Moby wrap vs other stretchy wraps

[Pitapotamus]

Do I need a moby wrap or are the other stretchy wraps that I can see on the Internet for half the price exactly the same?

I need something that will hold the baby in safely and distribute its weight well - I have two other little children to run around after so I'll be busy. I'm only going to use it when he is really tiny and then switch to one of the ones that goes on your back like the ergo - this is due to a long standing injury which is likely to make carrying a heavy weight on my front more difficult.

I also will have a bit of weight to lose round my middle and I'd like something that doesn't dig into that excess fat too much and make me look awful!

Is the moby wrap the best one for me to start off with?

No sling library's near me unfortunately!

Most stretchy wraps are much of a muchness - I had a Victoria Slinglady which was fab and a lot cheaper (and prettier!) than a Moby.

I was given a Moby wrap and couldn't get on with it as it has 'one way ' stretch, so a bit more fiddly to get tension right. Also given a Kari Me which is 2 way stretch, I found much easier. Apart from one or 2 way stretch I think they're all pretty similar!

They are the same. You might find a brand is more or less stretchy than others but I don't think this makes a huge amount of difference especially if you're planning to switch to a back carrier at around 6 months. (BTW - I recommend doing this as soon as the baby can sit with support, because the longer you wait if they aren't used to going on your back they tend to panic, which makes it harder to get them up there!) Main thing to look at if you want the support is that the fabric is wide enough. I can't remember it in cm for some reason but a standard wrap sling will be about 20" wide and then they vary in length from about 4-6 metres depending on how tall you are.

I'll probably get a £20 amazon one for this baby. With DS I went into a fabric shop, found some jersey cotton on clearance for £3 a metre, bought 5 metres of that and then cut it into a 20" and 40" wide strip - job done! I folded the 40" one in half lengthways which made it thicker and a bit more supportive, then I had to cut the ends to a taper so I could tie it. Jersey doesn't fray so you can do this with no sewing at all. That might be a way to compare fabric stretchiness without it being too expensive.