In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Beco Gemini Review

Below average carrier, but there are easier, more comfortably options with lower prices
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beco gemini baby carrier review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $140 List
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Manufacturer:   Beco
By Juliet Spurrier, MD and BabyGearLab Review Team  ⋅  Feb 19, 2018
53
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#12 of 16
  • Child Comfort - 25% 5.0
  • Parent Comfort - 35% 6.0
  • Ease of Use - 30% 5.0
  • Ease Of Cleaning - 10% 4.0

The Skinny

The Beco Gemini is a soft structured carrier that works for little ones between 7-35 lbs and offers four carrying positions depending on your baby's size and developmental stage. The Beco is machine washable and has an adjustable width seat bottom, a waistband pocket, and padded shoulder straps. While this carrier is more comfortable for parents than some competitors in our best baby carrier review, it isn't as cozy for the baby. Many of our tiny testers indicated discomfort during testing. Also, the Beco has limited adjustability, making it hard to find a good fit, and the design is tight, with limited room for the baby. There are more comfortable and less expensive carriers of this kind that would be easier for most parents to use while out and about.
REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable for parents
Machine washable
REASONS TO AVOID
Hang to dry
Not as cozy for little ones with limited adjustability
Editor's Note: We updated the Beco Gemini review on October 17, 2022, with new sections to provide additional comparisons between products to help you with your final decision.

Compare to Similar Products

 
beco gemini baby carrier review
This Product
Beco Gemini
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Best Value Award Editors' Choice Award Best Value Award 
Price $140 List
$69.99 at Amazon
$90 List
$69.99 at Amazon
$60 List
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$200 List
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Pros Comfortable for parents, machine washableEasy to use, comfortable to wear, cozy for baby, affordableBudget-friendly, easy wrap, machine wash and dryEasy to put on, super comfortable to wear, cozy for kidsMachine wash and dry, comfy for baby and parents, economical
Cons Hang to dry, not as cozy for little ones with limited adjustabilityHang to drySize specific, no adjustabilityLong drying time, lots of buckles and straps, expensiveHarder to use, lots of fabric
Bottom Line Below average carrier, but there are easier, more comfortably options with lower pricesEasy to use, comfortable sling to wear and sit inInexpensive, easy to use, wrap style without the wrap hassleMost comfortable to wear with a cozy seat and easy attachmentBudget-friendly wrap that is comfortable but harder to use
Rating Categories Beco Gemini Nalakai Ring Sling Baby K'tan Original BabyBjorn One Boba Wrap
Child Comfort (25%)
5.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
7.0
Parent Comfort (35%)
6.0
9.0
7.0
10.0
8.0
Ease of Use (30%)
5.0
9.0
7.0
6.0
4.0
Ease Of Cleaning (10%)
4.0
8.0
10.0
3.0
10.0
Specs Beco Gemini Nalakai Ring Sling Baby K'tan Original BabyBjorn One Boba Wrap
Min/Max Weight 7 - 35 lbs 8 - 35 lbs 8 - 35 lbs 8 - 33 lbs 7 - 35 lbs
Carry Positions Facing In (Newborn - 35 lbs)
Facing Out (4 mo. - 35 lbs)
Hip Carry (4 mo. - 35 lbs)
Back Carry (4 mo. - 35 lbs)
Facing In (8 - 35 lbs)
Hip Carry (8 - 35 lbs *BGL recommends Head/Neck/Torso Control)
Kangaroo Position (8 - 35 lbs)
Hug Position (8 - 35 lbs)
Adventure Position (8 - 35 lbs)
Explore Position (8 - 35 lbs)
Hip Position (8 - 35 lbs)
Facing In (0 - 36 mo./33 lbs)
Facing Out (5 - 15 mo./26 lbs)
Back Carry (12 - 36 mo./33 lbs)
Facing In (Newborn - 35 lbs)
Weight 1.21 lbs 0.9 lbs Sm: 0.89
Lg: 1.04 lbs
2.26 lbs 1.41 lbs
Packable Size Medium Small Small Large Small (5.5 yards in length)
Fabric 100% Cotton 58% Bamboo
42% Linen
100% Cotton Cotton, Polyester, PU Foam 95% Cotton
5% Spandex
Hood No No No No No
Storage Options Pocket on waist belt Pocket on the tail Pouch on the belt. None Storage Pouch
Other Features & Notable None None Azo Dye-free Adjustable Seat Width,
Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Class 1
None
Included Accessories None None None None Storage Sack
Care Instructions Machine wash cold, hang dry Machine wash cold, hang dry Machine wash cold, tumble dry low Machine wash warm, hang dry Machine wash cold, tumble dry low

Our Analysis and Test Results

Beco was started in 2005 by Gabby Caperon. Gabby built a base of admirers thanks to her carrier designs that modern parents feel are functional and stylish. Beco makes a few different soft structured carriers.

Performance Comparison



beco gemini baby carrier review - most little testers indicated their discomfort in one way or another...
Most little testers indicated their discomfort in one way or another when using the Beco.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Tip: The Beco Gemini carrier has a close relative, the Beco Gemini Cool, which appears similar, but features a breathable 3D mesh vented panel for extra airflow. We are linking to the Cool in our review, and you can compare the Beco Gemini on the left with the Beco Gemini Cool on the right in the photos below.


Baby's Comfort


Compared to other contenders, the Beco isn't the most comfortable option, partly because it's limited in how much you can adjust it to increase comfort. Adjusting the parent's shoulder straps impacts the space in the child's seat and the headrest position, making it harder to customize the seat to fit comfortably, especially for larger children. Our older test passengers verbally said being in the Gemini hurt, which is easy to believe, given how tight it feels in the carrier.

beco gemini baby carrier review - the seat width on the beco is adjustable depending on the carrying...
The seat width on the Beco is adjustable depending on the carrying position and the passenger's size.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

The convertible seat has two widths, narrow and wide, and which setting you use is based on the carry position and somewhat on your baby's size. Adjustments need to happen before you put your baby in the carry, so if you get it wrong, you'll likely need to start over.

beco gemini baby carrier review - some testers will find that the padded portions of the straps are...
Some testers will find that the padded portions of the straps are too short, and the non-padded portions can dig in under the baby's weight.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Parent's Comfort


The Beco is comfortable enough compared to the competition. Its parent comfort score is just above the average, with nicely padded shoulder straps and waist belt. However, the shoulder strap padding stops short of being useful for larger wears (most dads), so you still end up with a simple strap supporting baby's weight in some positions. Some testers also feel it has a more restrictive feel than other soft structured carriers, and the feeling increased as the size of the passengers did.

beco gemini baby carrier review - some features of the beco are easy to use, but overall, making...
Some features of the Beco are easy to use, but overall, making adjustments is more challenging than similar products.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use


The Beco is more challenging to use than the similar competition. The Beco is relatively intuitive, but you will probably need the manual for the seat width adjustment. The manual is okay but has a lot of pictures that interestingly take away from understanding how to use it. Putting it on is okay, but there are easier soft structured carriers to put on, adjust and put a baby into, like the BabyBjorn One.

The Beco waistband pocket has a Velcro closure and can hold some...
The Beco waistband pocket has a Velcro closure and can hold some smartphones or perhaps your keys.
The Beco waistband buckle has a safety feature that makes it...
The Beco waistband buckle has a safety feature that makes it slightly more difficult to use, but once you get the hang of it, it can be done fairly easily.

The Beco has a waistband pocket with Velcro closure. Although it isn't a very big pocket, it will hold smaller items, such as a pacifier or keys. The buckles have a safety feature mechanism (above right) that will take some practice and may require two hands. They aren't necessarily hard to use, but there is a learning curve.

beco gemini baby carrier review - the beco needs to hang to dry and is harder to spot clean.
The Beco needs to hang to dry and is harder to spot clean.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Cleaning


The Beco isn't the easiest to clean. While it's machine washable on cold, you'll need to hang it to dry. This drying method could take more time than you have before your next adventure, leaving you without a carrier.

Should You Consider the Beco Gemini?


The Beco Gemini may be less complex, with fewer adjustments to fiddle with, but it's not the most comfortable carrier for a child. Those who prefer a more simplistic soft structure carrier may like the Beco Gemini; however, other baby carriers in the lineup offer better performance and for less money.

What Other Baby Carriers Should You Consider?


We suggest checking out the BabyBjorn One, another soft structure carrier. Or, consider the Nalakai Ring Sling, a sling-style carrier that's even more straightforward than the Gemini and, therefore, much easier to use. It's also more comfortable for the parent and child and less costly.

Manufacturer Video



Front Carry Position


Back Carry Position

Juliet Spurrier, MD and BabyGearLab Review Team
 

Honest, objective reviews. Led by a Pediatrician.

BabyGearLab was founded by a Pediatrician Mom with a mission to provide a reliable, independent, source of information to new parents. Our experts have tested thousands of baby and kids products to share key performance, health, and safety findings. We spend tens of thousands of dollars crash testing car seats to inform our ratings. And, we combine our review work with gobs of expert parenting advice. To assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing by people who care.

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