A sure sign that a toy has reached astronomical levels of popularity is when 3rd party vendors create accessories specifically catered to that toy. Such is the case with Sophie the Giraffe, the 100% natural rubber sensory toy from Paris which has recently become ubiquitous in the homes, carseats and strollers of little ones everywhere here in North America! I was even told that I would be a bad mother if I didn't get a Sophie for our DD-to-be, so of course I registered for one and it was one of the earliest purchases made off of our registry. :)
During S's first couple months, she didn't care so much for Sophie. It's not as bright and cheery as some of her other toys and she wasn't yet able to grasp and mouth to feel its awesomeness first hand. But somewhere within her 3rd month, she really began to heart the li'l giraffe so it became a mainstay in our diaper bag on day trips. Then around this time when I was just getting into the giveaway "scene", I came across a contest at Not Just Baby Brain to win a Sophie "leash" from an Etsy store called Lil Divas Bowtique. My first reaction was amusement. Really? A strap designed specifically for cette petite giraffe française? But when I thought about it some more, I realized that a) Sophie would probably be DD's predominant travelling companion for some time, and that once she started realizing that "throwing is fun!" it would be quite practical to have the giraffe on lockdown and b) Although the leash was marketed specifically for Sophie, its design did not preclude usage with other toys as well. And browsing around the Lil Divas Bowtique shop, I fell in love with all the adorable little patterns. So I entered the contest....and won! :D
Before I get to the leash itself, I want to mention that Shannon (the shop owner) was super friendly and helpful when it came to selecting and delivery the prize. The customer service experience definitely left me feeling warm & fuzzy! I ended up deciding on the "tumbling monkey" pattern - so stinkin' cute! The order was delivered promptly and it came lovingly wrapped and paired with a business card for the Bowtique. What a nice touch!
The leash is simple but practical in design. It is made of a high-quality ribbon with snap closures on both ends. And, most importantly, the tumbling monkeys are just as cute as advertised! ;)
Each end snaps onto itself to form a loop. The "Sophie end" is a set size, but the end which affixes to a car seat, stroller or what have you offers two sizes depending on the girth of what you're attaching it to and/or the length of strap you want to achieve.
One thing I really like is that when snapped into place, the closures are nice and snug. Baby would need to eat a helluva lot of spinach to get that puppy detached!
So how does the leash hold up in practice? Well, we've been using it S's carseat for a few weeks now. The length of the strap is perfect - long enough for S to move it around in her hands and get it up to her mouth, but not too long that it can fall out of reach. She has definitely reached the "let's drop/throw toys just for the fun of it" stage, but Sophie hasn't yet fallen victim to this trick! ;) Sometimes she will gnaw on the ribbon itself rather than Sophie, and so far the ribbon has held its own nicely through all the gumming and drool. (Time will tell if it will be able to withstand little teeth!)
So far, we've used the strap with Sophie exclusively, but it would definitely work with the majority of her other hand-held toys; anything that has a small loop or handle feature, really! Good to know in case she gets tired of her Sophie or if we just want to mix things up.
All in all, I love this oh-so-practical li'l accessory! I've won quite a few prizes through giveaways over the last couple months, and this is one of my favourites!
Buy It:
Want a Sophie Leash of your own? Head on over to Lil Divas Bowtique and pick out your favourite! At just $6.98 USD each, you're definitely getting a lot of bang for your buck! Shannon also sells other adorable & practical accessories such as pacifier clips and headbands in her quest to "turn clutter into cute". Take a look at everything else she has to offer!
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