Topatop WCMT Didymos Waves and Hoppediz Montreal

After having tried a Topatop WCMT previously and loving the ease of use and overall design, I knew I would likely purchase one again at some point. I ended up choosing a full wrap conversion made from Didymos Waves for the panel, straps, and waist, as well as a reversible panel of Hoppediz Montreal print.

I ordered a c-form hood and an in-between size when I placed my order. Alina gave me an estimated date of shipping the carrier, and I did not hear from her again until after that date had passed, when I followed up to see if it had been shipped, and requested tracking information. She provided me with tracking information which did not work, and I waited for nearly five weeks, and several follow-up requests to her with no response, before the carrier arrived. The only time she responded was when I asked for a refund if I did not have the carrier to me by a specific date, which it arrived before.

When I opened the carrier, I noticed it had a flat hood and was the regular size, not an in-between. I contacted Alina and she refunded me for the extra I had paid for the hood. I decided to keep the carrier, as I had waited so long to receive it.

Customer service and mistakes aside, Topatop is a well made product for the price charged. The wrap straps are comfortable, the cinching mechanism is perfect, and the waist strap is very comfortable. I have used this carrier from the time I received it until past 18 months with my youngest, and have always been able to get a comfortable carry, even for extended periods of time. I plan to keep this carrier in our collection until our babywearing days are over, as it is that versatile and comfortable.

The Verdict:

Pros: Comfortable, affordable, beautiful, versatile

Cons: Long shipping time, poor customer service

Recommendations: If you can find one of these on the second hand market and are looking for a great WCMT to try, buy it! It is well made and comfortable, and the price makes it easy to justify. If you are patient, try your luck at ordering a semi-custom from her wide selection of wraps on hand. 

Anaira WCMT - Inda Jani Fular Sara

I have always loved the comfort of a wrap conversion mei-tai, but have never been able to bring myself to chop a wrap up to make another carrier out of it. As such, I usually end up purchasing my WCMTs second-hand, or pre-made from a store. I found a beautiful looking Anaira conversion of an Inda Jani wrap (now called Antama I believe), Fular Sara, on the website for 5 Minute Recess and the beautiful photos persuaded me to buy it.

It arrived quickly, and the package was huge! This wrap was a serious fatty, I would have been interested in trying it out in wrap form. The weave was diamond weave, with very thick looking threads, but the weave was quite loose. This made it super pull-prone, which you may know by now is one of my pet peeves. I was able to overlook it for awhile though because the was such a deliciously comfortable carrier.

Adorable package.

The carrier was heavy in hand, but super stretchy and mold-able when worn. I wore my son, who was about 16 months at the time, for extended periods of both front and back wearing. We wore this WCMT to the beach, on hikes, and even adventures with dinosaurs!

Dinosaur walks

 I ended up being bitten with the WCMT bug, and became overstashed, so I sold this carrier, but I miss it sometimes. It was so very comfortable.

Forest adventures

The Verdict: 

Pros: Affordable, beautiful, comfortable, stretchy

Cons: Heavy and bulky, not very portable when not in use. Super pull prone. Anaira no longer works with Inda Jani wraps, so you would have to find one of these on the second hand market. 

Recommendations: This was a great price for a great WCMT. If you are interested in trying one, and don't mind a little extra bulk, this was a really comfy bet!

Didytai

I love wrapping, but my littlest has always been a seat popping, leg-straightening machine, even when he was tiny. I also really love a sleep-hood. After having tried out a couple of mei-tais, I decided to order a DidyTai from Birdie's Room.

As always, Birdie's Room delivered quickly, and my silver waves DidyTai was here quick as a flash. The fabric is lovely, a beautiful, understated neutral. The carrier had an unpadded waist with a cinching mechanism for tiny babies. It also had a sleep hood with a variety of toggles and configurations for use as a neck support also.

Unfortunately, the hood was not very intuitive, and the instructions that came with the carrier did not describe how to use it. I believe I struggled with the toggles and loops for about two weeks before figuring out the best way for us to use it. I even asked for the input of  Google and several other babywearers, who were equally confused.

However, this became our go-to carrier from about 4-10 months. We wore this beautiful carrier daily, and it carried my son on a trip through the streets of Old Quebec in comfort. I appreciated the wide-unpadded straps, as they allowed me to spread the passes comfortably over my son to give extra support in our carries. I also appreciated how it rolled up so compact to carry in a diaper bag, due to the fact that there was no padding on it. This made it our favourite church carrier, as I could tote it with me and bring it out easily for when my son needed a nap during our service.

I did not back carry often in this wrap. I found the panel to be a touch on the short side, and my son has always been on the 95%+ side for height. Once he reached around a year old, I stopped using this carrier because he was too tall for it and we were using more back carries around this time. This was my absolute favourite mei-tai for the itty-bitty stage though, as it could fit even the smallest baby without much fiddling.

On our visit to Quebec City

The Verdict:
 Pros: Beautiful, available, comfortable, portable, versatile
Cons: Short panel, somewhat expensive
Recommendation: I would recommend this as a first mei-tai for someone with a smaller baby, right from birth. It is so versatile, and will take you from comfortable front squish snuggles through your first back carries. I would caution though that I don't think this carrier will hold up to toddlers or larger babies due to the shorter panel.

TopATop Wrap Conversion Mei Tai

Once I realised that I loved wrapping, and I also loved mei tais, it was only a matter of time before I purchased a wrap conversion mei tai (WCMT).

I browsed Etsy often, and visited the page for TopATop wrap conversions (affectionately nicknamed Chop-a-Chop) nearly daily for a couple weeks, ogling the beautiful mash-ups of wraps and fabric that Alina created. I read several reviews on TheBabywearer.com and online before deciding to take the plunge to purchase one of her carriers.

I decided on a standard size (17x17) mash-up between a yellow Vatanai Labyrinth for the panel and Colimacon et Cie (C&C) brown straps. As this combination made me think of Winnie the Pooh Bear, I also added custom teddy ears to the hood. Once I had ordered, it took about five weeks for my carrier to be created and arrive from Israel.

I opened the package and was pleased to see it arrived in a cute little tote bag with the TopATop logo on the front.

Alina's workmanship was lovely, and the details on this carrier were so nice. The waist was lightly padded, so it had a bit of support but was still squishy. The waist had a cinching mechanism to make it more narrow for smaller babies. There was light legs out padding on the sides for baby's comfort. The hood was a hoody style with the little ears poking off the top. The hood was secured with little wooden beads that were hooked through loops on the straps or rolled onto itself to be tucked out of the way. The straps were unpadded wrap straps, and I loved the way I could spread the fabric underneath my son's legs to make it extra supportive.

Spreading the fabric

I wore this carrier often, even through my sister's baby shower, where my son slept soundly the whole time. It was very comfortable, even for extended periods of front or back wearing.

I only sold this carrier when I went on a bit of a churning spree, and ended up ordering another TopATop to fill the void it left.

Look at those little ears

The Verdict:

Pros: Cute mash-ups, Affordable, Comfortable, lots of options and features

Cons: Long processing and shipping time, seller is slow with communications

Recommendation: I would recommend this carrier to anyone who is looking to get their first WCMT and who has patience. I have heard of wait times up to two months long to receive these carriers, so you will not have it overnight. The workmanship is lovely and the carrier is comfortable, so for me it made up for the slow processing and lack of communication from Alina.

Kindercarry Mei Tai

A post on our local babywearing group about mei tais made me curious to try one for myself. It looked like a great cross between wrapping and a soft structured carrier. I was fortunate to find a custom KinderCarry mei tai made from a beautiful birch tree fabric on the Canadian Babywearing Swap.

The straps were an unbleached canvas and were lightly padded. They measured about 4 inches across, so cupped the shoulder nicely. I understand that KinderCarry no longer makes mei tais, but at the time there were a few of them going around. The waist was lightly padded, and made of the same fabric.

What struck me about this carrier was the beauty of it. It was a work of art. As such, I was scared to wear it and ruin it. I wore it for special occasions and around the house. I found it very comfortable for back wearing in particular. It was very sturdy, and had a nice flat hood that was easy to pull up from the back. My youngest son had his first back nap in this carrier.

I did not find is as comfortable for front wearing, I found the lightly padded straps too wide for my narrow shoulders, and they tended to ride up towards my neck because of this. I ended up churning this, as I needed to fund something more cuddly for front wearing my small (at the time) baby.

This was our first back carry, and led to our first back nap!

The verdict:
Pros: Beautiful, sturdy, great hood
Cons: Too beautiful :), straps a bit too wide for small frames
The Verdict: It was a lovely carrier, and I am pleased that I was able to try it. You cannot easily find these any more, as KinderCarry has exploded in popularity, so if you are a collector or general MT lover, I would buy it if you see one just to have a chance to try it out.