Baby K’tan, LLC was founded by two couples, the Chesals and Wernicks, who have been close friends for years. Each family was raising a child with special needs, in addition to two other children. With a desire to provide their babies with the sensory nourishment they require for optimal development, while also wanting to carry their babies as much as possible for parent-child bonding, both couples experimented with different baby slings and carriers.

Not finding the ideal carrier on the market, they began creating different designs to satisfy their children’s needs, while combining style, ease of use, and comfort.

Improving and incorporating different aspects from various slings and traditional front carriers that were already on the market, the Wernicks and Chesals created the Baby K’tan™ Baby Carrier!

The Baby K’tan™ Baby Carrier (patent pending) is a cross between a sling and a more structured front baby carrier, providing the positions and benefits of both, with added security as compared to the traditional sling, and added comfort and easy to use as compared to the traditional front carrier.

The Baby K’tan™ Baby Carrier is made entirely of soft, breathable 100% cotton knit fabric that is strong enough to hold a child from birth to 42 lbs. The unique patent pending design consists of two loops of fabric connected with a sliding support band. Parents can stylishly carry their babies in 8 comfortable positions, while freeing up their hands to tend to other tasks or other children. Babies can be snuggled and breastfed in the Cradle and Explore positions. They can also be carried upright, facing in or out, and as they get older, they can be carried on your hip.

Michal Chesal and Isaac Wernick got together and began the task of bringing Baby K’tan, LLC to life.

Michal Chesal

Michal Chesal, a devoted mother of three and wife to Brian, graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and spent two years studying abroad. She then served as the Director of Academic Affairs for an overseas university. Michal also spent three years as an equities trader, specializing in risk management and technical analysis for a New York firm.

For the past few years, she has been the sole proprietor of a regional marketing firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On a volunteer basis, Michal assists in chairing events that promote advocacy and acceptance of the special needs community. Additionally, she serves as an active board member on numerous children’s advocacy organizations.

She is now devoting her time to her new baby, Baby K’tan, LLC,

Michal’s oldest son, Coby Joshua, was born with Down syndrome in December of 1999. Coby’s birth and disability presented the need for Michal & Brian to create an environment for him that would facilitate his development and provide the extra stimulation he needed for optimal growth. In addition to his developmental delays, Coby was born with hypotonia (low muscle tone) and was adversely affected by carriers that placed his legs in excessive abduction (legs spread too far apart). It was disheartening not being able to carry him in a forward facing position as used in traditional baby carriers. Not only did Michal & Brian want to hold Coby closely and show him the world, they wanted to do it appropriately. Never completely satisfied with the carriers on the market, the Chesals partially modified existing carriers to provide a position where babies can still face forward and see the world while having their legs in a more developmentally appropriate posture.

Isaac Wernick

Isaac Wernick, a devoted father of three, and husband to Aviva, earned his Master’s Degree in cell biology and worked in a cancer research lab in New York City. Isaac moved abroad for two years where he worked in the marketing department for a Fortune 500 company and a global leader in manufacturing technology solutions, including the fabrication of semiconductor chips. In 2002, he returned to the States with his family and settled in Hollywood, Florida.

Isaac is now devoting his time to his new baby, Baby K’tan, LLC.

Isaac’s youngest son, Eitan Lev, was born in 2003 with a rare and serious heart defect known as TAPVR. He underwent a successful open-heart surgery at Miami Children's Hospital when he was four weeks old. After his surgery, Eitan was fragile and sensitive to pain . Aviva and Isaac looked for the best baby carrier for carrying Eitan close, but were not satisfied with the carriers available on the market. They then borrowed the Chesals' modified carrier, and after a few months of use, both couples began to make further improvements in its quality, design, safety, structure, and style.

Thus, the Baby K’tan™ Baby Carrier was born!

Created to be one of the easiest, most versatile, comfortable, safe and stylish carriers on the market, the Chesals and Wernicks decided they wanted to share this great carrier with everyone.

We trust that you and your children will love our carrier as much as we do. The more you use it, the more you’ll love it!

A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of every Baby K'tan™ Baby Carrier will be allocated to the American Heart Association and to help fund education, medical research, advocacy programs, and promotion of awareness and inclusion for individuals and families living with Down syndrome.

Other Team Members

Webmaster – Sarah Peters, Tali Zipper
Photographer – Barbara Taylor
Stylist – Danielle Klein
Chiropractor – Lilly Friedman, Charles Beer
Occupational therapist – Anneke Meyer
Physical therapist- Michelle Parente