What's the big deal about Sophie (the giraffe)?

[momm]

I was looking at the recommended toys for 0-12 months thread and so many have loved Sophie.. what's so special about that teether? Just curious.. what makes it different from any other teether?

[Pyrodjm]

I like that she is natural rubber, not plastic and both babies have liked to chew her. But truthfully, Sophie does kinda remind me of a dog toy, lol.

[SnuggleBuggles]

She's a safe toy and she has good nubs and contours that babies like to chew on. Plus, she has good contrasting colors, which is good for babies.

Beth

[EllasMum]

But truthfully, Sophie does kinda remind me of a dog toy, lol.

:yeahthat: So glad I am not the only one who feels this way! The first time I saw Sophie's price tag, I almost fainted. I couldn't believe people would pay that much for a dog toy. Then I learned it was a teether. :bag I still can't believe people pay that much for it! :bag :bag

[ha98ed14]

All natural and all that, which is great, BUT it's a status thing (http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-sophie3-2009oct03,0,2251259.story) too. She's over $30 at the baby boutiques, about $20 online. It's one of those products, like Sigg, Hanna, Ergo, and numerous stroller models, that really are great products in and of themselves, but have become something the in-crowd does.

ETA: Just to clarify, I'm not ripping on sophie and her in-crowd owners. A lot of people who are not at all concerned with what's trendy buy it for the natural product it is. While I never did Sophie, I did do Sigg, some Hanna, and two different Italian baby strollers. Even before DD was born, I knew from reading BBB that I would never, ever, ever buy a Graco travel system.

[BabyH]

I think it's because her name is Sophie and she's a cute giraffe.

DS has her, but I'm not a fan. I always think he's going to gag himself on a leg.

[sste]

I was dubious of sophie - - DS had no interest in her. But, DD loves Sophie as a teether - - there is something about that knobby head, I think.

[candaceb]

I think DS likes her because she's easy for him to grab - the long neck or legs are just the right size for him to grip.

[TwoBees]

I've been wondering this too. I want to get Sophie for DD, but I don't know why. Because she's cute? Because she's natural? Or because everyone has her? Also, I wonder if DD would even chew on her, as she is 16 months already (and she doesn't chew on half of her teethers, but chews on everything else she can get her hands on).

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think it's because her name is Sophie and she's a cute giraffe.



That reminds me of when I was at Nordstrom and a lady was trying to decide whether to buy Sophie as a gift. I shared with her the enthusiasm expressed on this board (I have no personal experience) and she was almost ready to buy. Then she got concerned that it was a girl toy b/c it was called Sophie. :tongue5:

Beth

[sunshine873]

The great things about Sophie are:

The material - natural rubber, safe, etc.
The shape - lots of nubs, nooks, crannies, legs, etc. She is easy to grab onto & has a ton of different parts sticking out that are easy to chew on.
Lightweight - again...easy for very young babies to hold onto.
The squeak - DD loves her squeak! If you don't (it does sound like a dog toy) I have a friend that washed hers, got it all wet & it didn't squeak any more.

Yes, it looks like an overpriced dog toy, but there are very few babies I've met that don't love her to death! Totally worth the cost ($15 - $20)

[AnnieW625]

Sophie is one of those baby products that made me eat my words. I thought I would never spend $20 that looked like a $5 dog toy. DD2 loves it. I didn't get her either until I bought her at Nordstroms using my $20 Nordstrom rewards (I was a few weeks PP with DD2 and I couldn't see spending it on clothes) and DD2 really liked her. It also turned out that I had a Sophie Giraffe too when I was a baby because my mom recognized her. I also bought the bath toy when it was on sale at Amazon and it's too cute too!

[newg]

I couldn't see the big deal either..........I didn't know about her with DD1 (who wasn't really a chewer) and then DD2 came along. I bought it as her one and only Christmas gift because I really liked that it is all natural.............well now I'm ready to buy another, because god forbid DD2 doesn't have her sophie!! She loves it!! She chews on all the parts, it's light weight so she can hold it with no problem...and when she drops it on her head it doesn't hurt her, and she loves the squeak!!
It is truly worth every penny I paid for it....and like I said, I'm ready to go buy another so I have a back-up!

[ohsara430]

We were given Sophie as a gift because our nursery was decorated in a giraffe theme. We love Sophie because DD was able to hold onto her early on and likes all the nubs and legs in her mouth. DD has loved on her Sophie since about 4 months and still likes her now at 13 months for chewing and squeaking. We had to buy a replacement which was painful since it feels like spending $20 on basically a fancy dog toy but we did :)

[blue]

I always think he's going to gag himself on a leg.

I wanted to get my DS a shopie when he was younger because of the recs from this board (during my lurking days) and because it's so freaking cute. However, I didn't because I was worried about him choking on one of the legs. Has anyone here had that problem? I read some Amazon reviewers that had similar problems, but obviously I don't know these people IRL and can't know if they are telling the truth.

I hope this isn't off topic of the OP. My apologies if it is.

[indigo99]

I liked it as a highchair toy b/c it was easy to wipe off and didn't do any damage when thrown on the floor.

[dowlinal]

Like a PP I had to eat my words over Sophie. I said I would never ever pay that much money for a rubber toy. When the twins were babies, I got a great deal on them and bought two. From 4 months until about 15 months, I couldn't go anywhere without Sophie. Both of my boys absolutely loved her and she was hands down their favorite toy. We lost one and I paid full price to replace it because they loved her that much.

Personally, as an adult I don't really see what makes Sophie so wonderful, but babies seem to absolutely love her.

[citymama]

Another "had to eat my words" person here. I got her for under $15 from amazon. This was for a second baby who was about to inherit loads of hand me downs and I wanted something new and special for her - and safer than the cr@ppy teethers dd1 had. Dh remarked that she was a dog toy - until dd turned 4 months and it became her fave thing.

You sorta have to ask a teething baby that question!

[Beth24]

Another reluctant Sophie fan here! I got her as a shower gift and was so surprised at how much and for how long my baby loves to chew on poor Sophie. When I got a second Sophie as a baby gift I kept that one too to keep in my diaper bag!

[bigpassport]

I don't get the hype either. We got Sophie for Ds and never showed much of an interest in her. Maybe if Ds loved her I would be more of a fan. I don't regret buying it, just not excited at all.

[momm]

Wow - two pages on Sophie! I never expected that! Great responses :)

[mom2khj]

I didn't get the hyper either and no way was I spending that much on a teether. :rotflmao:

She was given to us as a gift and DS just loves her. I think it's because he can hold onto her easier than the other teethers (at the younger age) and he just goes to town chewing on her head/legs. We've not had any problems with him choking himself either.

[artvandalay]

All natural and all that, which is great, BUT it's a status thing (http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-sophie3-2009oct03,0,2251259.story) too. .

:yeahthat: There is no reason a glorified dog toy should cost $20 or $30 in boutiques like you mentioned. I agree with it being a status thing.

That said, we have one :rotflmao:only because I got one on sale. I would not pay full price for one. What's nice about it is that it's very lightweight. My dd can hold it very easily because it is so light and easy to hold. She chews on it and laughs when we make it squeak.

ETA: for blue: I read reviews about babies gagging on Sophie as well, so it made me hesitatant to get it. But my baby has never gagged/choked while using it.

[nfowife]

A whole article on Sophie in slate today-
http://www.slate.com/id/2287357/

[veronica]

A whole article on Sophie in slate today-
http://www.slate.com/id/2287357/

Wow, best-selling baby product on amazon!! She wasn't around for DD or ODS, but with the boys coming, I recently bought two on amazon , using $10 coupons. I paid $5.05 each and I'm happy with that. I've always taken the cheap road to the "in-crowd", lol.....

[TwoBees]

Okay, now I really AM tempted to buy Sophie. Do you think 16 mos is too old for Sophie?