Beco Gemini – Left … Beco Butterfly – Center  … Beco Gemini – Right

Color is Paige – Grey and Black

Notice the differences – the Gemini has the black area at top where they have snapped it down to baby’s shoulder level. If it were left up, the carrier body would look much taller, even above the baby’s head. The Gemini carrier has snaps also where the carrier body meets the adult’s waist belt.  In the left photo those are not snapped down, they are showing the carrier at full width. A smaller baby would want those snapped down so the legs wouldn’t need to be opened as wide. Also, a baby in a front carry but facing outward will need those snapped down for the right size leg openings while they face out (shown in the photo on the right). The Beco Butterfly (right) does not snap down at the top, nor does it snap in for adjustable width at baby’s legs. Instead, the Butterfly carrier has an internal seat for baby and the use of the infant insert accomplishes this same goal. However, it will not do a forward-facing position where baby’s back is touching the adult’s chest. With the butterfly, baby is always tummy-to-tummy if on your front, or tummy-to-back when baby is riding on your back.  The actual colored fabric panel doesn’t run as wide on the Gemini. Also the straps have a thinner or sleeker look to them, partly because they don’t need the extra buckles like the Butterfly straps do.  It doesn’t show in this photo, but the Butterfly straps go “backpack style” that is, they connect to their own side rather than crossing the back as an X. There is a shoulder clip ( or chest strap if you prefer calling it that). The Gemini straps are more shaped to cross like an X over your back when baby is carried on your chest. Many people find this more supportive and distributes the weight better.

Beco Gemini – Left and the Beco Butterfly – Right

Color is Metro Black. Position is Backpack Carry.
This can be done about age 6 months, when baby sits up on their own and has full head control. As you can see in the photos, the Gemini base is fully extended for full support under baby’s bottom. the Gemini top is snapped down so baby’s head is uncovered. The Butterfly in this photo is showing an older child, but both carriers are suitable for about the same age range, 7-35 pounds on the gemini and 7-45 pounds on the butterfly. In fact, the Butterfly can do a back position sooner than the Gemini, because the Butterfly internal seat offers more support to the baby’s position, allowing a safe, secure, and confident back carry at 4 months old.  The Butterfly carrier has more buckles and adjustments than the Gemini, or compared to the Ergo for instance. But it is this extra harness that most people appreciate so much in daily use, especially with new babies, because the carrier offers so much “help” in getting baby safe and snug. Most people put the carrier on themselves first and then lift baby in to position. However, the Butterfly also offers another way – lay the baby in the carrier first, check their position and buckles and then lift the whole ensemble to your chest (or your back). Many nervous parents prefer to do it this way, and only the Butterfly carrier can do it.  However, this same infant insert and internal harness for older babies does prevent a hip carry position.  To see the side (hip) position, look at the gemini below, the photo at the bottom left. Side carry positioning tends to be “a love it or hate it” issue. It’s the sort of thing that most people never even try, while other folks use every day.  If you have been wishing your older Beco could do a hip carry, you’ll love it with the Gemini.  But that said, most Gemini users will stick to the more common front and back positions for carrying baby around town.  Both  Beco carriers accommodate newborn babies without buying an extra insert or other accessory purchases.

Our most popular question so far is “when is the beco gemini coming out” or “when is the gemini carrier available”.  Folks, it is here NOW! There is no more waiting!   After that, people often ask which carrier is right for them.  We hope this blog post helped you. If not, call us to chat about your individual situation – we love to help! (877) 333-0697

Also, you might want to look over the Gemini user manual. The PDF is here

Currently the Beco Gemini and Butterfly come in 6 prints and 2 solid colors.  Availability is not so good right now and these colors will certainly sell out before the Fall colors are released. Pricing is $129 for Gemini and $139 for Butterfly. Free shipping is automatic within the USA. All Becos can be purchased here

We are getting many questions about the Beco Carrier availability. Here is the latest information (September 29 2012 update):

The original Beco Butterfly is retired and was replaced with version “Beco Butterfly 2” with some noteworthy design changes! We have 8 organic colors in stock – solid black and brown and the latest prints :  Nova, Foxie, Robots, Nova, Niko, Sienna, Cars, and Owls. The spring/summer colors will sell out before long and no more will be made – there are only have a couple left in stock for each color and Becos move extra fast at sale prices, so we will run out before long!  The most recent change is that Beco will only move forward with making the solid colors and an embroidered design on solid colors, called “jake” and “ashley”, but no other prints will be made as of Fall 2012. Because the baby carriers are over $100, they all ship free the same day or next day after you order them.  When Gemini came out, the Butterfly carrier was not discontinued – the new Gemini is a quite different product and they have been selling side-by-side. Neither model is a replacement for the other kind.  The first collection of pictures here are all Butterfly models – there are many more colors available on the butterfly than the gemini. Scroll down past these pictures to hear more about the Gemini carriers.

In fall of 2011 Beco unveiled the Gemini carrier – Organic – colors are black, brown, Robots, Cars, Owls, Duke, Ever, Garden in Natural, Black and Aqua, Orion and Scooter. The embroidered Jake and Ashley are coming to the Gemini model as well.  Please note that some Beco Gemini carriers have the fabric print on the outside panel, much like the Butterfly does, while most newer Gemini carriers are “Gemini Insider” version, meaning that the print fabric is on the inside of the carrier body, on the fabric that is touching the baby, and so the print only shows when you have folded down the top of the carrier body or have folded in the leg opening area. The main carrier body looks like a solid color, with contrasting piping, even when you buy a print version.

Also, please note that our Lucas Geminis were sometimes produced paired with espresso brown straps but older ones are paired with khaki tan straps. Both combinations would be out of stock in all stores by this point.

The Geminis are listed in the same section of the website as the Butterfly, just scroll down to order the Gemini carriers. This is Beco’s new 4-position carrier, it does front, back, side, and forward-facing-outward. No infant insert, and price is $10 less than the Beco Butterfly. It is a quite different carrier, and the Butterfly is NOT discontinued. Call or email us if you want help figuring out which carrier would suit you best.  We have blogged specifically about Butterfly vs Gemini at this link.

The Beco Gemini colors are :

The automatic free shipping is FedEx ground. There is a new map on our policies page for delivery speed with Fedex ground service. You may find you live close enough to get overnight or 2nd day service at the Ground price.

Everybody is curious about how the Beco fabric prints look close up and in the sunlight, so we blog these whenever we can. Check the sidebar for the “butterfly photos” section. Our homemade close-up outdoor shots of Isabella and Olivia are here. Extra images of Abby Sara and Natalie are here. Our shots of the discontinued Scooters Becos are here. When we still had them on hand, we took photos of our custom-edition Aubrey, Ethan, and Emma – especially useful because you can clearly see the words in the popular Emma print.  The currently available Paige color has extra photos here.  The Butterfly 2.0 blog thread on colors and stocking is here.

Many people ask about the sold out colors – We have been with Beco since 2006, well before there was such a thing as “A Beco Butterfly” and we do still get phone calls asking for colors that came and went long ago. I can confirm that the following colors are discontinued and not beingmade any more: Duo organic owls in sand, sky blue, or rust orange.  Abby, Aiden, Andrew, Anaya, Alison, Aubrey, Audrey, Avery, Argyle Deer, Carnival, Denim, Emma, Ethan, Grace, Ginger, Hannah, Isabella, Jacob, Joey,  Lauren, Lenka, Lucas, Melody,  Nova, Olivia, Panthers, Ponies, Pony Express, Lenka, River, Ryan, Sara, Sienna, Sierra, Trinity, Zoye.  That lovely photo at the top of this page with the lady holding a coffee mug is wearing the Joshua print from an especially small production run from 2008.  Also sold out long ago are the Tender Cargo Exclusive fabrics : custom-made Abby, Mia, Audrey, Olivia and Emma.

Photos of a mom and a dad with 18 month old toddler in a back carry. Next time we do this, we’ll show the hip carry and front positions too. All photos are with the 1st version Pikkolo carrier in color Appletini green with black straps. The mom is not wearing the optional chest strap, but the dad chose to. For her, the memory foam kept the straps in position just fine, and she didn’t want the extra step of a chest strap. But the dad tried it both ways and found he preferred using it. It probably depends some on your body type.

Both are wearing it too “low” in the outdoor shots- at the top of their hips instead of at the natural waist as suggested.

Click the images to enlarge them in a new window

more, with better positioning, higher up so baby can see. The straps are worn backpack style, but for a front carry you would cross them, making an X on your back.

Just in today! A rainbow of Moby Wraps! This is an increasingly popular infant carrier choice, and no wonder! Most of them are only $39.95. They’re amazingly soft. They can hold baby to you in any position you prefer- face in or out, carry twins, baby on your back or front or hip. Nursing is easy, and covering baby as much as you need for nursing or feeding is as simple as pulling the wrap up, just like a blanket. There are no buckles or straps or fasteners. You do have to learn to tie it around yourself but the photo instructions are fabulous so that soon becomes easy, and after it’s on you, you just place baby inside and go! The lightweight stretch fabric is ideal even in warm weather, and 4 colors are made of UV-protection fabric for summer sun. the Moby Wrap is essential for baby’s first 6 months or even first year, but honestly, the day will come when you’ll probably want a more supportive, structured carrier, like the Beco. But for $39, the price is right , to get you through that first year comfortably and free to go out and about with your infant. In my town, I see babies riding cozy in their moby wraps all around the neighborhood, at grocery stores and coffee shops and at pickup time for the preschool and elementary schools. I have seen moms at the airport, traveling with baby alseep in the wrap, which is all fabric, by the way, with nothing metal to set off airport security.

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Look below to see on youTube a great Moby Wrap demonstration with a baby in a front carry. Clear video, clear sound, good tips, I just had to pass it along for you.
The Moby is an excellent carrier choice for baby’s first year, it’s the sort of thing moms give other moms at their baby shower while speaking of as a lifesaver, an essential, something they used every day- it is so soft and stretchy, babies just love to be swaddled inside it and soothed by your walking movements. Also, a wrap offers so much flexibility about positioning and size, it works for everybody. Moby is just $39, so it’s a really affordable carrier for a newborn and the months that follow, and then most families graduate to a soft structured carrier -something with support on both shoulders and the hips, something for front and backpack style carry positions to take you through the toddler years.

Re-published from Jan 29 2009

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Today we restocked our BabyHawks in all the colors that were so popular they sold out!

There are 21 colors in stock now – half our selection is shown below. These are stunning in person.

Every baby carrier is suitable from birth to 40 pounds. Babyhawk mei tais are versatile to match your outfits and the places you go since each carrier has one side with a design and one side of solid color. This is really helpful when two adults want to share one carrier but have different preferences about the design.

Black strap Babyhawks that reverse to solid black

Chocolate, Espresso, and Olive solids are in stock as well.

Click this link for the PDF of the full press release ASTM Moves Closer to Developing Standard for Baby Slings Tender Cargo store owner Christine Alonso is a board member of The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance and a Berkeley California mom of 3.

The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) today applauded the efforts of all stakeholders involved in the three year effort that brought the first voluntary safety standard for sling-style carriers to ballot last month. When finalized later this year, the standard will join those for cribs, strollers, hand-held infant carriers (car seats), bouncer seats, play yards and other durable nursery products as an effective way to provide the public with safer products.

The standards process, initiated by a group of sling manufacturers comprised of BCIA members, is administered by ASTM International, one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world. In addition to BCIA, other stakeholders involved in the standards process include the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada, Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JPMA), consumer groups (including Consumers Union, Kids in Danger and Consumer Federation of America), testing labs, retailers and manufacturers.

The new sling carrier standard will provide manufacturers with expert engineering and human factors guidance on how to design safer products based on industry best practices. In addition, it will offer recommendations on instructions and warnings for the safe use of sling carriers.
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BCIA reminds parents and caregivers that the practice of babywearing keeps babies in the safest place possible, in a parent’s arms with baby’s face visible to the carrying adult. For additional information on babywearing safety, please visit the BCIA website at http://www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org.

Click this link for the PDF of the full press release ASTM Moves Closer to Developing Standard for Baby Slings.

We have carried the Pikkolo baby carriers in store for 3 full years now and love showing mamas how it works – especially the adjustable base to control the spread of the baby leg openings. The photos below are an older model , so the color is discontinued and the style of the adjuster has changed, but hopefully this post still does the trick!
Pikkolos have this great drawstring inside the base so you can make baby’s seat nice and wide when they’re bigger, but you scrunch it down narrower so a small baby can let their legs hang down. A young baby can even ride on your front facing outward, which is a very rare option to find in a carrier that is able to carry older babies, toddlers , and do a backpack position. That requires a really wide base under baby’s bottom, and most frontpack carriers that allow baby to face outward lack a way to expand baby’s seat to support the weight of a 1 or 2 year old child, so the useful life of those frontpacks is much shorter.

Another note- with the Pikkolo when you choose how high on your waist to wear it, you’re choosing how tall to make the carrier body.  Want to make it easier for baby to see out? Want to hide them inside for sleep or weather protection? It’s all in your control! And of course, there’s the actual sleeping hood you can attach if you’re serious about that nap or keeping the wind away.

The Baby Carrier Industry Association has a nice page up with basic safety tips for using baby slings, especially the extra attention that should be paid when carrying a preemie, newborn, or a baby who is ill or has other special needs.

The main thing to know is that – sling or no sling – an infant is safest when a caring adult is close by and keeping them in sight. Good sling positions good baby close enough to kiss, and with their face visible – that is, don’t let the sling or your body or a blanket or anything else obstruct the view of your infant’s face, especially of course their nose and mouth.

Other common-sense reminders include reading the product instructions carefully, and keeping the sling snug enough that baby’s position does not shift around after you put them in.  If they start off in a good spot, “visible and kissable”  but slide downward when you move around, that is not good! Read more from the official baby carrier industry group at this link

You also might be interested in the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in their campaign to educate parents on safe baby carriers (link) and their work with the BCIA to spread good information. See this press release about the BCIA’s agreement with the CPSC on this need, and see how BCIA works with Health Canada to this same shared goal.

Quick photo guide here for putting on the Scootababy brand carrier for older babies and toddlers – out on as a side carry or slide more to the front or the back as you like.  The Scootababy is as fast and simple to use as a baby carrier can possibly be. Just buckle the waistbelt and pull the strap over your head.  That’s it! The lady in the photo is pulling at her shoulder strap to tighten as desired.  This carrier is designed by a California mom and made in the USA.

Check out this NBC Today Show segment on baby carrier recommendations in light of the Infantino recall and safe positioning concerns.

Approx 5 minutes includes carrier fashion show and iVillage commentary.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy