As a vendor, and a very special person, hahaa, I tried on a prototype of the new carrier from Beco last September at the ABC Kids Show. I have been waiting patiently, OK, not so patiently, for more information! We now know that it will be called Gemini and is due to be released this spring!

The Gemini is a smaller bodied carrier than Beco’s previous models, and designed to carry babies on your front, back, hip, or, gasp!, front facing out! The facing out position is somewhat controversial, but some mamas swear that their babies will not tolerate facing towards them. So, a great rule of thumb for younger babies to avoid over-stimulation is to limit facing out time to 15-20 minutes and if you see baby’s head turning to the side, that usually means that they are trying to block out some of the action and should be turned back around to face mommy.

Although the Gemini can be used with young babies, I comfortably wore my then-10 month old on my front and back in this prototype Gemini!  In the tradition of the Beco 4th Generation, the shoulder straps could be unbuckled under the arms and re-fastened as crossed straps across your back.  The headrest can be folded down, and the edges of the body of the carrier can be folded inwards and fastened, making the body narrower and more comfortable for smaller babies. (All of these details were true for the version of the Gemini I tried in September 2009. We will, of course, give you the full scoop on the Gemini as soon as more information is released!)

Only time will tell if mainstream moms will adopt this new chic baby carrier for their front facing babies, or whether the blase Bjorn ( that’s bla-zay, ladies!) will continue to be the generic go to carrier.

The part I’m most excited about??? The luscious purple straps that may be available on the first round of Beco Geminis!  Stay tuned for more information, a pre-order special, and more Beco news!