Front carry with a mei tai or soft structured carrier/full buckle with waistband

Links (see our YouTube playlist for quick reference)

Nice video for mei tai front carries - focuses on newborns (ObiMamababywearing)

Video illustrating a lexi twist – on her back but it’s the same on the front (mamamimedia)

General tips for tying a mei tai or SSC in front

• Make sure you get the panel central on you and you seat baby centrally before you worry about adjusting the straps. Aisling 
• As always, position your baby so that you can kiss the top of his/her head. Erica
• For smaller babies the 'waistband' needs to be far higher than your waist to get baby in a good position. Aisling
• Make sure baby is nice and tight against you so he/she can’t sag. Katherine
• If you have a baby that is highly active and doesn't like carriers much, then having their arms out might make them a lot happier. Erica

Tips specific to mei tais

• You need to tie the waistband really tightly so it doesn’t slip, and usually on your waist or higher, not your hips. Kirstie
• Do  a lexi twist! (see video links) Kate  
• A lexi twist is simply made by crossing the straps, then crossing them again so they're firmly twisted together. Natasha
• You need to get the straps nice and tight - you will not squash the baby! Aisling
• It’s normal to tie a mei tai by taking the straps over your shoulders first. However, an alternative if you are wearing your baby on your front and your MT has angled straps is to take the straps under your arms first. You then cross at your back and take the straps over your shoulders,  then around baby to tie at the back as usual. It just stops the straps from cutting into your neck and it snugs baby in to you more (reduces that gape at the headrest and gives better upper back support). Laura
• Laura’s method above might make tandem carries easier. Kirstie

Tip for mei tais or SSCs with crossed straps

• Trick to get the straps comfy - if your straps cross over at the back (normal for an MT, varies with SSC and buckle carriers), it is important for the cross to sit in the middle of your back and not at the nape of your neck as this can cause discomfort, especially with bigger babies. I found this worked for me: getting the carrier tied and then pulling the arm straps off my shoulders, then reaching up behind to yank the cross to around where my bra lies, before returning the straps to sit on top of the shoulder (ideally you want them to sit where backpack straps would sit). Kirstie
  

Tips for using SSCs with a chest belt (which is on your back in a front carry)

• Keep the shoulder straps really loose so that you can pull them up and fasten the chest strap behind your neck, before pulling the shoulder straps tight. The chest strap will move down your back to the right position. Jenny
  
• Alternatively, for SSCs without fixed straps, don’t ever undo  the chest belt. Once you've got it on first time and adjusted it to the right length, keep it fastened. When you take it off, undo the clips where the arm straps meet the waistband, then flip it over your head. This doesn’t work so well if two people are sharing the carrier, though. Natasha