Ergo v. Beco Gemini

Shortly after I had Emma I invested in an Ergo Baby Carrier. I remember the day I got it in the mail and immediately tried it on and put Emma in it. She loved it! I loved it!

...It was a match made in heaven! I used the Ergo up until I got pregnant with Molly and would often carry Emma in the back carry. She called it her "backpack". (Honestly, she would probably still fit in it if we let her--and had the muscles to do it).

Enter Molly...you can't just throw an infant into Ergo. Ergo sells an Infant Insert for the carrier which I eventually purchased after Molly was a couple months old. Before that, I would roll a blanket up and stick her in that way. She was never a fan. I did use a Moby-like wrap with her in the mean time which she liked, but eventually she got too heavy for that and would sag further and further down the longer I wore her in it.

So...I was reading a blog one day and this blogger mentioned how she loved her Beco Gemini...and one of the main reasons she liked it was that you could adjust the width at the seat of the carrier for the baby to face out.

ding, ding, ding....we have a winner

That is exactly what I needed for Molly. A width adjustable seat so she can face out when wanting to face out and face in when she wanted to face in. When she was still pretty little, every time I would face her in she would want to eat...so facing her out was a good option so I wasn't sitting there trying to convince her she wasn't that hungry. Also, with a smaller baby, adjusting the width of the seat is good when you face them in. An itty bitty can't straddle very well and the width of the base of the seat in most soft structured carriers is very wide (which is a good thing when facing in).

So what's the point of this post...I want to compare the two carriers and tell y'all what I like and dislike about each--just in case somebody googles and is trying to make up their mind on which carrier to get (although I will tell you right now--if you are rich--just buy both, m'kay?).

Here is my best attempt at trying to get my thoughts on paper:
~Gemini is cuter as far as fabric choices, etc.
~Ergo is better for a bigger baby. The Gemini is just more petite all around.
~Gemini is better for a smaller baby
~Ergo's straps are better for when you are wearing the carrier and not carrying the baby in it (which happens when the baby just needs to stretch, diaper change, etc.). When the straps of the Gemini are un-done, they drag on the ground--which is also not cool when strapping the baby on in a public place and you don't want the straps to touch the ground--say in a bathroom or something. Yuck!
~Ergo has a pocket attached to it for keys, pacis, etc.--the Gemini has no pockets
~Gemini has a flap to cover the baby's head when she is sleeping--it's okay--it just sort of covers the back of the head. Molly does like to use it has a head rest and sort of lounge--so that is cool. Ergo has a big hood cover that covers the baby's head completely--that is more practical--and very handy when you nurse the baby in the carrier.
~While I like Ergo's straps better when you are wearing the carrier but not the baby--I like the Gemini's straps better when you are wearing the baby. I really like how they cross in the back. With the Ergo, you put the straps on and then have to reach behind your back to secure the clip so the straps don't fall off your shoulders--that is very hard!
~The main reason I got the Gemini was for the option to face Molly out. She went through a period where she really liked facing out and seeing the world around her. What makes that possible are the width adjusting flaps on the seat of the carrier. You can flap them in and snap them to face out OR to carry an infant facing in (wish I had this in the early days with Molly since she didn't like the Ergo insert). But, the bigger Molly gets, those flaps are starting to be a slight disadvantage. When they are flapped out, the base still seems narrower than the Ergo. I believe proper babywearing calls for the carrier to support the baby's legs up to the back of their knee. The Ergo provides full coverage up to the back of her knee so her knees are raised up higher than her hiney.

I can already tell that the Ergo is going to serve us more long term than the Gemini will. I am keeping the Gemini in my arsenal of Molly-things just for the fact that it will let her face out--although she is starting to get so long that my legs hit her feet with every step I take. Oh...and the cuteness factor--the Gemini is cute!

Here is my snuggle-bug in the Gemini. See how the straps cross in the back? LOVE it! See the flap--it's not so much a hood. See how the base isn't so wide even with the flaps flapped out? She will probably outgrow this carrier pretty soon.

But see how excited she is to face out? :) And look at that cute print!


Ha! This is the only picture I have of Molly in the Ergo--you can barely see it. I will work on getting a full frontal of Molly in the Ergo and another better one of her in the Gemini and will put them side by side--so y'all can see what I'm talking about.


I hope this post was helpful to someone! Like I said....if money isn't an issue--get both! You won't be disappointed with either!