Sling review: Beco butterfly duo

While I was pregnant I had all sorts of ideas about what type of mommy I wanted to be. All natural,re-usable nappy using,baby wearing, full time breast feeding hippy mum. That was how I wanted it. I tried to give my baby a good start by eating healthily but honestly, that was way hard. All I wanted was chocolate. salty crisps and ice cream! I had the odd olive craving but unless I reminded myself it was easier to eat for two!
I did find have my heart set on baby wearing as I had read about all the benefits for baby and parent and a close friend recommended this beautiful beco butterfly duo. I read reviews as its not mere pocket money I would be spending and the majority were positive so I made my mind up.
When little man was a few weeks old I bought it and loved it.
Colour: The beco carriers all have fabulous prints and there is something for everyone.
Texture: It is soft and durable cotton. Most straps are over padded areas so shouldn't bother the carrier.
Dimensions: The carrier is nice and slim, not too bulky which helps when you want to do the washing up when carrying on your front. The straps are wide enough and well padded. However my baby is rather chunky and his weight at 5 months put more pressure on the padding which meant I felt the buckle on my shoulder which wasn't comfortable. The waist strap was great, padded and supportive,but I would recommend trying before buying as I have noticed with myself and other mamas that some carriers buckle on some and not on others. The beco ended up buckling on me. It has an extra piece of material which means you can tuck in either a cloth,sleep hood or a spare baby hat as you would with a pocket. It has a fantastic sleep hood, the best one I have experienced so far. Easy to attach,use front and back and doesn't smother baby's head. Buckles are easily adjustable and have an extra safety button on the waist buckle.
Support: This is the carrier which has made me fall in love with buckle carriers. Its easy to use and supports very well. The extra newborn insert secures small babies without undue stress to them and the larger internal harness means you can take baby on and of without taking him out of the carrier. This is great for anyone new to baby wearing as it gives added security and it means you can swap between wearers with ease. I am prone to backache,but never had it with the beco.
Sleepy test: My little man would only sleep in the beco and often fall asleep as I was still buckling up.
Recommend: I would definitely recommend this carrier to anyone,but would say that the size of your baby might affect comfort when the get bigger. It can be worn untill they are toddlers,but I can't say I have tried it as little man was already 20lbs at 5 months so sadly had to stop using it. Ive had to find something a little more padded on the straps and a bigger main body. It is great for both mom and dad as my hubbi wore little man quite happily and he has cronic back problems. He even said the pain seemed to be less while wearing him!

This is my personal opinion and every carrier is different for different people depending on body shape and baby shape and size. So I would always recomend seeking out a sling library to try before you buy.