Monday, January 21, 2008

Sophie the Giraffe

This time around with a new baby I decided to ditch the junky plastic baby toys I had collected with my other two. All the news headlines about lead in toys made me more aware of what my children were playing with and putting in their mouths. Around this same time I found out about BPA in plastics. These toxins made me want to find more natural toys for my children. I'm becoming more and more of a believer in the phrase "You get what you pay for." It seems to be true about many things, including toys. I like the idea of getting a few high quality toys for my children that will last and also be safe.

I am so excited to announce what I think is the best baby toy I've seen yet:

Sophie the Giraffe, by Vulli


Isn't she darling? I hope my daughter ends up loving her as much as I do. This toy is a dream. Sophie is made of natural rubber and food-based paint. She is imported from France and is apparently very popular there. She is soft and easy for tiny hands to grasp. She has interesting spots and dark black eyes that easily grab a baby's attention. My 7 week old gets a huge smile on her face when I put Sophie in her line of vision. Every review I've read about this toy has been overflowing with praise. People say their babies can't get enough of Sophie. She is an excellent teething toy, with several great places for a baby to suck or chew - the ears, the horns, the snout, and the legs. My daughter isn't quite ready to start grabbing for toys yet, but if we place Sophie in her hand she gets a greedy look in her eye, and with a slight smile she tries to suck on an ear, or whatever part she can find. Sophie also makes a cute squeak when she is squeezed. I envision this toy being a prized possession by my daughter in months to come. I'll be posting an update in a few months to report back.

I initially balked at Sophie's price, and decided to wait on purchasing one. But then last week we were at Disneyland and I saw a Sophie in a woman's diaper bag. I told her I'd read about it on-line, and immediately the woman began raving about it. She said it was the absolute best toy and that her daughter adores it. Their Sophie goes everywhere with them. After hearing that and seeing a Sophie in person, I was sold. The next day I had ordered one from Amazon and two days after that it arrived at our house. My boys were excited about it too, and quite disappointed that it was their sister's toy and not for them.

As far as baby toys go, Sophie is at the top of my list. I am also pleased with Haba toys, so be looking for a post about them soon.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

She is SO cute! Too bad Amazon doesn't carry any other products by Vulli.

Kathy said...

I love that teether.. my son is too big for teethers but I am dying to give her to my niece.

said...

We love Haba toys! Katie is almost 4 and really into playing with her pint-sized kitchen, etc. I bought her a lot of Haba fruits, veggies and the egg carton.

I love them because they are easy to clean, and much more hygenic than regular plastic toys.

Here's the site I use to order my Haba toys: (the site is also just wonderful for other European toy brands)

http://www.oompa.com/toybrands/haba.html

Happy Haba-hunting!

Kid Feed Mommy said...

Thanks for the link to Oompa toys. Looks like they have lots of good stuff!

Ash said...

My wee boy love Sophie. She is his bast mate! =) I am sure your daughter likes her as well!

Unknown said...

With all the concerns for baby products, i switched all my babys toys for all natural products.. out go the lead infested, chemical infested junk toys- in all natural safe teethers. I ordered sophie the giraffe, and a few other vulli toys such as cool it soother, rattle keys and chan pie gnon soft chew from www.growinstyle.com. My kiddo absolutely adores all the toys!! the price is small to pay when u know that they are not chewing on chemicals, and they are very adorable! i wish someone bought me one of their organic diaper cakes when i was pregnant! they are so sweet.

Kid Feed Mommy said...

The diaper cakes are adorable! Thanks for the link. I'm so glad your child loves the natural toys you've purchased.