Clips and straps

Posted on May 15, 2008 by Orit

Ever since I started helping parents find their ideal carrier I divide people into two categories: Clip people and strap people.

The clip people is the larger category, and includes more men than women. They like their carrier to have a modern, clean look, not too ethnic, to be simple with little fabric and very simple wearing method. They distrust carriers that need to be tied as not safe enough and rely more on clips. These people usually prefer a soft back pack such as Ergo, Yamo or Beco, or a nice sling, and dislike wraps and asian carriers.

The strap people have different preferences. They like a softer carrier with plenty of fabric, in order to have their baby well wrapped and covered by it, especially when small. They don’t like the feel of clips and don’t trust them. They like to carry their baby in a variety of positions, switch often from back to tummy and keep trying new tying methods. They favor wraps, woven or stretchy, and asian carriers such as Mei tai and Podegi.

But some people belong in neither category. These people may like carriers with straps, but realize that a soft backpack feels more comfortable; or else they may favor a soft backpack but have a curious baby that prefers peeping around mom’s shoulder in a Mei Tai. For these people there are carriers that are a combination of an ethnic carrier with clips, like this No-Tie Mei Tai or the Mei-Hip.