Beco Butterfly: June 2008 Prints

Here's a preview of the two gorgeous new Beco Butterfly prints for June 2008.

On espresso straps, Jacob:



and, on black straps, Avery:



Pre-orders are available now in our store, for shipping in first week in July for these prints as well as more Abby, Allison, Carnival, Natalie, and Sara. Currently in stock in limited quantity are Emma, Espresso, Isabella, Martini, and Metro Black.

Beco Butterfly or Pikkolo?

Julie writes:

"Hi There! Just looking for a little advice... I have been trying to decide between the Beco and Pikkolo for some time now. A friend of mine has the Beco 4th generation and LOVES it. I have tried it a couple of times with my 21 lb. 6 month old son and found it pretty comfy- it didn't hurt my back at all which was awesome! However it did push the top of my pants down and I kept feeling like I should scoot my son's behind up so it stopped pulling down on my waistband. My son loved it- both times he fell asleep within about 10 minutes- and was totally content while I walked, talked, played with my niece. I am buying it for this summer as a convenient way to keep him close and get things done around the house and as we run errands, take day hikes, etc. As for the pikkolo- the reviews are fabulous. I was just unsure about the unpadded waistband- and I know you are supposed to wear it on your natural waist- which I would think dug in- and may not distribute the weight as well as your hips would?? Cool thing is it looks like the baby can see out better- but can they sleep or feel as secure because they aren't as supported? We are planning on having another baby in the not too distant future- so I'd like something that can last me for a couple years if possible. If you had to but only one- what would it be?... Thanks for your advice in advance!" Julie

Hi Julie,

Hmmm, a Beco or a Pikkolo? Really good question! :)

I loved the Beco 4th Generation too. As I'm sure you are aware, Beco has discontinued making it in favor of the Butterfly model, which is quite a bit different than the 4th Generation.

I know what you mean about the padded waistbelt pushing the top of your pants down. I also find this a minor annoyance of that feature, despite it making the carrier very comfy to wear for long periods. I too was skeptical about the unpadded waistbelt of the Pikkolo... until I tried it! I found it surprisingly comfortable. It didn't cut into me at all and the top of my pants stayed put! You do wear it a bit higher but I find that once my toddler is in it ends up settling right on top of my hipbones anyways, so it still distributes her weight evenly and properly. The body of the Beco and Pikkolo are about the same length, so baby will be equally supported in either.

The Butterfly takes a bit of getting used to, especially if you're not used to putting baby in the internal sling of the carrier first, then putting the carrier on. A nice thing about the internal sling though, is that baby is perfectly positioned in the carrier every time. The Butterfly is a great carrier for those new to doing a back carry, and makes it easy to do a back carry with a very young infant using the built-in infant insert. The internal sling also allows you to adjust the distance of baby from your body, totally separate from the shoulder strap adjustment. Wearing baby very close with the sling buckles tightened up, but keeping the shoulder straps fairly loose, makes it so that baby's weight sinks down and is supported by your hips, not your shoulders.

I really like the unique cinching mechanism in the body of the Pikkolo. Not only does that enable you to do ergonomic forward facing front carries (only with babies under 20 lbs though, otherwise it kills your back!), but smaller babies don't have to spread their legs as wide while riding. The Beco Butterfly achieves the same thing with their infant insert, which is narrower than the main body of the carrier. Oh, and you can do hip carries with the Pikkolo, but not with the Butterfly.

The Pikkolo has great memory foam shoulder straps which I found really conformed nicely to my body. The Butterfly has narrower, ergonomically curved shoulder straps which makes for a very nice fit and is especially great for narrow-shouldered wearers. The fabrics used in the Butterfly are softer quilter cottons and twills. They are gorgeous, unique and colorful designer prints. The Pikkolo fabrics are more neutral, subtle, heavier canvas-like fabrics that soften up great with washing and are ultimately probably more durable.

Also, you will be able to get a padded waistband sleeve for the Pikkolo as an accessory option that will attach to current models -- should be available in the next couple of months and will make that carrier even more versatile.

As for which one I'd personally choose? Hard to say - they're both great! I do reach for the Pikkolo more often at this point because my youngest is 2.5 and I find it too awkward to get her into the internal sling of the Butterfly. I'm also an experienced babywearer so don't like having to put her in the carrier first, I like to just quickly hoist her onto my back. But, if we were to have another baby, I think I'd lean towards the Butterfly as the fabric is softer and I like the idea of the built in infant insert to do early back carries.

Another important consideration for many when choosing a carrier is -- which one has the fabric/pattern you like best?

Hope this helps you some!

Beco Butterfly: May 2008 prints

Here's a preview of the start of the long-awaited Butterfly summer collection. They are due to ship from Beco soon and I hope to have my first shipment the week of June 9.

On espresso straps there's:

Allison:



Martini:



Natalie:



As well, the ever-popular Carnival print will be available again:



On black straps there's:

Abby:



Isabella (which first came out in March and is available again now):



Morgan (which came out in April, and is still available):



and Sara:



I think this is a beautiful collection with something that's sure to please everyone.

I believe there will be two more prints released in June and possibly a couple more in July/August. These will be previewed here as soon as I am able to release them.

I will be offering presales on my site once I get the shipping notice from Beco around May 21. It's always a bit sketchy as to what's actually coming in a given shipment so I don't want to presell until I know what's actually coming. Please be sure to contact me if you are interested in a specific pattern so I can make sure I order enough.

Happy Babywearing!

Beco Butterfly: April 2008 Prints

Here's a preview of the new prints Beco will be releasing later this month. They will be shipping from Beco at the end of April, so I hope to have my shipment by May 9 or so. I will not have all prints available -- see details below.

On espresso straps there's:

Emma:



and Chloe:



and Olivia, which was first released in March but now due to fabric supplier problems will not be available again in the foreseeable future:



There's also still Ethan, which was released in February.

On black straps there's:

Morgan:



And Aubrey, which was released in March:



and Isabella, which was released in March but again due to fabric supplier problems will not be available again until end of May:



I will also have some more Metro Black and Espresso for those who prefer an unpatterned carrier. Oh, and for those that have been asking, the Carnival print will be available again in late May so I should have some by early June.

I will be offering presales on my site once I get the shipping notice from Beco around April 28. It's always a bit sketchy as to what's actually coming in a given shipment so I don't want to presell until I know what's actually coming. Please contact me if you are looking for a pattern that I don't have coming (Ethan and Aubrey are currently not on order) and I will check to see if it's still available from Beco and can be added to my shipment.

Happy Babywearing!

Beco Butterfly Voluntary Recall

If you haven't already heard, Beco has voluntarily recalled their Beco Butterfly model carriers produced and sold in January and February 2008. If you bought a Beco Butterfly during this period please read up on the issue and how to resolve it.

New Beco Butterfly Prints for Feb 08

Wow! Interest in the Beco Butterfly has been amazing! My initial order was obviously too small, as it is now 90% sold as of this writing and I've only had them in stock for 5 days! I've just put in another order for more, which I'm hoping will arrive in early March.

Beco is introducing 5 more prints this month. I've only ordered 4 of them because, well, I think the 5th one is kind of ugly and I don't want to sell something that I wouldn't wear or use myself.

Here's a preview of the new prints:

1) Ava - on black straps:



2) Ethan - on espresso straps:



3) Sophia (pink version of the now-sold-out Addison) - on espresso straps:



4) Joshua - on black straps:



Also still available is the ever-popular Carnival print, and I will be getting a few more of those.

I'll be offering these for pre-sale once I get notice that they've shipped from Beco, so check back with us often or contact me to get put on my interest list.

Beco Butterfly vs. 4th Generation Carrier

Tasha writes:

"Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what the difference between the Beco 4th Generation and the Beco Butterfly Carrier is?"

Good question! And one that many people have been asking me...

Now, keep in mind that I haven't actually seen or tried the Butterfly yet, as I'm still waiting for my first shipment to arrive. Once I get them in I'll be able to write more of a review.

In the meantime, here's what I've been able to glean from the information out there as to how the Butterfly is different from the 4th Generation:

Shoulder Straps:

• The Butterfly features ergonomically curved shoulder straps that are adjustable at both the top of the carrier and at the sides of the body. This is supposedly to enable easy nursing access. The 4th Gen straps only adjust at the sides. Both carriers feature dual adjusting buckles though, a huge plus over other carrier brands.
• Another feature of the Butterfly shoulder strap is that the base of the strap is not attached directly to the body of the carrier (as with the 4th Gen) but to an inside panel (see next point) that attaches to the waist belt. The other end of the shoulder strap attaches to the body of the carrier.

Body:

• The most innovative and unique feature of the Butterfly is that it has an inside panel of fabric which keeps baby securely inside the carrier even when the waist belt is open. The baby can be put in the carrier first and then the carrier put on the wearer (although you can still put the carrier on first and then the baby if you prefer this order, but it seems like this would be a bit more awkward). The panel of fabric is in a "Y" shape so your breasts are apparently not covered up. This would make nursing possible but probably not as easy as with the 4th Gen.
• Another feature of the Butterfly is a built-in infant insert. With the 4th Gen carrier you had to purchase a separate infant insert. With the Butterfly, it's built in but it lays flat against the back of the carrier if it's not used. The insert is narrower than the actual carrier base so small infants can comfortably spread their legs while retaining the recommended position of knees higher than their bottom.

Other Features:

• The Butterfly also has an attached chest strap that's not independent from the shoulder straps as on the 4th Gen (a minor annoyance!). Instead, it's connected to the shoulder straps and slides along their length.
• Although both the 4th Gen and the Butterfly have sleeping hoods, the 4th Gen carrier has a storage pocket for it on the body of the carrier. The Butterfly has a storage sleeve at the back of the waist belt.
• The Butterfly comes with an instructional DVD included in the price.

In summary, I would say that you should probably choose the Butterfly if:

• you are new to babywearing in general
  
• a bit nervous about putting your baby on your back by yourself
• want to be able to do back carries with a very young baby
• like the idea of being able to pass the baby from one wearer to another or to switch easily from front to back carry
• you prefer the prints the Butterfly is offered in
  

and you should probably choose a 4th Gen carrier if:

• you have an older baby and thereby no need for the infant insert
• you are a fairly experienced babywearer who is used to simply hoisting your baby onto your back and strapping a carrier on and would find the inside panel bothersome
• you like being able to easily nurse your baby while in the carrier
  
• you prefer the prints the 4th Gen is offered in
  

Beco Butterfly is (almost) here!!

I've just been notified by Beco that my shipment of Beco Butterflys is officially on its way! Yay!! I've only got two or three in each fabric coming though so if you see one you like, don't delay! They're available for pre-order as of today!

I've also put the Pony Express and Avocado Feathers 4th Generation prints on sale on a whim so if you fancy one of those, better grab it!