the catbird baby story

In early 2004, when my daughter was about 7 months old, she and I were traveling alone via plane to see a friend. I was racking my brain trying to figure out the logistics of the trip; should I take a taxi? Public transit? Drive and park? Each method seemed to have big drawbacks. I decided that my life would a lot easier if I could just strap her onto me, and carry a backpack diaper bag and one small suitcase--but for that I would need a REALLY comfortable carrier. And the two I already had did not fit the bill. I decided to make a mei tai carrier for the trip, and it worked like a charm. After coming home, I got hooked on making more and more carriers. And then people on the street were offering to buy them off my back, so I thought I might be on to something. Clearly, people were interested in baby carriers beyond what was already widely available--they just didn't have anywhere to find them. And so, Catbird Baby was born. The name comes from the expression "sitting in the catbird seat," which means to be in an advantageous position (from the short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, by James Thurber). I thought it was the perfect description for a baby who gets to see the world while snuggled in close to Mom or Dad. Since we sold our very first mei tai, we've added lots more products, including the pikkolo soft-structured carrier, the original wide-base carrier weather cover, and our patent-pending babywearing support belt, but our basic mission remains the same: to create beautiful, functional, and modern products that make babywearing and parenting easier for you.