At one of my baby showers, we played a Price Is Right game. My sister got a bunch of baby items together and people had to guess which item had the higher price. If they guessed correctly, they got a lovely floral centerpiece, and I got the cool baby item whether they guessed correctly or not. See? It was a win/win for me.
Anyway, there were a number of items that I admittedly scoffed at or simply had zero familiarity with. One item was a thermometer shaped like a turtle so you knew the temperature of your baby’s bath water. Good idea, in theory. But call me old-fashioned: couldn’t you just stick your finger in the water and determine whether it was too hot? Perhaps that’s not how you’re “supposed” to do it.
Two other items I didn’t know existed were the Sophie Teether (by Vulli) and the Itzbeen Baby Timer.
Apparently Sophie the giraffe is THE teether to have. Why? I have no idea. But recently I have learned that this $20 teether totally lives up to the hype. I don’t know what it is about this squeaky giraffe that makes babies fall in love, but it works. Every new parent I’ve talked to swears by it. (Just don’t put it in the dishwasher, 
or it won’t squeak anymore – advice from one of our friends). Maybe it’s the fact that there are soft and hard spots on Sophie that babies like to chew. Or maybe it’s the fact that it’s easy to make squeak and most babies (that I’ve seen anyway) are totally enamored by the squeaking sound, especially when they’re the ones that cause that sound.
The Itzbeen was a total lifesaver, especially in the first couple newborn months. All it is is a timer. Well, four timers in one: diaper changes, feeding, sleeping, and whatever you want. In the middle of the night when your baby is waking up every couple of hours and you can’t remember if you changed him, or how long it’s actually been since he ate, this device was a godsend. There’s also a switch on there to let you know which side you last nursed on. There’s also a flashlight button, which I swear has saved my life numerous times as I stumble to the nursery in the pitch black. Even now that Noah’s almost 5 months, I still use the Itzbeen. Life is getting crazier and we’re running every which direction on the weekends, so I do often forget when the last time he ate was, or when I changed him last. I’d be lost without this silly timer!
