Results: Pampering Baby -- The New "It" Toys

Parents know that raising children is expensive. When I was raising my children, it was much simpler when it came to buying toys. Flash forward almost thirty years, and toys have gone the way of designer fashion. Every year there is a new "It" toy for babies. For the last years, that toy has been Sophie the Giraffe. Launched in California in the trendy Hollywood area, Sophie became popular through word of mouth, especially on Amazon.com since 2008. The reasons proposed for this success are that it is marketed as eco-friendly and a growing consumer mistrust of the security and health standards of products made in China since 2007. Have you ever bought a Sophie the Giraffe toy for your baby or as a gift?

And while Sophie is a relative newcomer in the States and Canada, she's actually been on the market for over 60 years. The toy has been made in France (as Sophie la Girafe) since 1961, first in Asnières-sur-Oise, near Paris by Delacoste then from 1991 by Vulli based in Rumilly in the French Alps. Its name refers to its launch on May 25, 1961, the feast day of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat. Did you know this toy has been around so long?

Looks like Sophie has some serious competition from new animals in town. In 2015, a group of parents (all with backgrounds in health) designed a line of handcrafted dolls, under the name Cuddle + Kind, all crafted by women artisans in Peru, providing them with a sustainable, fair trade income. What's more, for every doll sold, the company gives back 10 meals provided to children in need around the world. Have you ever purchased any of these dolls?

These toys are not cheap. At price tags ranging from $83 to $119, they are fairly expensive. My friend's granddaughter has the Penelope the Flamingo doll, and I do agree that, although costly, they are very well made and absolutely adorable. Would you ever spend that much on a baby doll?