made this:
At the time of this photo, my son was 3 months, so I rolled the bottom of the carrier up a couple times before tying it on so that he would be able to see out (since he no longer needed as much head support).
It has all the features I was looking for in other wraps:
comfort (no soreness while wearing, constructed of all soft materials, not too hot)
ease of use (no rings, buckles, and machine washable)
security (it is easy to tighten up while baby is still in it, just sit down and rest baby on your lap and you can pull the shoulder straps tighter and retie)
and (bonus) I even got to choose my own material without paying extra
Had I wanted, it would have been easy to sew in a pocket on the exterior to hold a pacifier, cell phone or something else (all you'd have to do is place it about 2/3 of the way up your exterior panel before you attached your panels together).
The only down sides are that, like all Mei Tai carriers, it is not necessarily recommended to be used for newborns and/or as a front-facing carrier. Click here to read more on the Mei Tai Baby FAQ. My son is almost 3 months and he does great. I even made my hubby try it out and he was amazed and said, "This is way better than the ones we bought. Why do people buy them at all?" Many thanks to the ladies who put together the instructions/photos and so generously shared them with us. Otherwise, I was going to do it fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style and I am positive it would never have come out looking this professional!
*FYI: Exact measurements for the length of straps aren't included in the instructions, rather, suggestions/guidelines are given since different size individuals may need longer/shorter straps. Just for comparison, I used shoulder straps that were 62" long by 16" wide and waist straps that are 30" long by 16" wide. I cut the pieces for the panel 16"x21" based on the fact that the Mei Tai Baby has a finished panel size of 15"x20" (as noted on their FAQ page linked to above). I find that the size of my carrier is quite generous (plenty of extra length in the straps) and I'm sure it will be suitable into my kiddo's toddler years should I need it.
It has all the features I was looking for in other wraps:
comfort (no soreness while wearing, constructed of all soft materials, not too hot)
ease of use (no rings, buckles, and machine washable)
security (it is easy to tighten up while baby is still in it, just sit down and rest baby on your lap and you can pull the shoulder straps tighter and retie)
and (bonus) I even got to choose my own material without paying extra
Had I wanted, it would have been easy to sew in a pocket on the exterior to hold a pacifier, cell phone or something else (all you'd have to do is place it about 2/3 of the way up your exterior panel before you attached your panels together).
The only down sides are that, like all Mei Tai carriers, it is not necessarily recommended to be used for newborns and/or as a front-facing carrier. Click here to read more on the Mei Tai Baby FAQ. My son is almost 3 months and he does great. I even made my hubby try it out and he was amazed and said, "This is way better than the ones we bought. Why do people buy them at all?" Many thanks to the ladies who put together the instructions/photos and so generously shared them with us. Otherwise, I was going to do it fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style and I am positive it would never have come out looking this professional!
*FYI: Exact measurements for the length of straps aren't included in the instructions, rather, suggestions/guidelines are given since different size individuals may need longer/shorter straps. Just for comparison, I used shoulder straps that were 62" long by 16" wide and waist straps that are 30" long by 16" wide. I cut the pieces for the panel 16"x21" based on the fact that the Mei Tai Baby has a finished panel size of 15"x20" (as noted on their FAQ page linked to above). I find that the size of my carrier is quite generous (plenty of extra length in the straps) and I'm sure it will be suitable into my kiddo's toddler years should I need it.