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August 2013 marks the 6 year anniversary of making PAXbaby.com‘s VERY FIRST Beco Baby Carriers order!

Back then babywearers didn’t have the Soleil, the Gemini, or even the Butterfly II – the hot carrier of the year was the now discontinued Beco 4th Generation, which still remains a PAXfavorite!!!

http://shop.paxbaby.com/beco/

And now here we are at nearly 20,000 FANS!!

Thank you for your love and support over the years, we would not be here without each and every one of you!!

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*happy babywearing*

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A babywearing mom, Tanya, wrote to me with sadness, and thought that the PAXbaby readers would be interested in seeing this if you haven’t already!  Here at PAXbaby, we are attachment parents who co-sleep, but we completely understand that co-sleeping is not for everyone, and we would never condone you for your personal parenting choices!  These ads, however, are shockingly terrible, even for non-co-sleepers!!!

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From Tanya:

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“This was how part of the article read……..

The post Cosleeping… appeared first on PAXbaby.

The Beco 4th Generation, better known as the Beco 4G, was the first Soft Structured Carrier to introduce beautiful fabrics on their backpack carrier design to the main stream babywearing population!  Prior to Gabby’s carrier – then called the bEco as in “baby eco” – there were very few choices for the babywearing mom looking for something pleasing to the eye as well as comfortable and ergonomic! Unfortunately, due to a power hungry carrier company looking to be the only SSC on the market, the Beco 4G was retired and gave way to the Beco Butterfly II!  Beco’s newest model, the Gemini, is a pleasing combination of the Beco 4G and some elements of the BBII, however no carrier can ever take the place in our hearts of the Beco 4th Generation!!!

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PAXbaby.com

My Beco 4th Generation was my first “real” carrier after my ring slings!  I discovered the Beco 4Gs while I was pregnant with my 4th baby, and finally chose which pattern to buy when Baby #4 was 3 months old!  Here we are the afternoon I visited Gabby at Beco to get fitted with my very first Beco!  Little did I know where that lovely Beco 4G would take me….

PAXbaby.com

PAXbaby.com

Did you know that PAXbaby sells Beco 4Gs?  Yes, we have a stash of these fabulous and hard to find carriers for sale as well as for rent through PAXbaby’s Sling Exchange, so try a Beco 4G today and see what I’m raving about!

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Sarah B. & her lil guy bought a Beco 4th Generation in the VHTF fabric, Echino Cocoa Butterfly, and had nothing but wonderful things to tell me about her new carrier!  Thank you, Sarah!!!!

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“Jillian!
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE (did I say that enough?) my Beco 4G!  Its a little big too big for my 6 month old baby still (I was surprised about that, but it means lots of room to grow!).  SOO comfortable, I can’t wait for him to grow into it a little better.  And it is BEAUTIFUL!  I can’t believe they stopped making the 4Gs!  This one will definitely be well-loved here!
PAXbaby.com
Thanks again,
Sarah”

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*happy babywearing*

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The post Long live the Beco 4th Generation!!!! appeared first on PAXbaby.

Happy 4th of July, babywearers!!!!!  What a great opportunity to get out your red, white, or blue baby carrier! Or flag print!  Or camo!!!  Share your patriotic spirit & post a babywearing picture over at PAXbaby’s Facebook page!

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Here is the PAXbaby mama with Baby #3 and a sleeping newborn Baby #6 after breastfeeding in the Beco 4th Generation Pimped with a slip cover!!!!

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*happy babywearing*

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The post Happy Independence Day!!! appeared first on PAXbaby.

When I first started researching better babywearing options for Baby #4, there were maybe 4 viable SSC options for me to choose from. It took me 4 months to decide on which carrier to get for my new lil’ fella and by that time, my husband had listened to hours of chatter from me regarding the different options.  How I WISH there was a Sling Exchange back then so that I could have tried all the options without the heavy commitment!  Laying out $129 for my first Beco 4th Generation seemed like a HUGE investment!  What if it didn’t fit right?  What if my baby didn’t like it?  What if I was making the wrong decision????  I agonized over the choices until finally, my husband told me we were going to pay Gabby at Beco Baby Carriers a visit and have her fit me in a Beco, and that was that!  Thank goodness he finally put an end to my misery!   Gabby was wonderful, the Beco was an instantaneous success, and we all lived happily ever after!

PAXbaby.com

PAXbaby.com

However, thanks to PAXbaby’s Sling Exchange, you don’t have to agonize like I did!  You don’t have to put all your eggs in 1 basket!  You can take your time, compare your top choices head to head, and make an informed decision based on wearing the carriers in person and not just relying on what other moms have to say!  Try before you buy and take the pressure off getting it right the first time!!  Being able to see each carrier’s designs with your own eyes and getting to wear each carrier and weigh the differences and similarities between each one is a fabulous way to make the decision making process that much simpler!  Now, if you fall in love with more than 1 carrier, I can’t help you there….

PAXbaby.com

PAXbaby.com

If you know any moms looking to invest in their first major baby carrier purchase, send them PAXbaby’s way so we can help narrow down the options and figure out which carriers would suit their needs the best!   Then, PAXbaby’s Sling Exchange is a great option so that new babywearers don’t have to take the plunge right away, but slip into our wonderful (and addicting) world of babywearing slowly, with lots of information, and hands on experience with each of the different carriers on their list!  THANK YOU for helping to spread the babywearing love!!!!

PAXbaby.com

PAXbaby.com

*happy babywearing*

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The post PAXbaby’s Sling Exchange! appeared first on PAXbaby.

The Beco Gemini is on the LEFT, and the Beco Butterfly is on the RIGHT.

There is the option of crossing the shoulder straps with the Gemini which is a throw back feature to the Beco 4th Generation.  For nursing mothers, this option provides the perfect environment to discretely nurse your baby, and for front carries, the X straps can distribute baby’s weight much more comfortably than the backpack style straps.  Thanks to the buckle on each side of the front panel, each shoulder strap can be unclipped and refastened into the X position or a hip carry position.

Ready to order?  Shop here at the Gemini *pre-order*
$139.00

The post It’s a STAR! appeared first on PAXbaby.

As Beco Baby Carrier’s #1 fan, PAXbaby couldn’t be more excited about the newest Beco edition!  Following in the footsteps of the beloved 4th Generation and the Butterfly I and II, the Gemini promises to be everything that a modern mom would dream of!  Fabulous designer fabrics, maximum comfort for parent and child,  ease of use, and that extra special Beco flair that makes Beco Baby Carriers my FAVORITE baby carrier! If you are interested in the differences between the Butterfly and the Gemini, please read my detailed blog post comparing the 2 Beco carriers!

I can’t tell you any more than this: The Gemini is wonderful, elegant, and you won’t be disappointed!    Are you excited?  I thought you would be!  So while you are waiting ever so patiently you can decide what to do about the new Gemini!  Here are some options:
Since your husband already told you “no more baby carriers,”  why not “borrow” the Gemini to see what you think!  Then, if you love it and have to have it, you can work out the details later with the man of the house!

Sign up for the Traveling Gemini, a Beco Gemini will start here with the PAXbaby mama and then will begin its National tour delighting babywearers across the USA!

Or simply buy a Gemini for yourself and enjoy the Beco goodness with your very own Gemini baby carrier!  Remember, if you don’t absolutely love it, you have 90 days to return your Gemini to PAXbaby for a refund or an exchange!

I can’t tell you when exactly the Gemini will make its appearance, but I am about to burst with the surprise, so stay tuned!

This is an early Gemini prototype, worn with my 10 month old last September!

And new action shots from Katie and her 30 pound toddler!

And a very early prototype demonstrating the front facing out capability

*happy babywearing*

The post Gemini Info appeared first on PAXbaby.

This was Beco’s first BIG trade show in Las Vegas. Of special interest are the discontinued Obi carriers on the wall, the VERY popular Joshua Butterfly I on the left, and the Avocado Bird on the right! I love the tiny Echino Dove Mini Becos hanging up on the walls looking like little birds, and the bright color-blocked walls look fantastic!

Walk with me to 2006 when I bought my very first Beco. Back then, the world was a more simple place! Want a Soft Structured Carrier? There were really only 4 good options! Organic versus non-organic? Nope. Infant insert, nope. Integrated seat, foot stirrups, detachable umbrellas, or military grade parachutes? Nope, nope, nope, hahaaaaa!!!! These carriers were no muss, no fuss. Until Beco Baby Carriers changed the world of babywearing and blew the other SSC brands out of the water! I mean seriously, Beco’s 4th Generation carrier became so popular that Ergo decided to mark their territory and pulled patent on the poor unsuspecting 4G.

This was my very first Beco ever! It was the 4th Generation in the Spa print which Gabby had helped fit to Baby#4 and I earlier that day! He was 3 months old, and I had deliberated over which carrier to buy since he was born. He was a BIG baby, and that’s when I realized that I would need something more supportive that my ring slings which had worked great with my previous 3 babies! He actually cried the first time I put him in my new Beco at the Beco Head Quarters, but he quickly learned to love being worn in a SSC, and Baby #4 is still happy to be worn even at 3 1/2 and close to 40 pounds!

I guess Gabby Caperon was no longer just any ol’ WAHM! If Ergo was coming after her, she had earned her title as “superior baby carrier creator,” but now, she needed a new plan! With the remaining 4th Generations locked up (wouldn’t you just LOVE to get into THAT warehouse!) Gabby formulated a plan! Her new Beco Baby Carrier would be so different than Ergo that the former top dog in the baby carrier industry wouldn’t be able to come after her, and the babywearers would be forced to try it because it was so new, so different, so revolutionary!!!!

The infant insert was not technically a new concept. Gabby had discussed the insert with her friend who designed the German Manduca baby carrier, but the Y harness was a new addition that babywearers had never experienced before. Suddenly with the help of the integrated insert, moms didn’t need to learn to hip scoot, superman toss, or any of the other ridiculously named methods of getting your baby on your back that were part of every babywearers’ skill set. Now, you simply buckled baby in and popped on the Beco like a backpack! Anyone can do that! Plus parents could remove the baby carrier from themselves and re-buckle it on someone else! This was a fantastic new concept that rocked the babywearing world and made the Beco Butterfly a household name (in babywearing houses!)

The Beco Butterfly debuted with a bang, and a sizzle, due to a voluntary recall. I visited Gabby’s shop in Southern California the week the carriers began flooding back in to have their new safety buckles added. The shop was overflowing with packages, and in the middle of it all was the always calm, always smiling Gabby enthusiastically telling me about the upcoming design changes and fabric options! Not letting a little thing like a massive recall get her down, Gabby had already figured out how to make the Butterfly even better! And so, out fluttered the Beco Butterfly II showing off its loveliness and featuring just a few fabulous upgrades that made the Butterfly II unique in a market now flooded with Soft Structured Carriers: unparalled features, unequivocal beauty, one stop shopping for the babywearer who only wants/ needs 1 carrier, and that special fashion style that only Beco Baby Carriers possess!

Gemini will, I have no doubt, be just as lovely and just as sought after as the Beco Butterfly because with Gabby and her Beco Baby Carriers, there is only the BECO way to wear your baby – in style, in comfort, and in love!

*happy babywearing*

The post Beco Nostalgia appeared first on PAXbaby.

A few days ago, I sat at a Sit’n’Stitch playgroup at our local mom gathering place, a store called Birth, Baby and Beyond. I was holding my Beco carrier in my lap, sewing up tiny little wear spots on the black straps in bright yellow thread (for safety reasons). This soft, floppy carrier, worn from daily use had cradled my baby through his early days, and has been the best investment in my parenting arsenal. I put the needle aside carefully to look at my son, now almost 30 lbs. of active and independent boy.

It was in that very room of the store owned by a local doula and birth advocate (now my friend) that I first learned about “babywearing” and the course of my life took a drastic and wonderful change. The doula who owned this baby boutique advertised free baby classes in The PennySaver, and I clipped out the one that said “slings and carriers” and showed up one night with my nearly 20 lb. 5 month old. The night of the meeting, a few other moms and their babies gathered in the classroom space to listen to Tammy present all the carriers. Then we got to try them out with her help, and she assisted me with a meh dai.

Bailey was so happy in the carrier, and I was SO comfortable. It was amazing! I had my hands and arms free AND Bailey was close and safe! At the time, Tammy didn’t have any buckle carriers other than front packs to demonstrate. I already had an Infantino front pack and a Lamaze Close Comfort sling (which I’d later find out was rather dangerous). So, I hit google and looked up mei tais. meh dais led me to SSC’s (Soft Structured Carriers) like the Ergo, Pikkolo, Patapum, and the Beco. Since I still had money from working through my pregnancy, I decided to buy myself a GOOD sling.

But, what would I choose? I looked at all the options I could, scrawling brand names and defining features on scraps of paper, feverishly clicking through pictures of happy parents wearing their happy babies. When I finally took the plunge and bought my first “real” carrier, it was a 4th Generation Beco Baby Carrier, on sale for $120 with black straps and Amy Butler’s Sky Temple print. It still surprises me that I didn’t buy a meh dai or a Moby wrap. I didn’t take any “baby steps” before going straight to the Beco SSC, but I never regretted my choice once. I got it in the mail, broke it open, popped Bailey in and never looked back.

Over two years of constant daily use, even with other SSC’s and other carrier types tried out for novelty, and the Beco was always our favorite. Now, looking at the faded black of the straps and the slightly pilly surface of the print, I think about retiring our trusty 4th gen. Not only did it serve us well through sickness, spit ups, shopping emergencies, potty accidents, hikes, and special occasions, it also helped many other moms as I took over Tammy’s slings and carriers class. I was so happy with babywearing that I wanted to share my love and enthusiasm. My stash grew exponentially, but no matter what, I always went back to our Beco.
I found a forum called TheBabyWearer.com, attended an International Babywearing Conference in Chicago, watched the Tummy2Tummy DVD over and over, and volunteered countless hours advocating for moms and babies and helping them to learn safe and comfortable babywearing. I have learned so much, and gained so much through babywearing. A good sling can change your life, and I know that my big, risky decision to buy an expensive baby carrier (having never even touched an SSC in my life) eventually led me on a path of self-discovery and ultimately gave me a way to give back.

The most rewarding part of our babywearing journey has been the giving aspect. I often help moms who don’t have the financial means to purchase an expensive carrier, and we work together to find something that will get them hands-free and happy. I gather donated slings as loaners or donations for underprivledeged families. No matter who they are though, when someone comes to me to learn about slings, I can give them the knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years, and that costs nothing . . . but it’s priceless.

So, as I sat there, stroking my hands over our trusty Beco, looking for more worn out spots to reinforce, I thought about our second baby, due in 5 weeks. There’s another baby waiting to be held snugly in the embrace of this carrier, close to my heart. I guess I’m not going to retire it any time soon!

*happy babywearing*

The post Another Beco fan! appeared first on PAXbaby.

My vintage Beco 4th Generation has been waiting to be taken to a zoo and I made sure to have my sweet husband take lotsa babywearing pix of us! The batteries died after the first 20 minutes, so we’ll be sure to take more pictures next time!

A silly PAXbaby slideshow
babywearing-at-the-san-diego-wild-animal-park

Look how cute this is!
Watch the new baby elephant on an elephant cam!

*happy babywearing*

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