The Pikkolo by CatBird Baby represents the height of carrier flexibility. You can completely customize it to meet you and your baby's ever-changing needs over time, and use it in a myriad of positions.
Do you like the closeness of an unpadded apron-style waistband with your little baby in a front carry, but need more padding once baby gets heavier and moves to your back? No problem, add the Babywearing Support Belt to your Pikkolo when you need it.
Want to cross the straps at your back? Great, go ahead!
Hip carry? No problem.
Need to make the carrier body narrower for a very small or a front-facing baby? Cinch it!
Prefer a shorter carrier for smaller babies? You've got it. Then, when baby gets taller, unfold the bottom of the carrier and add the Babywearing Support Belt for several extra inches in carrier body height.
Pikkolo Product Details
For babies to toddlers. Recommended weight range is 8-40 pounds.
All Pikkolo carriers include a sleeping hood, chest strap and instruction manual and are 100% cotton, exclusive of trim.
Child can be worn on front (facing in or out), back, or hip and easily shifted from one to the other.
Front carry: Shoulder straps can be worn
either crossed in back or backpack-style (straight over each
shoulder). Back carry: You can cross the straps in front for a back
carry, but it will most likely make your boobs look and/or feel
weird. Feel free to give it a try though! If you are
small-chested, a crossed-strap back carry might work for
you.
The
Pikkolo has a cinching mechanism on either side of the carrier
body to narrow the carrier. You can then comfortably wear your
baby in front facing out. The baby is held in a healthy semi-seated position which does not place as much pressure on the crotch and spine of the baby as a Baby Bjorn does. It's not so good for *your* back after about 15-17 pounds though, so be careful.
The ability to cinch the carrier body also makes it good for wearing small babies. A
narrower cinched carrier body means that a small baby will not
have to spread his legs very wide while riding.
Contoured sleeping hood
in soft cotton, now with elastic along sides for a better fit and
more support to little sleeping heads.
Brushed twill cotton fabric is
feather-soft, feels wonderful against the skin. No more break-in
period for your Pikkolo!
Unstructured apron-style waistband makes it
possible to precisely adjust the carrier's fit. Fits both
short-waisted and long-waisted body types. This type of waistband
is meant to be worn snugly around your natural waist, not
loose/low on top of the hips like padded waistbands. Won't
pull your pants down!
Babywearing Belt
accessory is now available, so if you *want* a padded waistband
(you probably will after your babe hits 20 pounds), you simply
attach it to the existing waistband. Another huge plus for
flexibility and being able to customize your carrier to best suit
your changing needs. See below for the waistband sleeve AKA
Babywearing Belt.
Tested to fit wearers between 4'10"
and 6'2". One wearer said that she was able to adjust
the Pikkolo to fit her 7 year old, 45 pound daughter (who wanted
to carry a younger child). I am 5'8" with a long torso,
and it still fits me with plenty of strap room to spare.
All buckles are dual-adjustable and adjust both
ways, for optimal fit and ease of adjustment. You can pull the
straps from either side of the buckle, as well as change the
location of the buckle itself.
Shoulder straps are padded with deluxe memory
foam (the same stuff found in expensive Tempurpedic mattresses).
It is very thin, but incredibly cushy and shock-absorbent. As the
foam becomes warmed by your body heat, it shapes itself to your
shoulders for a glove-like fit.Be warned that the shoulder straps are very *wide* on the Pikkolo, which is not necessarily the most comfortable, especially for petite wearers.
Recommended care: wash on gentle cycle in cold
water with a mild detergent. Dry on low until just damp, then
hang to finish drying in well ventilated area. Spot clean when
needed.
This padded waistband sleeve fits right over the existing
belt on your Pikkolo (or any mei tei carrier) and adds firm
padded support to make carrying heavier babies and toddlers a
breeze!
The Babywearing Support Belt lifts and cushions your baby's weight, distributes it
to your hips and keeps it off your shoulders. By adding the
waistband sleeve, your Pikkolo also extends in height (since the
waistband is no longer worn folded over)...another big plus for
older or taller babies. A must-have accessory.
If you buy one with your Pikkolo Carrier, you get a combo discount and save $12!
My recommendation is to lay out your carrier face up on a table, take off the buckles, and set them on the table on either side of the carrier *exactly* as they were when you took them off. Then you flip them from bottom to top so that the reverse face is now showing (but the edge sides are still the same, a vertical flip), slip on your Babywearing Belt and put the buckles back on the black nylon webbing straps. That way you won't accidentally put the buckles back on the wrong way.
IF YOU TOOK OFF THE BUCKLES, ATTACHED THE BABYWEARING BELT AND NOW YOUR WAIST BUCKLE WON'T TIGHTEN PROPERLY:
No worries, you just have the buckles on the wrong way around. If you look, you will see that there is a bar inside the slot on each buckle. This bar is angled a certain way, and the angle serves to "lock" the webbing in place so that it doesn't slip when tightened. So when you put your belt on, you probably just put one or both of the buckles back on reversed.
If you pull the webbing out of your buckles and look at them, you will see the slim bars around which the webbing is threaded. They have some notches in them. Connect the two halves of the buckles and look at the bars.
On one side of the buckles, the bars will be located close to the outside surface. On the other side the same bars will appear recessed. You want to put the buckles on so that when you are wearing the carrier the bars are closest to the OUTSIDE SURFACE and almost flush with it. Does that make sense?
I'll bet that you have them on so that the bars are recessed. That changes the angle of the webbing so that it will slip through the bars really easily instead of locking tight.
Baby Carrier Accessories
Drool Pads for Baby Carrier Shoulder Straps
$19.99
It is a known fact that babies LOVE to gnaw and drool on the part of the shoulder strap closest to their face. These new pads are a handy accessory for any soft structured baby carrier: Beco Butterfly, Beco Gemini, Pikkolo, Boba, Patapum, you name it! Simply attach them onto the shoulder straps and let your baby drool and chew away happily.
The pads are made of 100% organic terry cotton and are very soft. They are reversible, machine-washable, close with Velcro touch tape, and there are 2 in each package. Preserve your lovely carrier and put on a pair of protective pads today!
Baby Carrier Hip Pocket
$19
Get this accessory Hip Pocket for secure and easy access to important items while wearing your baby.
Durable fabric, nice design, roomy, good pockets and zippers. Fits all carriers sold on my website.
Makes it easy and quick to pop out for a quick trip to the store, take a walk on the beach, survive a day of traveling, or anywhere else that you need to keep your stuff safely close at hand and easy to access.
If you are going out without your carrier, there's no need to transfer your stuff. Just pull out the detachable shoulder strap and your Hip Pocket instantly converts to a mini-shoulder bag! Fabulous!
This item is also a must-have for travel. Keep plane tickets, passports and wallet attached to your body, right at your hip. No more endless searching through your bigger bags at the airport, no worries about putting your purse down and leaving it somewhere with crucial items inside. Keeps important items safe and secure, right at your fingertips.
Attaches to carrier waist belt by means of Velcro flap OR two heavy-duty snaps OR a pass-though belt loop, plus has a detachable shoulder strap, a keyring, and all the necessary amenities. Will carry a wallet, sunglasses, keys, small toys...all your essentials.
And don't worry, it's NOT a fanny pack. Much slimmer and more chic. Can't go wrong with basic black. Matches everything.
Fleece Carrier Cover
$39
Gorgeous 200 weight microfleece carrier cover from Catbird Baby keeps your baby warm when babywearing without adding bulk or changing the fit of your carrier. Very economical and practical compared to buying a babywearing coat for $200 or more! Fits all sizes of babies and wearers. Outer layer is charcoal gray; lining and pocket are black.
The foot pocket is elasticized to snug around baby's legs and keep them cozy and toasty warm in cold weather. The top flap simply folds over the top of your Pikkolo, Beco or Patapum and snaps over the shoulder straps. You put it on prior to putting the carrier on, so you can even use it in a back carry easily. 100% polyester, made in the USA.
PIKKOLO SHOULDER STRAP CONFIGURATIONS
The Pikkolo can be worn with the shoulder straps configured in two different ways.
This photo shows front carry with crossed straps (considered more comfortable by many people)
Front carry with straight (backpack-style) straps. Note that in front carry, the chest strap is worn just below the base of the neck. You should be able to reach back over your shoulders and attach it. It should be tight enough to hold the shoulder straps just inside the shoulder caps, no tighter. In back carry, straight backpack style straps are recommended for women, as crossed straps will irritate all but the smallest chests. Men can cross in front if they like. :-) In a back carry the chest strap is worn just below the collarbones.
This photo shows the Pikkolo sleeping hood out and ready for use:
Cafe au Lait
$129
Soft brushed canvas in a warm, chocolate brown with
contrasting dark gold piping.
Zigzag stripe pattern in blue, gold, brown and red, on a khaki background. Please note that the carrier doesn't come with a bear sleeping hood...the baby in the photos had on a bear hooded jacket for the photos. Sorry for the confusion! The detachable sleeping hood that comes with the carrier is khaki.
It is a known fact that babies LOVE to gnaw and drool on the part of the shoulder strap closest to their face. These new pads are a handy accessory for any soft structured baby carrier: Beco Butterfly, Beco Gemini, Pikkolo, Boba, Patapum, you name it! Simply attach them onto the shoulder straps and let your baby drool and chew away happily.
Attaches to carrier waist belt by means of Velcro flap OR two heavy-duty snaps OR a pass-though belt loop, plus has a detachable shoulder strap, a keyring, and all the necessary amenities. Will carry a wallet, sunglasses, keys, small toys...all your essentials.
