Sophi the Giraffe in the Wall Street Journal

There are a lot of expenssive baby toys out there. Living on the upper east side, I've seen just about all of them. Including people who buy $900+ strollers in colors that only work for one gender. Talk about dispoable income...what if the next baby is a boy? Will he really want to ride in a hot pink stroller?

It's fascinating the way baby toys seem to differ in diferent areas. When I visit relatives in Brooklyn the preferred baby stroller of the neighbourhood seems to be the Bugaboo. Kids are decked out in Jacadi clothes and moms love all things labelled "Baby Einstein". Here on the upper east there's a mix of Bugaboos and UppaBaby strollers with the UppaBaby taking the lead and our kids are obsessed with Sophie the Giraffe. The minute I even expressed interest in having a baby I was barraged by people teling me I had to get the baby a Sophie.

So what's all the fuss about? This plastic giraffe comes from Farnce, is made of rubber, has adorable rouged cheeks, squeeks when squeezed and apparently is great to chew. Kids love it. Moms love it. Apparently almost every newborn in France receives one and now celebrities have started giving it to their babies. It's so popular the manufacturer, Vulli, has started to make other versions of Sophie and friends for Sophie. A typical teething toy runs about $5. Sophie will cost you $25. Today she appeard in the Wall Street Journal. To read the article click here.

Is she worth it? I'll let you be the judge. We received a Sophie as a gift and so far the Little One seems to enjoy her, but not more than any other toy. Perhaps this is because she is 7 weeks old and not teething yet. So the jury is still out at our house. But Sophie makes a great conversation starter and an even better baby shower gift.