Tie bottom straps around waist like an apron. The wrong side of the carrier with the CuddleClose care label facing out.

Pick up you baby as if you were going to carry them out the front and wrap his legs around your waist. His bottom should be lower than his knees. (See the Tips section at the end for more hints, and for newborn positioning.) Give your baby a kiss and a smile.

Pull body of Mei Tai up and place straps over your shoulders. I find it helps to bounce your baby a little to pull the carrier up nice and high and to get a comfy position.

Grab straps and cross them across back making sure they are nice and flat. A scrunched up strap or one that is high up on your neck will be uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to make the straps fairly tight. Tighten the straps. A good way to do that is as you pull a strap tighter once again bounce the baby at the same time. The tighter they are the more comfortable the carrier will be. The MT is meant to be a snug fit for you and baby.

TIP. Your baby is meant to be sitting up high on your chest and not hanging down low. The tighter the straps the higher baby will sit and the lighter your baby will seem.

Step 5

Tie straps in a knot (Picture 2). If you are putting baby's legs into the carrier ( newborn ) you MUST tie the straps at the middle of his back for security (Picture 1) this also closes the gap and creates a more complete pouch for your newborn. I also find this tie is handy if bubs is tired and you may wish him to sleep as it brings him even closer to your chest.
If legs are out as in the second picture you can tie under the bottom by either going under the legs as shown and tie well under the bottom. (this tie adds extra lift and makes the carrier feel even lighter. Or put the ties over the bubs legs (or knees really) and tie under the bottom Because the Cuddle Close has wide straps that extend down into the sides it creates a more secure side opening with a smaller gap allowing for either tie to feel secure. Experiment with the one that allows the most safety for your bub.
You may have to readjust a bit at first. This is totally normal so don't sweat it. Once you are experienced wearing your baby it will come a lot easier.
 

Newborn Tips

Fold front over if your baby is a newborn (or is still small/shorter in the body.) This also closes the gap on the side. With a young baby, the body might also be rather wide. You can do a few of the following things:

Because the Mei Tai is designed to imitate your arms carrying your baby close on your chest, I find wrapping a newborn first in a wrap or muslin as you would to carry in your arms -

and then popping the baby into the carrier works perfectly as the baby usually has his/her legs naturally in the “froggy” position.

With a newborn you can also put the carrier on first and tie on slightly loosely to create the pouch first, then tuck baby's legs into the MT in the "froggy" position as if you were cuddling him to your chest and then tighten the straps to bring him as close as possible to your chest. An alternative that some prefer the half frog with one leg tucked in and one leg out.

The CuddleClose Mai Tai is made with wide straps for a reason. With narrow straps, no matter how padded they are, after awhile they tend to dig into your shoulders, even with a very light weigh baby (8kg at 8 months). The look of the narrow straps when the straps are across the chest make anyone look busty in a bad way, to put it politely. The wide straps hug the shoulders better and do not dig in at all and they look very nice spread across a bust when baby is in a back carry.

Baby should have the bottom lower than the legs in a Mai Tie. When you have baby in the carrier and it is all tied, pull the knees up a bit (roughly 90 degrees) This is a good position for posture and hips and I find it very comfy for me too.

For a sleeping or newborn baby you may find that their head is not as close to your body as you would like. The wider you place the straps on your shoulders the narrower the gap will be. It is ok to roll the outside edges near your shoulder under to get them to go out wider. Make sure the straps are also pulled as tight as you can go without any slack. If need be place a small baby wrap folded or rolled behind your babies head and the carrier to take up the space. Make sure that if you do this, your baby's face is not obstructed.

Give a baby time to get used to being worn, especially older babies. Try a Mei Tai for the first time when baby is fed and rested and pretty happy. Always kiss your baby before and during handling and placing in the carrier, it tells your baby that it is something you are doing together and not something being done to him. Once baby is in start moving around. Pat his back, talk to him and make it fun. Give it a little time for both of you to get used to it.

Peace of mind as a mother is knowing your baby is safe and secure as you include the baby in your day-to-day life