emeiTAI from emeibaby

The Austrian manufacturer Emeibaby has sent its baby carrier emeiTAI, a variation of the Emei baby carrier, on a test trip and so I also had the opportunity to try out this still relatively new carrier.

Information about the manufacturer and the carrier

Daniela, the founder and owner of Emeibaby, developed the Emeibaby carrier, as she herself writes, out of necessity. After the birth of her first daughter in 2008, she was looking for a baby carrier that combined the advantages of a sling and a baby carrier. She didn't find what she was looking for on the baby carrier market at the time, so she tried it out herself until she finally came up with her own baby carrier. The "classic" Emei baby carrier was also further developed and the emeiTAI was created, which has been available for purchase since last year.

The new price of the baby carrier is 160€ for the Babysize models, the Toddlersize models cost 180€. Thus, they are on average 20€ above the price of the Emei baby carrier. According to the manufacturer, the Babysize can be used from birth up to 3 years, the Toddlersize should fit from one year up to 4 years. Here, the specifications can shift significantly depending on the size and proportions of the child. The emeiTAI in baby size fit so with my soon to be 4 year old son still well.

The emeiTAI is one of the full-buckle carriers, as both the belly strap and the carrier are for buckling. However, a few models also have a belly strap for tying, so the assignment is not quite so simple. It also has parts of a wrap conversion due to the sling that can be fanned out over the baby's bottom.

The belly strap of the carrier is very softly padded and runs straight. In this case it is closed at the back with a buckle. The width of the strap is adjusted with the help of a piece of fabric that is always individually pulled up into the back of the child's knees. This also makes it easy to quickly switch between siblings.

In order to achieve an appropriate squatting position, the sling can be tightened with a ring system on both sides. This also provides sufficient support for the baby's back. The excess sling can be fanned out over the bottom for larger children and is then knotted at the back. For smaller children, it is passed to the back without fanning. For back carrying, if the sling length is sufficient for this, different terminations could be tried for better weight distribution.

The straps can be adjusted in length by two options. First, the emeiTAI has padding buckles in the front area, otherwise the stretcher is tightened in the back. The straps are well padded and become narrower towards the back. The connecting buckle can be adjusted in height.

The slightly gathered headrest can be attached to the straps using snap straps. However, when not needed, it can be tucked into a small pocket at the top of the back. The neck width can be pulled even tighter with straps, creating a very punctual pressure on the neck.

When wearing

I tried the carrier with my soon-to-be 4-year-old son, as well as various demo dolls from my babywearing consultations. The width of the bar could be adjusted well and with larger children, it can also be increased by fanning, so that the stretcher is generally really long usable. Putting on has one more step than with the classic Emei baby carrier, but also brings more options. By fanning out over the buttocks and a closure (Tibetan here) was comfortable to wear with my son on his back, although the waist belt could be a little tight for me.

In the test with the newborn dolls, the carrier also fit well, although here probably should also always be looked at individually for the proportions. For small babies, I would guide the sling backwards without fanning over the buttocks to avoid additional pressure on the back. The ring system allows the back to be adequately supported for a wide range of child sizes.

Washing

According to the manufacturer, the carrier should be hand washed. However, I have not washed it myself.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the emeiTAI could not completely convince me in the test. Personally, the waist belt was too soft. In contrast, I find the belly strap of the Emei baby carrier much more supportive. The fanning of the cloth over the buttocks and also the possibility of closure when carrying back I found pleasant. However, I can imagine that this is too complicated for many parents, as many parents already find the "normal" Emeibaby complicated. In the processing I could not see any defects such as unclean seams.