Application of contact interactions to Borromean halos

11Li and 6He are described as three-body systems using different approaches. We compare our technique, based on a density-dependent, cutoff, contact interaction between the valence neutrons, with a Faddeev approach which is based on realistic interactions. The ground state properties of a weakly bound two-neutron halo are described fairly well once the contact interaction has been adjusted and calibrated to produce a realistic scattering length and effective range. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society