We’ve been sharing a lot about our hikes and adventures lately on my instagram, and a lot of you have commented on our new MiniMeis carrier that we’ve been using for some time now. Since we’ve had a lot of questions about it, I decided today is a great time to share what it is is, why bought it, and our honest review of our MiniMeis carrier, since we put a lot of thought and research into it before we purchased it.
This unique baby carrier that gives kids aged six months to five years a unique vantage during hikes, trips, and more. About seven years ago, three Scandanavian fathers, Julius, Marcus, and Tarjei decided to merge their backgrounds in design and product development to create a new type of baby carrier. Their goal was to give kids a bird’s eye view, all while providing them comfort and safety, and making it easier for parents to let their little ones ride on their shoulders.
It’s no secret that we like to be active, and we’ve had our eye on a few hiking backpacks for a while. While I definitely love my trusty Tula and Lillebebe for Mieke (and I used them for Porter, as well), we wanted something else to supplement our need to assist the littles on trips. Porter tires easily, so we figured the MiniMeis would be primarily for him until both he and Mieke got a little bigger.
First things first – the design. The MiniMeis is super compact! When not in use, it folds up super tight, and it’s easy to put in just about any little backpack we use for our trips. And, best of all, it takes up no room at all in the car. When we go to use it, we simply unclip it, pull the back rest apart, and voila! It’s ready to use with zero assembly required; a win-win in my book.
I know what most of you are curious about though; is it comfortable? Surprisingly, yes! I do think that there is a bit of a learning curve with the MiniMeis in terms of finding your so-called “sweet spot” in terms of tightness for the harness and positioning, but once you find that, you’re pretty much good to go. I will say that you want to wait until your child is comfortably able to sit up unassisted (they note this on their site) before you use the MiniMeis. Because of the design, if they don’t sit up properly alone, they’ll likely learn forward and cause a little discomfort.
When we use it for Porter, we only use the waist strap. When we use it for Mieke, however, we love the fact that it has ankle straps, a waist strap, and a five-point harness. That’s peace of mind for all of us, and we’re grateful that they put a lot of thought, effort, and ambition into this design! Oh, and yes, in case you’re curious, we’ve tried it with Spencer, too, and he loves it, though I’ll admit he’s getting a bit too big for it.
Ultimately, our honest review of our MiniMeis carrier is this; if you’re on the fence – don’t be! Get it. Try it. Continue to use it again and again. Over time, we’ve grown more and more fond of it because it’s comfortable, convenient, sturdy, and unique! We’re excited to bring it with us to South Africa next week because, unlike traditional carriers, it’s not bulky, and the kids simply love this unique vantage point. My only recommendation for this carrier is that you try it on less intensive hikes/adventures before long hikes. I’m not sure if it would be the best option for intensive hikes, but for day trips, shorter hikes, it’s worked extremely well for us.
Have you seen the MiniMeis carrier around? Would you try it/have you tried it? What do you think?!
