A mei tai is entirely made of cloth, with long straps that you wrap and tie. The pikkolo is, at heart, a mei tai that buckles. Mei tais are a traditional Chinese carrier, and the inspiration for our version of the mei tai. The long straps and relatively unstructured body panel offer great flexibility in tying the carrier in various positions to obtain a highly customized fit. We developed the pikkolo in 2007 to offer the feel of a mei tai with the convenience of shorter straps with buckle closures instead of ties. Both the mei tai and pikkolo may be used in 6 carrying positions: front facing inward (legs in), front facing inward (legs out), front facing outward, hip, back, and high back. Prefer a visual? Check out our comparison chart.