This is a Mei Tai made by BBSlen, they call it a BBTai (just their proprietary name for their ready-made Mei tais).
A Mei tai is kind of a hybrid between a buckle carrier, also called SSC or soft structure carrier, and a woven wrap. Mei Tais can be made from fabric, or hand sewn from a woven wrap, making a WrapConversion Mei Tai.
The BBTai is manufactured by BBSlen using some wrap fabric and some other wrap- type fabric. The color of this one is called "Lotus Blue."
It has wrap straps, meaning the straps are just fabric without any padding. It has a thin waistband. The shoulder straps are pretty short. They are designed for just a single pass around the baby and a knotted finish. I have shown photos of both front and back carries with a couple different ways to tie off the straps. The only reason I can do the cross across my chest is because I am petite. Most users would not have enough fabric for that type of finish and would just knot the ends under baby's bum in the back.
The short straps are pretty convenient though because there isn't a lot of length to figure out what to do with, and you can tie it quickly without dragging a lot of fabric on the ground. It also helps that the straps are black so they don't get noticeably dirty if dragged on asphalt in the parking lot!
I found this Mei tai surprisingly comfortable even with a heavy toddler. I was surprised about this considering the thin fabric and the design that is caterered toward newborn through one year old or less. The little insert the monkey toy is in, is a newborn insert. It can be added with strong Velcro or left out for a smaller child. This Mei tai also came with a matching shoulder bag which was cute! You could stuff the carrier inside it, to tote it around easily, or use it as a purse.
These run about $110 new, which is a fantastic price for a high quality Mei tai that feels and fits a lot like much more expensive wrap conversion Mei Tais. The fabric is soft and silky, and also airy and light.
This is a carrier I would highly recommend for people new to baby wearing and for newborns or small babies.
The body panel measures 18" wide by 15" tall, with the headrest that kind of folds over onto itself, able to be extended a few inches taller to snuggle the back of a baby's head (it is too short to reach up over my son's head since he is a toddler). The shoulder straps are 60" long (on the short side for mei tais).
In these photos my son is about 23 pounds. It was comfortable for me to wear him in this in a front carry for over an hour, and a back carry for about thirty minutes. A lighter baby would have been very comfortable for much longer. I also love the colors of this one!
I bought this as a gift for an expecting friend, and just tested it out before shipping it off to her!
I will want to pick one of these up most likely when I am expecting again. It was a lovely carrier - versatile, soft, and able to fit many different users and babies and be tied in many ways. Definitely could nurse in it too.
