Sophie the Giraffe: Our Full Review After Buying
Its been nearly a month since we got Sophie the Giraffe, or simply Sophie as she is called in our house. And all I have to say is that she is simply, awesome. My son loves her. (bought it through Amazon.com)
When we first got it and were opening it, I noticed the packaging, nice color, simplistic, the 7 different languages and of course Sophie. I have to admit I was never 100% sure on this, I mean it kinda reminded me of a squeaky toy, but none the less, we gave it to Nicky.
Nicky went to town chewing on this thing. It is so easy for him to hold, he often shakes it around or squeaks it. He has fallen asleep with it a time or two as well, and it fun to watch him squeak it in his sleep, it never really wakes him when he does this but he still reacts in his sleep. My son, who is 6 months, has Sophie in his mouth all the time, sometimes its her head, and other times its her legs, and the various textures of these parts really seem to give him some kind of comfort on his gums. He has recently learned he can crawl, so if he can see Sophie, he will crawl across the room for her. Our almost 3 year old will often bring Sophie to Nicky when he gets fussy, according to her, it makes his mouth not hurt.
I’m so glad we bought this for Nicky, and wish I would have known about her for my daughter, and I have told numerous friends about Sophie. Like I said in my previous posting Sophie the giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber and high grade food paint. I also found out some other facts about Sophie on the packaging. Sophie is a great sensory developmental toy, and has at least one feature for all 5 senses. For sight, its the contrasting spots; for hearing, its the squeaker; for taste, its the fact its made of high grade food paint and natural rubber; for touch, its the shape of Sophie; and for smell, its the natural rubber made from the Hevea Tree. Sophie was “born” on May 25th 1961, and received her name because its Saint Sophie’s Day. When she was created, she was amongst the first wildlife toys to be created, other animal toys were farm and pet figures. To make Sophie she goes through more than 14 manual operations, and is made in France. Sophie is also very easy to clean, you simply wash it off with a washcloth, you don’t want to submerge it in water due to the squeaker.
The love for Sophie amongst Moms and their babies is what has made Sophie so popular, and that popularity has grown through word of mouth. I ran into a Mom at the local target the other day who had 2 kids about the age of mine and her youngest was chewing on her Sophie. My daughter noticed it, and first thought that they had her baby brothers Sophie, I had to tell her that they had one just like Nicky. When we called it Sophie the husband started laughing, he didn’t realize that was her name and thought his family named it that their-selves. That Mom said they loved theirs as well and she went everywhere with them.
Any way long story short, buy Sophie. She is simply the best, and if your baby is like mine (or the families I ran into) then they will love her, and not just cause she will soothe their gums. But they will also find amusement in her squeaker, be in awe of her spots, and may even enjoy the simplistic scent of the natural rubber. Whatever the reason you buy or for whoever you buy, this will not be a meaningless or waste of money purchase.
Keeping it clean has been pretty simple. We just use a rag or baby wipes when it gets food on it. But it does stay fairly clean on a regular basis.
I think I’ve already mentioned this, but I figured that I would say it again. Sophie the giraffe is a really popular toy right now! We know at least 2 or 3 people in our little community that have one (or two depending on how many kids they have). Every person who owns one has told us that their children love the teether and it is always around (just like ours).
This is likely the last update I’ll do for sophie the giraffe because I think I’ve said all that I can say. If you have any questions, please leave them below and I will try to answer them when I get a chance.
Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle – My User Review
We have had our Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle for long enough and it is time to review it. If you don’t already know, the Kinect addon is a little elongated camera looking thing that sits above or below your TV. The device allows you to play special games without a controller. A lot of my friends didn’t believe me when I told them how it worked. They actually thought that I had something in my hand like a remote or something.
Using it goes like this… Stand in front of your TV and wave your hand. navigate the menus with your hands, start your game, and now you start playing. If you’re playing a ball dodging game, all you do is move your body like you would naturally. There really isn’t any learning curve to this device. We own the Wii also and it’s way easier to use – and 1000 times more responsive than the Wii.
Cool Features That We Use Most:
The Kinect also has some addon features. These let you do things like play movies or little free mini games. Here are some of the ones that we use a lot…
Voice Commands For Movies:
This is probably the best feature in my opinion. They didn’t immediately release this feature, but it is now out for Netflix and movies that you watch through Zune marketplace. I can’t remember if they have it for DVD movies, but I’m sure they must.
This feature basically gives you the ability to control you movies with voice commands. Some of the commands I use on a regular basis are used like this:
- “Xbox stop” – makes the movie stop
- “Xbox play” – makes your movies play
- “Xbox pause” – makes your movie pause
- I think you get the point
Gesture “Hand” Commands for Menus:
I don’t use this too much, but it’s fun to control different menus with your hands. It reminds me of that Minority report movie where Tom Cruise is surfing around just by waving his hands in the air.
Kinect Gadgets: Fun Labs:
I noticed this feature last week and we played around with it for an hour or two. This is a section of cool little gadgets that let you do crazy stuff. One of them lets you turn yourself into a bobble head that you can control. Another one lets you take a picture of an object (i.e.: teddy bear) and then you can control it by moving around in front of your Kinect sensor.
Anything Bad About It?
The only downside is actually when we first got it. Back then, there were not a lot of games for the Kinect. But after 6 months or however long it has been, some really neat games have been released. We love the dancing games and some of the other ones where you play with the animals. In a few days we are going to check out that Children of Eden game which looks awesome!
Our Favorite Game:
Kinect Adventures game
This is our top game. It comes with the connect so you don’t have to pay extra for it. In this game, you can do stuff like: water rafting, space bubble popping, wall ball, etc… The game responds really well to everything you do. You can even tilt your head a little left or right and the character in the game will mirror that movement. Before I move on, I should also add that one of my friend’s favorite mini-games on this is the roller coaster.
I would review some more games, but I’m not really reviewing games right now. Actually, if you’re buying this today then I recommend that you don’t buy any extra games. Try out the Adventure game and maybe go rent a few. Some of the sports games are fun.
The Best Place To Buy:
Without a doubt, Amazon.com has the best deal on the Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle. But that’s not surprising considering that they usually beat the prices at game stores and Walmart. I actually bought through a game store when these were selling out and have to kick myself because of the money I wasted.
When you buy it, you’ve got a few options. Your decision is going to come down to how much you play with the Kinect.
Option 1 – 4GB of hard drive space:
Choose this if you are just a casual gamer who will only use the Kinect. If you want to upgrade your space later on, then you’ll have to buy a larger hard drive. That will set you back about $100 – which in the end, totals the cost of the second option.
Option 2 – 250GB of hard drive space:
We bought the 250GB and we are glad we did. Get this if you plan on playing lots of games, downloading demos, and downloading movies. You would be surprised how quickly you go through 4GB of space (trust me).
Hope that you enjoyed this review. Here is to your family having fun with the Kinect like ours is!
So like I said, this is the best time to get on of these game systems. I’m betting that in two months, they will all sell out and not be available until after Christmas. That is usually how it works in the world of electronics and games. Just a heads up for any families or parents looking for gifts.
Sophie the Giraffe: Before I Buy It
Any parent knows the frustration that occurs when your child is teething. Our babies are fussy and irritable for days on end, and we will do just about anything to make this easier on them. My son, Nick, is currently beginning the teething process, and he is nothing like his older sister who was happy with an old fashion style teether. So I began research for a new teether/toy for him.
(Update: Make sure that you read our Sophie the Giraffe review after buying)
I kept coming across, Sophie the Giraffe, parents were raving about this product every where I looked. So I did some research on it and this is what I found, she was created in 1961, and has sold millions in Europe and worldwide. She is made with a natural high grade rubber, is BPA free and has food paint. She is not mass produced in some factory in China, she is made by hand in the French Alps.
At this point in my research I was pretty much sold, but I wanted to know a little more about why it worked so well as a teether. When you see product pictures of Sophie, you see several areas for babies to hold, or chew on. According to product descriptions and reviews she is soft, has a bumpy head which helps with teething gums, when squeezed she makes a sound, shes light and easy to hold. None of this mentions her appearance which is supposed to visually stimulate babies, because of the contrasting colors and spots.
I have to admit I’m sold on this product, any product that will help Nick with teething and give me and my family some peace and quite I’m willing to try. I’m going to order my Sophie the Giraffe (through Amazon.com) today and try it. I hope Nick likes it, and will be satisfied with chewing on this. Check back in a week or so and find out if Sophie is worthy of all this fuss.
