--- description: Find out why MiniMeis is one of the best inventions of 2019. title: MiniMeis: The 100 Best Inventions of 2019 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltecb9d7830a41b617/698a064297cdffc14b6b9e15/best-inventions-2019-062-minimeis.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 21, 2019 # Hands-Free Parenting MiniMeis by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  When kids get tired from walking, they often end up on their parents’ shoulders. “The downside is you have to hold them and your hands get occupied,” says Julius Winger, a father of three who invented [MiniMeis](https://minimeis.com/ "undefined"), a lightweight, foldable and ergonomic shoulder carrier that is comfortable for both parents and kids. The MiniMeis comprises a seat with a backrest and a system of straps to attach the child securely to the parent. Unlike front or back carriers, it distributes the child’s weight squarely over a parent’s center of balance and kids as old as 5 can ride with an unobstructed view. At $149, it’s similar in cost to other carriers, and parents are jumping at the opportunity to free up their hands; in three years, the company has grown from 7,000 sales a year to 15,000 a month online and in Europe, and the carrier is expected to hit U.S. stores this winter. _—Emily Barone_ **Buy now:** [MiniMeis](https://minimeis.com/product/minimeis-g4/?v=7516fd43adaa "undefined") MiniMeis: The 100 Best Inventions of 2019 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2019/5733113/minimeis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2019/5733113/minimeis/"},"headline":"Hands-Free Parenting","datePublished":"2019-11-21T01:34:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:36:31.359Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2019/5733113/minimeis/","keywords":["Best Inventions 2019"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltecb9d7830a41b617/698a064297cdffc14b6b9e15/best-inventions-2019-062-minimeis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltecb9d7830a41b617/698a064297cdffc14b6b9e15/best-inventions-2019-062-minimeis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2019/5733113/minimeis/","name":"Hands-Free Parenting"}}]}] ```