Every month we feature a carry or carrier to highlight at our monthly meetings and online (“BWITCCOTM” stands for Babywearing International of the Twin Cities Carry or Carrier of the Month).
Bei Dai/Meh Dai (bay-dye/meh-dye) – originated in China
Formerly referred to a “mei tai” (which is still used by some commercial brands); this spelling and pronunciation, however, is not accurate to the carrier’s history and should be avoided. Meh dai (Cantonese) or bei dai (Mandarin) are rectangles of fabric with straps at the top and bottom. Meh dai means “back carrying strap” where “meh/bei” means “carry on your back,” and “dai” means strap.
Pronunciation Video:
Mandarin: https://youtu.be/GxOkbjzjEYM
Cantonese: https://youtu.be/wcMjH9D0Hd8
![[Square graphic with black background of ten photos of men and women wearing babies of different ages in front and back carries using a carrier with a rectangular base panel and straps at over the shoulders and around the waist or tied up on the chest. The photos frame a center square image that says in white lettering hashtag BWITCCOTM above the words meh dai slash bei dei and underneath in smaller letters it says March 2017 carrier of the month. In the bottom right corner of the center square is the babywearing international of the twin cities logo in white.]](https://i1.wp.com/babywearingtwincities.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017-03-cotm-mehdai-beidai.png?resize=712%2C712&ssl=1)
Share your pics, your tips, your successes, your bloopers in our closed Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/babywearingtwincities/).
Volunteer babywearing educators (VBEs) will be ready to show these off to you at an upcoming BWI meeting (https://www.facebook.com/pg/Babywearingtwincities/events/)!
Bei Dai/Meh Dai Resources
Terminology: https://notyourpodbutai.tumblr.com/
Tutorials: https://babywearinginternational.org/what-is-babywearing/babywearing-resources/mei-tai/
BWITC Pinterest Board: https://www.pinterest.com/bwitc/bei-daimeh-dai/
BWITC blog post on East Asian and East Asian-Inspired Baby Carriers: https://babywearingtwincities.wordpress.com/2017/03/04/east-asian-and-east-asian-inspired-baby-carriers/
If you have any questions about babywearing, we encourage you to contact us and/or come learn in person at one of our meetings! Check out our Instagram @Babywearing.Twin.Cities and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Babywearingtwincities/).
Images have image descriptions in the alternative text accessible to those who use screen readers.