the world's most famous baby teething toy : by jean

meet sophie the giraffe!

Sophie the Giraffe Teether $20 @ amazon.com

but you already knew about her and most likely have one for your baby, right?  what makes this 7 inch natural rubber (phthalates free) so famous??  it stimulates each of the baby's senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell.

i have to say, i was definitely a bit skeptical when my friends insisted i get this giraffe for my unborn child, but these days we don't leave the house withOUT her!  he loves sophie especially now since he's starting to master the grab and put-everything-in-your-mouth stage.  there's something about sophie that makes her so squeezable, lickable and bite-able more than any other "chew" toy.  is it her texture?  her long neck and grab-able head/face?  the rubbery feeling of her skin?  i just don't get it, but she works every time!

amy and i were recently at j.crew when logan was playing with sophie.  we were in the elevator with a man who recognized sophie right away and said "ahh he has soh-FEE!?"  he was clearly French. :)

here's an article from the wall street journal about sophie's journey from France to your home.
read about it here!

 miles & sophie                        logan & sophie

miles and logan both love sophie.  they both seem to enjoy taking her by the neck and biting her ears.  oh boys. :D

how many of you have sophie for your baby??
share with us a pic of your baby and sophie!  email us at umma.etc@gmail.com

from teething to biscuiting : by amy

Fortunately for Logan, teething hasn't been so terrible as some moms have described it to be.  His mouth was a drool hydrant for awhile, and he had a very runny nose and a mild fever before the first tooth surfaced.  We went through stacks of bibs and tied one of these suckers onto his car seat/stroller:

green sprouts Cool Soothing Teether

Stick it in the freezer/fridge to keep cool, which not only provides teething relief, but also makes it a better toy for the hot summer days!  Miles has one too!

Then, we started solids.  He's mastered the purees but isn't much of a chewer just yet.  We've been giving him pizza crusts and Earth's Best whole wheat teething biscuits to strengthen his jaw muscles, but here is the king of teething biscuits:

Baby Mash teething biscuits

Founder, Molly McDonald, and her cutie patootie, Maren

Baby Mash was born in Brooklyn, NY by Molly McDonald, a dear friend to my sister-in-law.  You may have seen her biscuits in the recent DailyCandy article, Grub Street NY article or Wall Street Journal blurb.  Yes, all of the articles mention that she's the wife of this chef, blah blah blah (no offense to Brad...whose restaurant I we ate at this past weekend!), but come on, the real star here is Molly!  She's an umma who realized there had to be more than pizza crusts, stale bagels and sugar-filled teething biscuits for a baby to gnaw on.  Baby Mash rings are organic, dairy/soy/gluten-free and jam-packed with whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Their chunky textures make it fun for babies to hold, and they stand up pretty darn well to those drooly mouths.  They currently come in three scrumptious flavors:  Stewed Apple & Oat, Banana & Oat, and Pumpkin & Oat (this one smells like Thanksgiving!)  You can purchase Baby Mash through her website, or if you're a local, look for her at Brooklyn's Smorgasburg!