Mini Meis is a shoulder carrier designed for children aged six months to five years old. It keeps your child securely on top of your shoulders rather than in front of you or lower on your back like other traditional carriers. It’s ability to fold down to an impressively small size intrigued our traveling community, so we decided to try it out and see if it lived up to its hype!
Brianne Y: Our family, like all of the Bébé Voyage community, travels a lot and is always looking for a solution to carrying our kids. We liked the concept of the Mini Meis as our daughter loves to ride on her dad’s shoulders. We found that the product is great for longer stints of time, but not fully practical for on-and-off activities.
Juliet P: We love to go on long walks, and that was manageable when we just had a baby. When that baby turned into a toddler, and then we had another baby, it got more complicated! We have tried the various front and back baby carriers. What I liked about the Mini Meis was that it was like carrying your kid on your shoulders, but with more support. It didn’t hurt my back as much as some of the other carriers do.
What Bébé loved (or not)
Brianne Y: My 3 y.o. daughter preferred riding on dad’s shoulders instead of being in the carrier. Dad felt it “solved a problem that didn’t need solving” as he ended up taking her in and out frequently to let her explore on her own. I felt the harness was designed with dads in mind as my larger chest felt uncomfortable under the front strap.
Juliet P: My 3 year old daughter loved being high up above everyone and feeling safe.
What mommy loved (or not)
Brianne Y: Both dad and I agree the set up was excessive. Once it was set up, Mini Meis was easy to use, but we ended up not utilizing it as much as we thought we would. We were in DisneyLand and would have preferred a snap-and-go product. I do think it will correct your posture if you tend to slump forward. I certainly felt my back, neck, and shoulders operating in a more upright alignment when using!
Juliet P: I thought the Mini Meis was easy to use, but my husband was more frustrated with it and felt like it was adding too much pressure on his shoulders. I had a different experience though. Not only did I find it easy to snap on, but my daughter enjoyed being carried there, especially during the longer hikes we did last summer. It made the whole experience more pleasant for me… rather than her ending up in my arms with my back killing me.
Is the product easy to use/convenient?
Brianne Y: For our family, no. Our daughter likes to be on and off too much and the carrier was not particularly comfortable to wear when she was not in it. I think for a family that does more extensive hiking, etc. – and a family with a child who can sit still more than 5 minutes – this would be an amazing solution.
Juliet P: This was really great for the hiking we did last summer, where our daughter would not have been able to do it on her own.
Does the product resolve a current pain point and if so how well?
Brianne Y: My husband felt that the product was great but it didn’t solve any issues for him, as he doesn’t mind carrying our daughter on his shoulders. For me, I think it’s comparable to any other carrier we have used. I would not attempt to use it for the airport due to the complex set-up required.
Juliet P: I would agree with the above, and would specify that this product is great for hiking or long city walks. I did prefer it to other comparable carriers, because it hurt my back less and my daughter seemed to prefer being so high up.
How safe is the product?
Brianne Y: It seemed to be safe. Our daughter didn’t appear to be uncomfortable at all while using it.
Juliet P: Seemed safe to us!
Do you like the way the product is designed?
Brianne Y: The shoulder harness is a bit awkward for my frame and, when not in use, isn’t easy to tuck away. My husband felt it required too many steps and opted to just hold our daughter on his shoulders instead.
Juliet P: Yes, I was comfortable.
Value for money
Brianne Y: I think this is dependent on the family. Our daughter isn’t content sitting still for extended periods of time, so we didn’t utilize the product to the fullest potential. However, we know many families who do more extensive child- carrying and I think they’d love it!
Juliet P: I do think $149 is a bit steep, but if you’re a family that loves to hike and you have a toddler that is content sitting on your shoulders, than the price might be just right!
Curious about other options for carrying your children? Check out our articles on the best baby carriers for travel and alternative baby carrying options.
