The Baby Takadai was developed in the US based on a Japanese design. It is small, portable version of the floor size Takadai. The photo on the right shows the Baby Takadai scale relative to a regular size Takadai.

There are a few Japanese versions, but the concept is essentially the same and they all work the same.  The Japanese versions come with very light hira-dama similar to those used on a karakumidai.  The US version comes with a set of weighted EZ Bobs (24 gr.) where additional weight can be added (up to 35 gr.).

It has only one arm per side, and a front rail — which can allow for some very basic variations of ayatakedai braids or double layer takadai braids. The size also limits the type and weight of bobbins that can be used. These design limitations indicate that the Baby Takadai is not a low-cost replacement for a Takadai.  However, it very suitable for small scale projects.