Can we talk? Here's where I discuss random topics, dish some dirt, and answer your questions. BTW, any products recommended are products that I bought myself, not freebies sent in exchange for a positive review.
What about the Beco Butterfly?
Mary Beth asked:
I see you now have a Butterfly for sale! Can you tell us the difference between the 4th Gen and the butterfly?
Hi Mary Beth,
I don't actually have a Beco Butterfly Baby Carrier for sale, those won't be out until early January at best. I do have Beco 4th Generation Baby Carriers in the print "Cocoa Butterfly" for sale here. Not too many left, but some. I can see how this is confusing. ;-)
To answer your question about the difference between the current Beco 4th Generation carrier and the new Beco Butterfly carrier, here goes.
I've written before about Ergo's nasty little habit of threatening everyone and their mother with a lawsuit (including me, I got a letter from an Ergo attorney over my online use of the term "fools" to describe them, among other things).
Well, it looks like Ergo might now get a patent for certain aspects of their baby carrier. To celebrate, they are hassling all makers of soft structured baby carriers and demanding that they stop making anything even remotely similar. Never mind that Ergo has stolen features from other carriers themselves (an Ergo is basically a reconfigured Baby Trekker), they were the first to file for a patent, so they are looking to crowd out everyone else out of the market by playing the heavy.
What does this have to do with anything? Well, the Beco 4th Generation carrier is similar to the Ergo carrier in basic structure. You know, like a Volkswagen is similar to a Ford. Come on, they both have four wheels and a steering wheel and an engine. They're practically IDENTICAL, right?
Never mind that the two carriers feel quite different, and fit a whole different set of body types. Ergo is claiming that the 4th Generation is infringing on their patent...you know, the one they don't have yet.
So...Beco will no longer produce the 4th Generation carrier. It will be discontinued at the end of the year. If you want one, better get it now.
Instead, Gabby at Beco has come up with a brand new design called the Butterfly. I am not allowed to say much about it, so I'll be brief.
The new Butterfly model is a fairly drastic change from the current 4th Generation Beco. It has an inner layer of fabric that the baby is buckled into, the baby can then be put on either your front or back. Back carries become much easier, since you can basically put the baby and carrier on as a single unit, like a backpack.
For experienced babywearers, there are a few extra steps (buckling baby in on both sides, *then* putting the carrier on and securing it), so if you already know how to do back carries well, this might be a frustrating carrier for you.
But if you are nervous about putting your baby on your back by yourself, or if you are new to babywearing in general, it's a great solution.
I'll be carrying the Butterfly in all four available prints as soon as it comes out.
Meanwhile, if you really like the current Beco 4th Generation, the Nana's Jetpak is quite similar. I am expecting a shipment of those to arrive in dyeable fabric any day now.
The Pikkolo from CatBird Baby is actually my new favorite carrier. I am getting a shipment of those in December. Right now I only have a very few, but they are sweet. Super durable, great design details. They need to be washed before wearing, as they are quite stiff to start out with, but once broken in....amazing. More details to come...stay tuned!Labels: Beco, Butterfly
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1 Comments:
Thank you for this!! I really appreciate your writeup as I'm currently in the market to purchase a new baby carrier. I'm leaning more towards the Beco and I think this seals the deal!!
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