Sophie la Girafe
Sophie la Girafe Teether
6.3/10 overall£17.00
The classic 100% natural rubber squeaky teether, a newborn-stage staple since 1961.
The verdict
Sophie la Girafe is the classic 100% natural rubber squeaky teether, around £17, suitable from 0 months, offering a soft, easy-grip shape babies engage with well before actual teething begins. It's a long-haul first toy rather than a targeted remedy — it can't be chilled or sterilised in a dishwasher, so pairing it with a chilled gel teether works better on bad teething days.
Sophie has been the default first teether for generations for a reason: soft, food-grade natural rubber that gives just enough under a baby's gums, a shape that's easy for small hands to grip from several angles, and a squeak that reliably gets attention during the pre-teething months when it's more toy than remedy.
Against something like the Nuby Ice Gel Teether Ring, the trade-off is texture versus cooling. Sophie has no gel core and can't be chilled in the fridge, so on a bad teething day her soft-but-room-temperature rubber does less for genuine gum pain than a chilled gel ring does. What she offers instead is a shape and grip that work from the very early months, well before a baby is teething at all, which makes her more of a long-haul first toy than a targeted remedy.
The main practical downside is cleaning: natural rubber can't go in the dishwasher or be boiled, so it's wipe-clean only, and the paint can wear over months of biting. For pure teething relief on a bad day, pair her with a chilled gel teether; for the early months and general chewing, she's still hard to beat.
Is the Sophie la Girafe Teether worth it?
- Soft, natural rubber gentle on newborn gums
- Easy multi-angle grip for small hands
- Iconic squeak keeps babies engaged
What are the downsides of the Sophie la Girafe Teether?
- Not chillable, so less effective on painful teething days
- Can't be sterilised in a steriliser or dishwasher
- Paint can wear with heavy chewing
Specs
- Size
- 18cm
- Material
- 100% natural rubber
- Chillable
- No
- Sterilising
- Wipe clean only, not dishwasher safe
- Suitable from
- 0 months
How we scored it
Soothing Effectiveness
How well it relieves gum discomfort during a flare-up.
Good general chew toy, but no cooling means limited relief on flare-up days.
Safety & Durability
Resistance to biting damage and freedom from small parts or harmful materials.
Natural rubber holds up well, though paint wears over time.
Ease of Cleaning
How simple it is to sterilise or wipe clean between uses.
Wipe-clean only; can't be sterilised with the rest of the feeding kit.
Weighted by importance for this category — see our editorial policy for how we test.
How this review was done
We haven't used the Sophie la Girafe Teether ourselves yet. This review is built from Sophie la Girafe's published specifications and product information, and scored the same way as everything else on the site. We'll update it, and the badge above, once we've tested it hands-on.
How it compares
|  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £17.00 | £11.38 | £3.99 | £5.00 |
| Overall score | 6.3/10 | 7.6/10 | 7.8/10 | 8/10 |
| Material | 100% natural rubber | Food-grade silicone | BPA-free plastic ring, water gel fill | — |
| Chillable | No | — | Fridge only, not freezer | — |
| Sterilising | Wipe clean only, not dishwasher safe | Boil, steam or dishwasher safe | Dishwasher top rack | — |
Frequently asked questions
Is Sophie la Girafe good for teething pain relief?+
It's a good general chew toy suitable from as early as 0 months, but since it has no gel core and can't be chilled, it does less for genuine gum pain on a bad teething day than a chilled gel ring like the Nuby Ice Gel Teether Ring.
Can Sophie la Girafe be sterilised in a dishwasher or steriliser?+
No — natural rubber can't go in the dishwasher or be boiled, so it's wipe-clean only, which is a real practical downside once you're already sterilising bottles and other feeding kit in a dishwasher or steriliser each day.
Why is Sophie la Girafe so popular for newborns?+
Her soft, food-grade natural rubber gives just enough under a baby's gums, her shape is easy for small hands to grip from several angles, and the squeak reliably gets attention during the pre-teething months, working well as a toy from 0 months onward.
Does the paint on Sophie la Girafe wear off?+
Yes, the paint can wear with heavy chewing over months of use, which is a known cosmetic downside of the natural rubber construction that also means the toy can't be sterilised in a dishwasher.
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Reviewed by
Sepehr
Software engineer, soon-to-be dad, uncle to four — the tech-obsessed half of the two of us testing this stuff. Currently building this site with my wife, ahead of our own baby arriving.