Wordless Saturday - Mei Tai Back Carry

So, I'm not a huge fan of the back carry, as I cannot really see her. But it sure was useful to get things accomplished (washing the dishes). 

Product Review: TogetherBe Mei Tai #babywearing

Yesterday, I shared with you my introduction the Mei Tai through Big Sister Designs. Today, I want to tell you about another great company with a beautiful Mei Tai of their own (plus so much more). *Thanks to Melanie Frenkel of Signature Public Relations and TogetherBe for providing a Theresa Freehand Mei Tai baby carrier for review.* This is the Mei Tai that had the instructions for a hip carry. At first it was pretty confusing to me, but after a few tries I had it down and love it! 

The Freehand Mei Tai comes in six different prints named for women of history (Amelia Earhart, Princess Diana, Harriet Tubman, Mother Theresa, Marie Curie, and Janis Joplin) that are fully reversible to a solid color. The shoulder straps are padded (but not as squishy soft as Big Sister Designs).  A Mei Tai is a way of holding your baby close and truly having your hands free to do whatever you need to do. It is light weight and compact enough to put in a bag and have ready on the go. It also goes on quickly and comfortable enough to use for around the house. They boast that this is the only carrier that you will ever need and it will carry babies from 5 to 35 pounds. They also suggest for short babies to roll the bottom once to make it fit the baby better. *grin*

When you received your Freehand Mei Tai it comes will full color instructions with step by step pictures and on their website they also have videos showing how to do a Front, Back, and Hip Carry. 

I love my Theresa Freehand Mei Tai. On the instruction booklet it informs me that Mother Theresa used her free hands to open 517 missions in more than 100 countries. What will you do with your freehands? Personally I love that. So inspirational and really makes you want to go do something helpful, or at least it does for me. The colors of the Theresa are incredible. I easily see wearing this will a dozen of clothes and having it match just perfectly. Their other designs are nice as well. 

Some other neat products that TogetherBe carries are awesome. Such as the Peekaru Original. This is a fleece vest that zips over your soft baby carrier, keeping your baby warm in cold or cooler weather. (It even fits over other carriers such as the Baby Bjorn, Hotslings, Ergos, Wraps and more). Even if your Mei Tai is not from TogetherBe, their Peekaru Orginal sounds like the perfect accessory! With my Theresa Freehand Mei Tai they also send me a Peekaru Original Baby Hat. It is absolutely adorable! Although we have wore it out and about... for some reason the picture we took was in doors. Either way, it is a bit big now, but with a slight roll makes it perfect, and I know that it is the thing that will keep her little head warm (keep that warmth from escaping!) when ever we need it. *grin* 

Another winter or even cooler weather item is the Peekaru Soft Shell. This is a Baby Carrier Cover Coat. Can you say awesome? It can be worn with your baby on your front or back carry and will fit children up to three years! 

Entering a different type of weather. TogetherBe also has the Peekaru Ozone, which is a UV Protective Cover. Who wants to have to worry about the sun damage or harsh sunscreen on their itty bitty? The Peekaru Ozone can save you that hassel and worry. It fits over any soft baby carrier, standard car seat or stroller and sounds absolutely fabulous to me. 

Another awesome thing. While we're at it, talking about soft structured baby carriers... TogetherBe has just released the FreeHand Baby Carrier. I hope to have more information for you soon! It looks like it would be comparable to the ERGObaby. 

Network with TogetherBe

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Buy it: 

Retailing at $72 you can purchase a Freehand Mei Tai from www.togetherbe.com

Are you wearing your baby carrier correctly? #babywearing

Did you know that 9 out of 10 parents are wearing their baby carriers incorrectly?

Tips from Melissa Radcliffe-CoFounder of the TogetherBe Company

~ about how to know if your baby carrier fits correctly ~

You should check it that:

Mimics the in arms position - When your baby is in a baby carrier, he should be in the same position as when you hold your baby in your arms. This is the single most important part to any baby carrier. If it is an upright baby carrier, your baby should be snug against your body, high on your chest, in the same position your arms hold them in. If it is a side laying carrier, the baby should be between your breasts and your belly button, in the same position, and location as when you hold the baby in your arms. If you put the carrier on and let go of your baby and the baby moves away from you, drop downs, slump to the side etc, then your carrier is not on correctly.

Close Enough to Kiss - The baby's head should be close enough to you that you can bend down and easily kiss the top of her head. If you cannot bend far enough to reach the baby, then she is too low. If the baby is too low, there is a higher risk of breathing difficulty, and you may feel that the baby is insecure or may fall out of the carrier. Wearing a baby too low will also cause back aches.

Held tightly - Make sure your carrier is tight enough around parent and baby. When you lean over, or to the side, there should be little to no space between you and your baby. If you feel like you need to hold on to your baby to keep them from falling out of the baby carrier, it probably needs to be tightened or a smaller size. If a baby carrier is too large, when you lean over, your baby will swing away from you, this will make it harder on your back, and will potentially put your baby in an unsafe position.

Eye to eye contact - Your baby's face needs to be visible. His head should not be covered with any fabric. You should be able to look at your baby's entire face when he is in a carrier.

No Back Pain - If the parents back or neck hurts, they are probably not wearing the carrier correctly, or the carrier is not designed correctly. There are hundreds of baby carriers on the market that can be worn with a baby that is 25+ pounds. If you are feeling pressure points, or have neck/back aches, adjust the carrier until it is comfortable or perhaps a different carrier will work better for you.

If the above items cannot be accomplished, try a different baby carrier.

About TogetherBe LLC
Inspired by their children and necessity, TogetherBe, LLC was founded by
Melissa Radcliffe and husband, D. Hamilton Radcliffe. The entire product
line is designed to help parents and children be together all year round.
TogetherBe, LLC is an eco-friendly business using recycled materials
whenever possible, and maintains a socially conscious focus.

The TogetherBe product line includes the Peekaru Original, Peekaru Ozone,
Peekaru Soft Shell, the Freehand Mei Tai Baby Carrier, and the Universal
Head Rest.

More can be found at www.togetherbe.com