Infantino Sash Wrap & Tie Mei Tai Carrier Review

Pros
• Super easy to put on
• Comfortable—no back pain
• Sturdy

Cons
• The detachable hood is unnecessary

Bottom Line
The super-affordable Infantino Sash Mei Tai Carrier lets you carry baby in any of three positions with ease and complete comfort.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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Features

The Infantino Sash Mei Tai is a wrap-and-tie designed baby carrier, based on a centuries-old style of babywearing (called Mei Tai) that allows you to create a custom fit for your body type and baby. I love that there are no buckles, since I would worry about them breaking or coming apart. You just wrap the straps, which are 72 inches long, around yourself once or twice, depending on your size, and tie them together to support baby in the carrier. Given the length of the straps, this carrier would likely fit most people comfortably.

The Sash Mei Tei accommodates children 8 to 36 pounds, and there are three ways to carry baby in it. “Facing in” is our favorite—my baby loves to face me, and this position gives her a good range of motion, so she can still look around as she pleases. As baby gets bigger you can also try the “hip-hugger” or “backpack” positions. The wrap comes with simple step-by-step instructions for each one, or you can also watch the video below if you prefer more visual guidance on how to tie each position. In addition to the written instructions, I really love that each of the padded straps has a sewn-on label, indicating what it’s meant for, giving me peace of mind that I’m getting it right and that baby will be safely supported!

Performance

I use my Infantino Sash Mei Tai with my baby Eleanor for long walks outdoors, shopping and chores around the house. I have worn it for about two hours at a time and never end up with any back pain. The straps are comfortable and there aren’t any buckles to dig into you, unlike a couple of other carriers I tried previously. The Mei Tai is flexible and forms a natural seat for baby in any of its three positions, so she’s always comfortable too. Most important, I feel very confident in the carrier’s reliability and support. As long as you tie the sash in a double knot, you’re good to go. It’s also easy to adjust when you’re standing up without having to take baby out.

Design

The black-and-gray damask pattern is cute and pretty neutral (it also comes in a pretty blue-and-gray ikat chevron print), and the machine-washable fabric feels more luxe than I expected, given the low cost of this carrier relative to others on the market.

Though it may seem intimidating, the actual design of the carrier is pretty simple; there are shorter straps that you first tie around your waist and longer straps that you place over your shoulders and pull down from the back to tie at your waist once baby is positioned correctly in the carrier. The shoulder straps are nicely padded, so they don’t dig into your shoulders, which will be even more helpful as baby gets older (you can use the carrier for toddlers up to 36 pounds). The Mei Tai also comes with a detachable hood to block baby from the sun or provide a more conducive environment for napping. However, it’s made from a black nylon fabric that gets hot really quickly outside in the sun, so I didn’t end up using it much.

Summary

The Infantino Sash Mei Tai Carrier is awesome and surprisingly affordable for the comfort and value. If you don’t want to spend too much, but are still looking for a quality carrier, I highly recommend it!

Stacy Schiffman is Eleanor’s mommy, Marcus’ wife and a financial recruiter based out of NYC. She loves babies and baby products!