Sophie la Girafe Teether Toy in Fresh Touch Gift Box

Sixty years of babies can't all be wrong

Sophie has been made by hand in France since 1961, and she is still the teether most parents end up with. The reason isn't nostalgia. She is the rare baby toy that gives a newborn something for every one of their five senses at once — and at 17.5cm, with a long neck and four thin legs, she is shaped for hands that can't yet properly grip anything.

👀 Sight

The dark, contrasting spots all over her body are there to give a very new baby something their eyes can actually resolve. High contrast is what newborn vision picks up first, which is why she becomes recognisable — then familiar, then reassuring — far quicker than a pastel toy does.

👂 Hearing

She squeaks. Squeeze her and she answers, which keeps a baby amused and teaches the first version of cause and effect: I did that, and something happened. It also means she is not a silent toy, which is worth knowing before you put her in the cot.

👅 Taste, and those sore gums

Ears, horns, legs — she is very flexible and covered in parts made to be chewed. That is the whole point of the shape: whatever angle a baby brings her to their mouth, something chewable arrives. She is 100% natural rubber, from the sap of the Hevea tree, finished with food-safe paint.

✋ Touch

She is very light and very soft — deliberately closer to skin than to plastic, which is part of why babies settle with her rather than just gnaw at her. Her long legs and longer neck are the easiest thing in the toy box for a small hand to close around.

👃 Smell

The sense nobody expects. Natural rubber has a distinct scent, and babies use it to pick Sophie out from everything else they own. It is also why a replacement Sophie is so often rejected — to your baby, she doesn't smell right yet.

🧼 How to look after her — worth reading before you wash her

This is where Sophies get ruined, so we would rather be blunt about it. Do not sterilise her. Not in boiling water, not in a steam or microwave steriliser, not in the dishwasher. Wipe the surface clean with soapy water and a damp cloth — that is the manufacturer's instruction, and the reason is simple: she has a squeaker, which means she has an opening. Water that gets inside a natural rubber toy does not come back out.

Keep her out of direct sunlight and away from radiators and other heat sources, both of which make natural rubber go brittle. And check her before each use, particularly once your baby has teeth: pull her gently in all directions, and if you see the slightest sign of splitting, softening or deterioration, stop using her. Like any baby toy, she is for use under adult supervision.

What we like about her

• Genuinely engages all five senses — sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell
• Soft, flexible natural rubber with chewable ears, horns and legs
• Light enough and thin enough for a newborn to hold
• 100% natural rubber and food-safe paint, not plastic
• Still handmade in France, and unchanged since 1961
• Arrives in a Fresh Touch gift box with a personalisation card

Specification

• Suitable from: birth
• Size: 17.5cm x 10cm
• Material: 100% natural rubber (Hevea tree sap), food-safe paint
• Made in: France, by hand
• Squeaker: yes
• Care: wipe the surface with soapy water and a damp cloth. Do not sterilise. Do not immerse. Keep away from heat and direct sunlight
• Includes: Fresh Touch gift box and personalisation card

❓ Frequently asked questions

I've read that Sophie can go mouldy inside. Is that true?
It can happen, and it is worth understanding why rather than being reassured. Her squeaker needs an opening, so she is not a sealed toy. If she is submerged, boiled or sterilised, water gets in and has no way out — and natural rubber cannot be dried from the inside. That is exactly why the instruction is to wipe the surface only. Follow it and you will not have the problem. If you would rather have a natural rubber teether you can wash properly under the tap, our Natural Rubber London Bus has no hole anywhere on it.

Can I sterilise her?
No. The box carries an explicit warning against it, and it is the single most common way Sophie gets damaged. Soapy water and a damp cloth on the surface, and nothing more.

Natural rubber is latex — what if there's a latex allergy in the family?
Worth knowing before you buy: natural rubber is latex. If anyone in your family has a known latex allergy, have a word with your health visitor or GP before giving her to your baby.

Can the squeak be turned off?
No, the squeaker is part of her. Most babies love it; if you want something quieter for the cot, the Natural Rubber London Bus is silent, and our silicone teethers don't squeak either.

When should I replace her?
The manufacturer asks you to examine her before each use and discard her at the first sign of deterioration or fragility — which matters more once teeth arrive, because a determined bite on worn rubber is a different thing from a gum massage. She is not a toy to keep going indefinitely out of sentiment.

Is she really suitable from birth?
Yes. In the first weeks she is a light, soft, high-contrast thing to look at and hold rather than a teether, which is a perfectly good use of her. The chewing arrives later and she'll still be there for it.

🔍 Which teether is right for you?

• Sophie la Girafe — natural rubber, squeaks, from birth. The most sensory of the lot, and the one that becomes a comfort object. Surface-wipe only, never sterilise.
• Natural Rubber London Bus Teether & Bath Toy — also natural rubber and also from birth, but sealed with no hole, so it washes in soapy water and doubles as a bath toy. Silent.
• Sophie La Girafe So Pure Ring Teether — the same natural rubber in a simple ring, easier for very small hands to hold with both fists.
• Angus the Cavapoo Silicone Teether — silicone rather than rubber, in three colours. A different material altogether; see its page for its own care instructions.

If it is the cleaning question that decides it for you, the London bus is the straightforward answer. If it is the one you want them to still be carrying about at eighteen months, it's Sophie. Browse the full range of baby teethers to compare.

🎁 More Sophie

She has a sizeable family, and they make good gifts together:

• Sophiesticated Teether and Rattle Gift Set — Sophie plus a matching rattle, boxed
• Sweety Sophie Squeaking Rattle — the smallest and simplest way into the range
• Early Learning Set and the Early Learning Basics Set
• Activity Arch for prams and car seats
• Lullaby and Dreams Comforter for bedtime
• Silicone Meal Set and the Non-Spill Sippy Cup for when weaning starts

❤️ From our family to yours

Carefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse more baby teethers, our toys suitable from birth and the rest of our plastic free baby products — free UK delivery on orders over £25.