I’ve tested many nursery products while raising my four children. This means I can look at a product and know its worth in terms of parenting. I love finding products designed to add value to parenting rather than being a prop.
Your Cheeky Monkey is an Australian company run by Monique, mother of two boys aged 3 and 4 (yes, only 12 months apart). A mother’s touch is obvious while browsing through the store; the products are both practical and appealing. I’ve picked out four of my favourite products.
Monique and her boys
If I could go back I would buy…
Burp Cloths $17.95 (set of two)
Trust me, every parent needs these burp cloths. I wish I had them when my children were infants. They are shaped beautifully to fit over your shoulder and come in trendy prints. Practical and appealing.
Sophie Giraffe Teether Toy $34.00
If you are looking for an ideal first toy, this is it. Sophie The Giraffe is made in France and is the ONLY 100% natural rubber teething toy in the world. This toy is popular with celebrities and, although I don’t advocate buying a product because of its celebrity status, it can be a indication of a great quality product; like in this case.
Cuski Baby Comfoters $39.95
Don’t freak at the price. I can hear you say, “That’s a lot for a toy.” Ah, but it’s not just a toy. I’ve taken time to study this product and it’s beautiful! Why?
* Design: Cuski is made with the softest cotton and shaped, just right.
* Concept: A key idea behind Cuski is comfort = smell. Mum and Dad can sleep with Cuski first so this comfort is transferred.
* Practical: Cuski is lightweight and easily transported.
* Imaginative: Cuski’s face is blank. I like this for two reasons: firstly, babies can be scared of toys with faces; secondly, Cuski is a blank page and can be transformed by a child’s imagination.
When you buy a Cuski, you are not only buying a toy, you are buying comfort for your baby, and, dare I say it – a friend (that sounds really mushy but it’s true).
The Fregie Sack from $10.00 (set of four)
I’ve been looking for you for so long! This high quality tight mesh bag is brilliant! Originally designed as an environmentally friendly alternative to fruit and vegetable plastic bags, The Fregie Sack has proved to be much more. I’ve been hunting for the perfect shell collecting bag and now I’ve found it. Read here for more uses.
Win
Your Cheeky Monkey is offering one Be A Fun Mum reader a $15 gift certificate. All you need to do is leave a comment below with your opinion about these products. I’ll choose the winner randomly at 7pm on Wednesday, 12 May 2010. Open to Australian and New Zealand only.
Click the image to pop over to:
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I’ve been looking for a vegie bag and the Fregie sack looks great!
Don’t they! I’m buying the large bag set.
How is the giraffe natural, if you don’t mind me asking?
That’s a great question Lilian. I copied this information about Sophie:
Vulli, a company based in Rumilly in the French Alps has continued to keep the jealously-guarded secret of how this wonder toy is made. Sophie the giraffe is still “traditionally” produced to this day, a process that involves more than 14 manual operations. She is made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea tree.
A 100% natural rubber toy
Latex from the rubber tree (Hevea) was first processed in 1928 using the vulcanization invented by Mr Charles Goodyear.
The rubber used by Vulli comes from the Hevea trees that grow in Malaysia. Every morning, before the daytime heat sets in, the milky liquid that oozes from the cells beneath the bark is collected from these millions of Hevea trees. This liquid is known as “latex”. Latex is natural, elastic and water-resistant, acts as an insulator, is pleasant to the touch and smells nice. Vulli takes this latex, heats it, and then applies a special process and rotational moulding technique.
The result after 14 manual operations is the wonderful little “Sophie the Giraffe”.
The “must have” toy for all newborn babies
Sophie the Giraffe has been around for more than 46 years but is still the “must have” toy for all newborn babies, because she is the 1st baby toy to stimulate all 5 senses from the age of three months:
• Sight: The dark and contrasting attention-catching spots all over Sophie the Giraffe’s body provide visual stimulation.
• Hearing: Sophie the Giraffe’s squeaker keeps baby amused and stimulates his hearing.
• Taste: Sophie the Giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber and food paint, and is completely safe to chew. Her soft texture and numerous chewable parts make her perfect for soothing baby’s sore gums during teething.
• Touch: Touch Sophie the Giraffe’s soft feel stimulates physiological and emotional responses that soothe baby and promote healthy growth and well-being.
• Smell: The singular scent of natural rubber makes Sophie the Giraffe very special and easy for the child to identify amid all his other toys.
• Easy to grip: Sophie the Giraffe’s shape and 18cm size are perfect for baby’s small hands. She is very light, and her long legs and neck are easy for baby to grip.
A huge success all around the world
Since 1961, 30,000,000 giraffes have been sold in the world.
Hope that answers your question.
All these products are fantastic! If I had to pick it would be a toss up between the Cuski baby comforters & Sophie Giraffe Teether Toy I wish I’d known about these with my first two children! If I’m lucky enough to be picked out I would definitely use the $15.00 gift certificate towards a Sophie Giraffe Teether Toy as my precious little 5month old Eva Grace is beginning to teeth & this is exactly what we’ve been looking for to provide some comfort & relief : )
They are great products and I’m with you in wishing I had them for my children. My youngest is now turning 3! Poor lil’ Eva, teething can be so terrible.
I love Monique’s products. I recently purchased a tag & cuddle set for my nephew & it came in a Fregie sack – my sister has the sack in the nappy bag for the bits & bobs she carries around. I have my eye on them for some of the boys toys in their playroom – those little sets of things the boys collect.
HA! That’s great Melissa. Yep, I know what you mean about bits and bobs: rocks sticks etc. Great idea.
i love all of the products featured here!
Thanks Juliane! Me too!
i just love the look of the Cuski Baby Comfoters. my son has the osh kosh teddy comforter and likes it as long as he doesnt look at the face so he keeps throwing it away (i thought it was so cute so i brought it). instead he has this really fluffy blanket he snuggles into which i have to try and take off him as soon as he is asleep as he overheats and it sets off his eczema, but i now think i will convince his dad to now buy this one. it looks so soft and cuddly too. where can i purchase one from?
thank you for sharing these with us.
Great Nicole
It really is a great product!
i just clicked on the your cheeky monkey link and found it! have now copied it and sent it to hubbys work email
These designs on the burp cloths are gorgeous. They are so much nicer than using boring towelling ones. I hate to say it but I have been using the towelling ones for both of my boys.
I think if I won this voucher it would go towards “Sophie” the giraffe as I have a 2 month old boy & he will definately be needing a good teething toy.
I love the idea of the Cuski Comforters- maybe I will have to get one of these too
The Fregie Sacks would be so handy. We already take our reuseable bags to the farmers market so having the Fregie sack set would be great for the fruit & veges instead of the plastic bags.
I always used old toweling ones (that’s all there was!) but oh how I wish I could have these gorgeous ones.
We have similar teething toys and they really are good… not just for teething either, they are perfect for small hands to grab on to and cart around.
I reckon those mesh bags would be super useful though…. you know all those little bits and pieces that are floating around the bottom of the nappy bag? they could all go in there!
Ah, yes, all the bits need to go somewhere! And you know, I think my daughter would like Sophie too, so appealing.
Well, I am exceptionally partial to the burp cloths, as the ones I make have the same shape, which fits so perfectly over your shoulder without falling all over the place!
Ahh Sophie the Giraffe…this is something I discovered that I keep meaning to buy. My little Julianne has been working on one tooth for a very long time, and I know the worst is yet to come…definitely have my eye on that!
Really Erin. I’ll pop over and have a look at your store. I always love finding new places to shop online.
I love the burp cloths – they making burping a bub quite glamorous!!! And I think that the Fregie bags would be extremely handy when doing the fruit n veg shopping – you could almost make a game of it with the kids by getting them to colour co-ordinate each fruit/vegie to a bag! Heading over to Your Cheeky Monkey now….
hehe. they do indeed make burping ALMOST glamorous. That has to be a good thing right?
You don’t have to enter me in your giveaway because I’m allllll the way over in Canada. I just wanted to say that we had the Sophie Giraffe and my daughter loved it. It was well used.
Hi Marilyn from Canada!
Thanks for your feedback re Sophie. It great coming from someone who has purchased it.
I love the Cuski. 3 out of my 5 kids have all had comforters which have been quite large blankets! The smell of mum and dad is so comforting for little ones. The simplicity of the comforter is also a great attraction for me. Little ones don’t need too much fuss and bells and whistles, this would be a comforter that would wash well and handle a lot of dragging around.
Oh I hear you. My daughter has a blanket and it gets caught in the pram wheels and drags on the ground.
And I totally agree: little ones don’t need too much fuss and bells and whistles. It’s the simplicity of the Cuski that I love the most.
The giraffe is very cute and I’ve never seen anything like the Fregie Sack before – how unique! Love the Cuski Baby Comforters too, very colourful.
I love the Fregie Sack concept. As you say, very unique.
Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I appreciate your encouragement and prayers!
I love the mesh bags. I have one that I have had for years that I use for fruits and veggies. It looks pretty tattered. I may have to check out the link and get some more!
Love your blog. Gonna look around some more!
Keep on keeping on honey.
The Fregie Bags last 2-4 years. How good it that!?
I love all of these! Definitely want to get Sophie for my soon to be born babe, and have been looking for fruit & veg mesh bags – so excited!
I know what you mean, I was so excited about the mesh bags too! LOL, it’s funny what we get excited about! All the best for your new addition.
These all look adorable!
They do, don’t they!
Hi Kelly!
Thanks for dropping by my blog earlier.
The giraffe teether toy looks awesome and cute! I find this very practical because if it’s not use as a teether, it can still be a toy (a safe one too!);’
Is this giveaway open to Malaysia as well?
Yes, you are right, the Giraffe teether doubles as a great toy. I’m pretty sure Your Cheeky Monkey posts worldwide but I’ll check and email you.
Kelly
Well I can tell you Sophie is fantastic we have her for our little girl. When I bought her I couldn’t find her online in Australia so had to get her from America so it is great she is getting out here. I also have the Cuski and they are fabulous! My tip is you need 2 one to wash and one to cuddle, as my little girl use to like to chew it but now she is a tag twiddler.
The burp cloths are a great idea as they look nice and wide and won’t slip off.
Yes, Kym, that’s a great advice. Buy two!
I love the Fregie Sacks – what a great idea! I’ve been trying to make an effort and use reusable bags when out shopping but I didn’t realise there was anything like this to use instead of the usual plastic fruit & veg bags.
I love the fregie sacks – how many uses for them – my goodness! I so want some now
And the burp cloths are great. I generally just used a cloth nappy, but for my first my Mum made similar shaped ones to these, but out a a towel and edged it in coloured binding, still not as funky as these ones!
Your blog is well done. I like the way it is done. Your article is also absolutely fantastic,
It made me realized how important these products are. This gonna be part of my shopping list for my baby. I thank you the inputs.
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