Waterproof Sophie la girafe: ideal for summer and bath all year long

Can you believe summer is almost over....?

It always starts slow..June..July.... and suddenly we are at the end of August! Just like that!

 It is true that this July we were busy with a new shipment. that means new toys! ^_^ Always fun! yes! even for the grown-ups!

We particularly fell in love with the new Sophie the giraffe for the bath.. It has been on the market for the past couple of years and slowly but surely this bath toy is finding its place.

Here is what we like about it:

* Just like the original Sophie the Giraffe, this healthy toy is made from 100% natural rubber, derived from rubber tree sap, and decorated with food grade paints.

* She floats! She is completely waterproof ensuring optimal drying.

* Shaped like a buoy with the cute face of Sophie la girafe, it is easy for little hands to grab and to chew safely on it!

* As with the rest of the So' Pure range, Sophie the giraffe for the bath comes in an attractive gift box made from recyclable materials.


What more is there to ask! 😃

A picture you say?  yes..of course... here it is!

and in action?

of course!!  In the bath... by the pool...She likes to go to the beach too 😊 ( Merci les  bébés 💖)

As always you are welcome to visit us on our website  .. Get in touch via email  sofi.hagirafa at gmail.com   or on our Facebook page

Wishing you a lovely end of summer..



The team of Sophie la girafe in Israel

Film Premiere! "The Making of The Sophies" now online!!!

Dear Readers,

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to watch a unique video:  "The making of  the Sophies".

It is the first and only place on the www where it can be seen, so you have the right to feel very privileged ^__^.


To see this short movie, you have to go to our website.  But if you do not master Hebrew,  please read how-to before clicking on the link as it will not open in another window.

Once on the site, click on the cube indicated by the red arrows below:

Once the colors of the cubes have changed to green, click on the cube indicated by the arrows :

Tadaa!!

On the upper part of the screen, you can now enjoy "the Making of the Sophies"!

The music in the background is from Benin Musician Wally Badarou.

Below the movie "The Making of the Sophies", you can have a brief look at  One Poor Sophie going thru the Stretch test I mentioned in an earlier post about Latex. Sensitive souls refrain! Ames sensibles s'abstenir!

Thank you Jnarin for the original pix

~~~~~

Sophie The Giraffe is actually a multi sensory teether.

 Yes, it is true: Sophie La girafe stimulates the 5 senses of Baby.


•Baby's Sight:
Baby eyesight develops rapidly after birth and for the next months. From the start, Babies can make out high contrast and the dark and contrasting attention-catching spots all over Sophie the Giraffe’s body provide visual stimulation.Baby quickly develops a level of recognition for Sophie, so she will easily come to love and recognize this toy on sight.


•Baby's Hearing:
The sense of hearing in an infant develops much before the birth of the baby. The funny sound Sophie makes when she is squeezed helps to stimulate baby’s hearing, and then later, helps him to understand the link between cause and effect. Parents may not enjoy the squeaky sound as much as Baby, but most Babies 's reactions to it are priceless !


•Baby's Taste:
Sophie the Giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber and food paint, and is completely safe to chew, just like a feeding bottle teat. Her soft texture and her shape make her perfect for soothing baby’s sore gums during teething.


•Baby's Touch:
Babies respond to touch in similar ways as adults do. Infants use their fingers and hands to 'feel' the things and people around them. Sophie the Giraffe’s very soft feel stimulates physiological and emotional response that soothe baby and promote healthy growth and well-being.

•Baby's Smell:
Smell is the most advanced, out of the five senses, present in babies at the time of birth. Made with rubber directly from the Hevea tree, Sophie has a smell that is recognizable to your baby and increase the attraction to it.


•Bonus! Sophie is very easy to grip:
Sophie the Giraffe’s shape and her 18 cm -7 inches-  size are perfect for baby’s small hands. She is very light, and her long legs and neck are easy for baby to grip, even from his earliest days.

Ok I just cannot end the post like this. ^__^

I feel like Sophie la Girafe is like my baby and being a proud mother I have to tell you that :

she just won the ASTRA - Best Baby Toy of the Year 2009 in the USA!

And she was on the cover of the magazine Mothering

Yep! A true Star!

Today's adventure: visit to the Customs and the SII

I know I promised yesterday to write about how Sophie La Girafe stimulates the 5 senses of  Baby, but instead I will tell you about the process to import here. It can be very stimulating as well ^__^.

Right now, we know our package is at the  Customs Office in Tel Aviv and that we must get it as soon as possible not only because we want it, but also because after a certain number of days ( 20 I think), we would have to pay them for storage.

So today we went to the Customs Office. I was very hopeful to get my hands on our precious package. I was ready: I had all the papers we filled, signed, paid since the beginning of this enterprise and I was determined to face every unhappy and unhelpful clerk with a bright smile.

Well, in spite of my strategy, I am sorry to report that we did not retrieve the package. However the people we met there were quite helpful, especially an older gentleman whose job is to inform newcomers in the import-business like me.

We could not get the package because one document from the SII  ( The Standards Institution of Israel) and one paragraph in the invoice were missing.

The Customs need to know where the products come from and how many they are in order to calcaulate the Customs fees. And that has to be written in a certain way in the invoice.

 So Customs: checked somehow!

Next we went to  the SII  located next to the University of Tel Aviv. This is basically where everything starts and ends if you decide to import to this country. They will tell you where and what tests to do, they will authorize (or not) the Customs to let you have your goods etc etc. We presented them with the Customs form they needed, we paid and we recieved our authorization so now basically all that is missing is the invoice with the proper wordings . Once we have it, it is back to Customs to get our package.

After that we will have to go back to the SII to show them we did not lie, that we have both the right products and the stickers conformed with the Israeli Law.

And after that .... we can show the toys, and sell them !!!

Of course this will repeat with each import but I guess it will be easier and faster. At least I hope so!

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

.........

The Beginning

This adventure all started very simply. I was visiting a friend whose Baby was teething and annoyed. I told my friend she needed Sophie The Giraffe. My friend looked at me puzzled as she had never heard of that Giraffe. I told her not to worry, I would bring her one. I was sure I could find it in Israel!

To my surprise I did not, so I asked a friend of mine in France to send me one. No sooner said than done, Sophie was in the hands of my friend's baby.

Then I thought how strange I cannot find it in Israel. Surely it is somewhere?

I contacted Vulli that confirmed that there was no Sophie The Giraffe in Israel and after a few exchanges, I was offered the opportunity to bring it here. I accepted happily aware that it was going to be a huge challenge for me and a lot of learning in the process.

And now 8 months later ( one more month and it would have been a delivery!) I am extremely happy to report that Sophie and other toys are now available in Israel...well at least as soon as the customs clear them.

You are welcome to meet them on our (Hebrew only at the moment)website : http://www.sofi-hagirafa.co.il/