You may wonder... or not!

But let's assume you do:

" so why did she embark on such adventure with a Giraffe?"

" What is that toy anyway?"

Very valid questions... ^__^ and this post will bring more questions, you will see ;)

When my friend K. (the mother of the Baby -- mentionned in my very first message) asked me what was so special about Sophie, I looked at her with big eyes, and told her I did not know!

But I did know that in France, where I grew up, my generation all had a Sophie and it is still so nowadays. In 2008 there was over 800 000 births in France and almost as many Sophies the Giraffe sold. Amazing, isn't it!?

So I can imagine you getting impatient for the answer: "why? why is Sophie la Girafe so special?"

Condensed answer: Sophie la Girafe is the only natural teether made of natural rubber. It is Phthalates and BPA free. And it stimulates the 5 senses of the Baby.

OK so now you may wonder-- if you were ignorant like me: what are those Phthalates and how do you even pronounce it? And what is BPA?

It is pronounced "THAL-ates." Forget the Ph. I am actually having a very hard time pronouncing it whenever I talk about Sophie!

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics. They have been used in plastics since the 1930's and it's only recently that concerns have been raised. There are dozens of types of phthalates .Young children can ingest these chemicals when they suck or chew on the soft plastic items.


A Pediatric Study reports that infants are exposed to those phthalates and those have been known to cause reproductive deformaties.


Now the BPA: it is short for Bisphenol A, an organic compound with two phenol functional groups suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s. According to Wikipedia it is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones.

I only have a general HighSchool level background in Biology and a bit more in Motherhood, and all those infos are enough for me to conclude that the less exposure to Phthalates and Chemicals in general the better for our babies and children!


So Sophie is Phthalates-free. She is tested very regularly in France and has been through more testing here. I am happy to report she has a squeaky clean bill of health.


And this is why I concluded it would be wonderful to bring such a unique toy in a new country!


Tomorrow I will talk more about how Sophie la girafe does stimulate the 5 senses of Babies.... Oh what a suspense! ^__^




To conclude today's long post : a Beautiful Picture taken by Loic

.........