Wednesday 30 January 2013

Review: Sophie the Giraffe

Sophie the Giraffe is apparently one of those 'must have' baby toys that everyone knows about. Except me. I must have had a deprived childhood, because I neither had a Sophie, nor did I know about her existence until someone brought her along to our mother's group.

Having been informed about Sophie, I fell in love with her and knew that Ellie had to have one, especially as she's been drooling, gnawing and showing general signs of teething.  Of course, being me, I was much too cheap to pay the $35 (ok, $34.95) that Mothercare was asking locally, so I turned to trusty eBay. Sure, it took two weeks to arrive from the UK, but when a brand new and sealed Sophie was delivered to my door for $17.05, I was happy to wait.

Here she is in all her unopened glory
Fun facts:
  • Sophie was born in France in 1961 (on May 25 - Saint Sophie's Day!)
  • The manufacturing process used to produce Sophie today is a 'traditional' one involving over 14 manual steps
  • She is made from 100% natural rubber, derived from the sap of the Hevea tree. She is PVC and BPA free, painted with non toxic, food grade paints
  • 9 out of 10 French newborns are given a Sophie la Girafe
  • Her bumpy head helps soothe sore, teething gums
So, the results? On opening the packet, there was no overwhelming 'rubber' smell, or any smell at all really. I tested out the squeaker and sure enough, squeezing the head and tummy makes a cute little noise. Definitely easy enough for little hands to squeeze too. I'd been advised that new babies normally go for the ears, and when they get bigger, the hooves are the preferred chew surface. After a quick rinse, just in case, I handed over the giraffe. 

Ellie has just learnt to hold things recently, so after I held her for awhile and she got the idea, she was onto that giraffe like I'm onto my 5am coffee... which is to say, I think she's a hit! So far there seems to be no preference for chewing ears, neck, or hooves - any part of Sophie seems to be fair game right now. I think we have a new contender for favourite toy (the caterpillar is a pretty big hit too)!   


What have been some 'must have' things for your baby? Any hits? Misses? I could go on for ages about what worked for us and what didn't... a post for another time perhaps!

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