Beco butterfly vs. babyhawk(mei tai)

[nikkles]

Hi there

I am looking for something that will work from newborn through toddlerhood.....I am already planning on buying a wrap and a ring sling....and originally was planning on a mei tai as well.....
now I am seeing all these rave reviews for the beco butterfly and that you can carry a newborn with it as well....

would anyone be able to help me sort out the differences....might I still want a mei tai AND a soft structured carrier (beco/ergo etc)....or would one suffice?

TIA girls Nikki

[MommytoTwo]

I have both and love both but I reach for the Beco more often. I LOVE the Babyhawk. Its gorgeous and so comfy and soft, but the Beco is just easier to deal with when I am getting 3 kids out of the car in a parking lot and trying to get the baby on, etc. Plus, I dont like the way the straps on the mei teis kinda squeeze you in unflattering ways.
But either one is totally fabulous.

[maymorales]

totally agree that the Butterfly is easier to put on and it does come with infant insert so it should last quite a while.
hth.

[nikkles]

awesome, so helpful! I meant to mention that I am due end of April...so are they both ok for the hot summer months? (I will have other carriers too though...)

[Shelsi]

I have a 4th generation beco, an ergo, and a babyhawk. My fave is the beco. I like the ergo too but the beco is less bulky and waaay cuter. The baby hawk is nice but the straps get annoying. Also the beco and ergo work much better for back carries for me...they don't pull on my back or shoulders at all whereas I can't carry dd for very long with the babyhawk in a back carry.

How hot are you talking for hot summer months? When dd was born it was 110 degrees here. Obviously we didn't go out much but I used mainly the baby hawk (I really like it for front carries) and a gypsymama wrap that is very light weight.

[nikkles]

Rachel, thank you. since you have all of them, are any best suited for the newborn stage? and did you use the babyhawk in the summer specifically b/c it was cooler than the other two? or did you just have that one at the time? TIA!!

[luckyjen]

Nikkles! You are going to think I am stalking you or something! I couldn't resist saying a big "hi!"

You are so awesome with all your research you are doing...that is going to be one LOVED baby you've got cooking!

See you around, here or elsewhere!

LuckyJen
-------------
Babywearing, stay-at-home Mama to Anna, born at home November 2, 2006

Feel the love!

[nikkles]

Jen!! lol. I know, I am being VERY thorough I am so excited about all this babywearing he he. Glad you are here too!!!

[Quirky]

ummm, both?? Quite honestly, I don't think the Butterfly is going to work as well for a newborn as a BabyHawk will. It will be bulkier in a front carry than the Babyhawk, and I personally wouldn't feel comfortable recommending a back carry in it until your baby is around the 3-month mark and possibly a little older depending on size. With a BabyHawk or other tall-bodied mei tai, though, you can do a high back carry from birth.

I think the Butterfly will really start coming into its own around the 3-4 month mark. It's great to be able to buckle baby in and get the carrier on and then switch it from front to back and back again, but baby needs to have some ability to straddle her legs and that's just not going to be there until 3-4 months or older.

The big difference IMO is that in a mei tai you can froggy a baby's legs up and tie them on securely and comfortably, but I don't see that even with the infant insert you can really do that with the Butterfly. Rather than a froggy legged position that keeps the legs up and closer to the body it's more of a seated straddle position which is just not appropriate for newborns. Also, you can't adjust the height on a Butterfly in terms of ensuring good airflow, whereas with the mei tai you can position the baby and tie the carrier such that baby's body is supported and her face is at the top of the carrier without getting obstructed by fabric.

That said, as much as I love mei tais in the first year, I love SSCs too when baby gets big enough to use them, but I just don't think they're that great for the newborn period.

[Shelsi]

Originally Posted by nikkles

Rachel, thank you. since you have all of them, are any best suited for the newborn stage? and did you use the babyhawk in the summer specifically b/c it was cooler than the other two? or did you just have that one at the time? TIA!!

the wrap was actually the best for the newborn stage followed by the baby hawk. I just got the beco a few weeks ago but I didn't feel comfy putting her in the ergo until she was about 4 mos old.

the wrap was the best for hot weather but the baby hawk was easier to use so I usually did that. Here's a pic of me using the baby hawk when we went out to the pumpkin patch in October...I think it was about 85-90 degrees that day. She was about 2 mos old in this pic: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../Alexia151.jpg

and a shameless pic of us at the zoo with her in the beco a few days ago (she is 6 mos old) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Shelsi/1094.jpg

[maymorales]

ita with Quirky. both.

[Brigitte & Mike]

Jen, Nikkles! I swear I did not look for you here but what a surprise to find you! LOL, nice running in to you.

[nikkles]

Hi Brigitte lol. Its a small world, huh!?

[ryansma]

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