In honour of Toy Buyin' Ryan and his wife's brand new baby, we thought it would be a good time to highlight some of the great infant and baby toys we carry here at Mastermind. Since my own kids are way past the baby age, I did a tour of our local store to get the low-down from some of our fantastic salespeople on what's hot in baby gifts right now (Thanks Heather and Norma!).

It turns out that one of the greatest gifts right now is Sophie the Giraffe, a teething toy made in the French Alps by Vulli. In France Sophie is as common as a Slinky in here but it only took off in North America a few years ago, thanks in large part to celebrity babies having photos taken while gnawing on one.

Sophie is a great little toy for babies and it's plain to see why it's one of the top toys in France:

• Sophie is made from 100% natural rubber tapped from the Havea tree so it's completely non toxic.
  
• Her spots and face are painted with non-toxic food-grade paint.
• Her soft rubber body has lots of places where a baby can grasp on to, and her bumpy head is great for soothing sore teething gums.
• Sophie squeeks when squeezed.

The Lamaze Garden Bug Foot Finder and Wrist Rattle Set: Babies wear the rattles on their wrists and feet and it can keep them entertained for quite awhile. The black and white patterning on the rattles is particularly good for babies under four months of age as their vision is still developing and the bright colours appeal to them as they grow.

Baby Geomag: Swiss company Geomag makes these popular magnetic farm sets available in 8, 11 and 20 pieces. These are big chunky pieces perfect for inquiring hands (and mouths!). Babies are fascinated by the attraction and repulsion of the magnets.


Sleep Sheep on the Go: A cute and cuddly little sheep that helps babies fall asleep away from home. This sleep sheep is a mini version (8") of the original Sleep Sheep. It comes with four different sounds from nature, two timer lengths (23 minutes and 45 minutes), and a velcro strap to attach to car seats and strollers.

For more great baby gifts see our baby toy category. Not sure what you want? Send a tweet to "Lisa the Toy Whiz" on Twitter and she'll be happy to make some suggestions. Twitter Handle: @mastermindtoys.