Hipababy Podaegi
Podaegi (Korean: 포대기 ) means 'baby carrier'. The podaegi is a traditional carrier from Korea which has a large rectangle of fabric (blanket) hanging from a very long strap. Traditionally it is used as a torso carrier. The blanket is wrapped around the mother's torso, while the straps are wrapped under the baby's bum and tied around to the front. Western interest in the podaegi style has led to new wrapping methods which do go over the shoulders, and to narrower blankets. The evolution of the narrow blanket podaegi may also have been influenced by the Nyia carrier (also known as the Hmong carrier) and the Chinese bei bei as well as other similar traditional carriers. Hmong/nyia carriers and bei beis have smaller blankets than the the traditional Korean podaegi and are both customarily used with over-the-shoulder wrapping and often have stiff sections which help provide head support or block wind.
(source: Wikipedia) Podaegis are a very versatile carrier. The straps are the part of the carrier that holds the child's weight so the blanket can be of lighter materials than the body of a meh dai (mei tai) which is nice for summer. Podaegis can be used in a front carry from birth and a back carry from when your baby has good head control (around 3-4 months). Want to know even more about how great podaegis are? - see this article. Narrow blanket podaegis can be made with two types of straps - straight or angled. Angled strapped podaegis are used for front carrying and for a rucksack style carry. A hip carry is also possible. Straight strapped podegis, the style I offer and which I prefer, can be used for the same carries as the angled but are even more versatile and can be used for a back carry with a chestbest which takes a lot of weight from your shoulders, a torso carry and a back wrap cross carry. You can find instructions for using your poadaegi here. If you are interested in a wrap conversion podaegi there is some information and pricing on the wrap conversion page. A podaegi with linen straps is $130, and Colimacon &Cie organic cotton is $145. A wrap conversion podaegi is $99 (wrap provided by customer). Strap colours can be found here. You can add a tall headrest ($5) , a flat hood ($10), Flared Straps (padded to wrap) ($12), Combination Straps ($15), regular padded straps (no extra cost) or wrap straps (no extra cost). The blanket of the podaegi can be short (69cm) or long (83cm) Standard strap length is 200cm long which fits most for simple front and back carries. Small to average people should be able to do most carries. Extra long straps (215cm) are useful for larger wearers for carries that require a lot of length like (eg Front Wrap Cross Carry) or for fancy chestbelt tie offs. Information about how to order a custom carrier can be found on this page. In stock carriers are available to purchase here. |