The baby toy that brings out their inner animal

There are so many great baby toys out there, but for some reason I feel compelled to write a short post to highlight one.  Sophie the Giraffe.  It's a squeaky toy (when I first saw it I was reminded of a dog's squeaky toy actually).  It's basic rubber.  And yet it's very popular for babies right now.  We were gifted it as a Christmas gift to Evan from my brother when Evan was a baby.  And now we have (washed it and) passed it on to Emma.

I just gave it to her today for the first time.  Since she seems like she might be teething (aka she wants to chew on everything) and she's quite good at grasping things now, I thought it was a good time.

What I find fascinating about this toy is that it captivated both of my children as infants in a very similar way.  They both seemed to attack it as if they were predators out on the African plain.  It seems to have brought out their inner carnivore as they gnaw into its rump.  And they have no problem beating it and bending it while its poor squeaks beg for mercy.  I guess it really brings out the inner animal in our little ones!  The following photo that I got of Emma playing with it today illustrates this point I think (I managed to snap it right as she went into one of those animal-like modes).

She's pretty fierce!

I have similar photos of Evan with it too, in which I also remember feeling like he was a little carnivore devouring his prey.

Flashback to Evan chowing down on giraffe rump. :)

I must admit, my children do have a softer side when they play with Sophie as well.

Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised by how much of a hit this dog-toy-esque toy is with my babies.  I guess when a baby is (likely) teething and they just want something to chew on that also squeaks to entertain them, then they have a lot in common with our dear canine friends.  At least it makes for cute photos and happy babies! :)