When my nephew was born, my sister bought him a Sophie the Giraffe (or Sophie la Girafe as she is properly known). There seemed to be something familiar about her face, although I don't think i'd seen her anywhere before, she just has a friendly, enticing look about her! So when my little boy was born this August, my sister bought a Sophie for him and I was very pleased, as she seems to be the toy of choice for the discerning celebrity baby!

Sophie is a teething aid and she is designed to be ergonomic for baby to hold and has lots of bits which can be chewed and chomped upon. She is made by a French company called Vulli and she has been on the go in the same design and style since 1961 making her a cult classic for babies everywhere. Sophie is made from natural rubber and is very soft to the touch, easy to squish and gentle on sore gums and new teeth. She has spotty giraffe markings painted on using non toxic food grade paints so baby can chew away merrily and safely. She also contains a squeaker and this makes her not unlike a dog toy!

Sophie is considered to be beneficial for babies for a few reasons. The smell of the natural rubber is said to enable baby to identify Sophie among his other toys. The high contrast patterning on Sophie's body is thought to be easy for very young babies to see. The soft feel of the rubber is said to be akin to mummy's soft skin making baby feel comforted. The squeaker stimulates baby's hearing, she is easy for baby to hold once they are able to hold things as she is lightweight and ergonomic, and of course, she is soft to chew on when baby is teething. Sophie is about 7" tall and there are a variety of other Sophie products available.

Sophie is quite expensive and I have seen her on sale for as little as £10 and as much as £15! I received mine as a gift and I don't know if I'd have bought one myself at those prices!

So far, my son has enjoyed chomping away at Sophie although he can't hold her himself yet so I have to hold her for him while he chomps on her legs, ears and horns. I have heard from friends that once their little ones had teeth and were chewing on Sophie, parts of the rubber began to split and come off making it a rather dangerous choking hazard. I have also read reviews where baby had been left unattended with Sophie and had managed to gag on one of her legs. Of course, babies should never be left unattended with toys when they are going in the babies' mouths and yes, Sophie's legs are long enough to make baby gag on them if they were to get them in their mouths that way. However, I've not experienced any of these problems so far and have never left my son unattended with any of his toys.

I think Sophie is a lovely gift to give to a baby (although she is rather pricey and therefore loses a star) and she is a tried and tested teether that has been on the go for 50 years. I personally love her as does my son :)