Sophie the Giraffe vs Matchstick Monkey: Which Teether Does Your Baby Actually Need?

COMPARISON · PLAY & LEARN

Two teethers. Both £9.99. Both sitting at the top of every "best baby teethers" roundup in the UK. Yet they could not be more different in how they soothe your baby's gums.

The Sophie the Giraffe So Pure Teething Ring Set is made from 100% natural Hevea rubber, handcrafted in the French Alps using the same process that has made Sophie a nursery icon since 1961. The Matchstick Monkey Original Teething Toy is a British silicone teether designed by a mum who wanted a better way to apply teething gel without risking her fingers. One champions tradition and natural materials. The other champions hygiene and clever functionality.

We spent weeks gathering feedback from parents across the UK, reading through forum threads, and comparing how babies of different ages respond to each product. What we found is that neither teether is objectively better. The right one depends entirely on your baby's age, your cleaning preferences, and whether you use teething gels. Here is the honest breakdown.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Sophie the Giraffe So Pure Teething Ring Set · 8.5/10 - Softer natural rubber suits newborns from day one, with multi-sensory features that keep babies engaged for months
• Best for Practical Parents: Matchstick Monkey Original Teething Toy · 8.0/10 - Dishwasher-safe, antimicrobial silicone with a built-in gel applicator that reaches back molars

	Sophie the Giraffe Ring	Matchstick Monkey
Material	100% natural Hevea rubber	Food-grade silicone
Age range	From birth	3 months+
Price	£9.99	£9.99
Dishwasher safe	No	Yes
Steriliser safe	No	Yes
Mould risk	Possible (has openings)	None (sealed design)
Gel applicator	No	Yes (textured bumps)
Squeaker	Yes	No
Rating	/ 10	/ 10

How we picked the two

We track which teethers appear most often on UK baby registries, then cross-reference with parent feedback gathered from forums, reviews, and direct conversations with families. Sophie the Giraffe and Matchstick Monkey consistently rank as the two most-recognised teething brands in our catalogue, and they represent the two dominant philosophies in modern teething: natural materials versus engineered functionality. Comparing them head-to-head felt long overdue.

What to look for in a baby teether

Material safety comes first. Every teether your baby chews should be BPA-free and made from food-grade materials. Natural rubber and medical-grade silicone are the two safest options, and both products in this comparison meet that bar comfortably.

Texture variety matters more than you think. Teething happens in stages: front gums first, then sides, then molars at the back. A teether with varied surfaces, such as ridges, bumps and smooth areas, can serve your baby longer than one with a single texture.

Cleaning should be realistic for your life. A teether that needs careful hand-washing sounds fine in theory. In practice, at 3am with a screaming baby, you want something you can throw in the steriliser or dishwasher. Be honest about your cleaning habits before choosing.

Grip and weight need to suit small hands. If your baby cannot hold the teether independently, they cannot self-soothe. Look for ergonomic shapes with narrow sections that tiny fingers can wrap around.

1. Sophie the Giraffe So Pure Teething Ring Set / 10 · Best Overall

The So Pure Teething Ring brings the Sophie legacy into a format specifically designed for teething. Made from 100% natural Hevea rubber in the French Alps, it uses the same food-grade paints and renewable rubber as the classic Sophie toy that has been a nursery staple since 1961. The ring shape is easier for small hands to grip than the original giraffe, and the varied textures across the surface target different stages of teething.

What sets this apart from most teethers is the sensory experience. The natural rubber has a distinctive vanilla scent, the surface is softer and more yielding than silicone, and the gentle give of the material means even brand-new babies can safely chew on it. It is suitable from birth, which gives it a head start over competitors that recommend waiting until three months.

What parents love

• Irresistibly soft. One parent told us: "Squidgy enough for little gums but firm enough to actually help. My daughter preferred it to every plastic teether we tried."
• From-birth suitability. Unlike most teethers that start at 3 months, the soft natural rubber means newborns can safely begin using it from day one.
• Multi-sensory engagement. Parents we hear from regularly mention that the subtle vanilla scent and varied textures hold their baby's attention far longer than single-texture alternatives.
• Beautiful gift packaging. A parent shared: "It comes in a gorgeous box with ribbon. I bought one as a shower gift and the mum genuinely loved it."

What to know before you buy

• Hand wash only. Cannot go in the dishwasher, steriliser, or boiling water. Natural rubber degrades at high temperatures, so you are limited to a warm soapy cloth.
• Moisture can get trapped. The ring design does have small openings where water can enter. Parents who submerge it during washing have reported internal discolouration. Stick to surface wiping to avoid this entirely.
• Natural rubber will wear out. With heavy daily use, expect the rubber to soften and eventually need replacing after several months. Silicone alternatives last longer under the same conditions.

Best for

• Newborns and very young babies who need something soft from day one
• Parents who prefer natural, non-plastic materials
• Gift buyers looking for a beautiful, iconic nursery brand
• Babies who respond to multi-sensory stimulation

2. Matchstick Monkey Original Teething Toy / 10 · Best for Practical Parents

Born from a British mum's frustration with getting teething gel onto her baby's back molars without being bitten, the Matchstick Monkey is a teether with a genuine purpose beyond chewing. The textured bumps on the back of the monkey's head are designed to hold and apply teething gel or granules directly where they are needed, turning a simple toy into a practical tool.

Made from FDA-approved food-grade silicone with integrated BioCote antimicrobial technology, the Matchstick Monkey is engineered for easy cleaning. No holes means no internal mould risk. It goes straight into the dishwasher, steam steriliser, or cold-water sterilising solution. For parents who want one less thing to worry about at 3am, this is a significant advantage.

What parents love

• The gel applicator actually works. One parent told us: "My baby finally stopped fighting the gel. She just chews the monkey and it goes right where it needs to be."
• Effortless cleaning. A parent shared: "Straight in the dishwasher, no faffing. The colour has not faded at all after months of daily use."
• Perfect grip for small hands. The monkey's long arms are exactly the right width for little fingers, and parents report it helps with hand-to-mouth coordination.
• Zero mould risk. We hear repeatedly from parents that the sealed, no-holes design was the deciding factor after reading about moisture issues with natural rubber teethers.

What to know before you buy

• Firmer than natural rubber. Silicone is a harder material, and some babies who prefer a softer, more yielding chew may not take to it immediately.
• Not suitable from birth. Recommended from 3 months, so you will need a different teether for the newborn stage if teething starts early.
• No squeaker or scent. If your baby responds to multi-sensory toys, the Matchstick Monkey is comparatively understated. It relies on texture and function rather than sound and smell.

Best for

• Parents who use teething gels or granules regularly
• Hygiene-focused families who want dishwasher-safe and sterilisable kit
• Babies cutting back molars where a targeted applicator makes a difference
• Parents who prefer supporting British-designed products

How to choose

Choose the Sophie the Giraffe Teething Ring if your baby is under three months, you prefer natural materials, or you want a teether that engages multiple senses. The soft Hevea rubber is gentler on brand-new gums than silicone, and the vanilla scent and squeezable texture create an experience babies genuinely bond with. Just be prepared for hand-washing only.

Choose the Matchstick Monkey if you use teething gel, you want something that goes straight in the dishwasher, or you are tired of worrying about mould. The antimicrobial silicone and sealed design make it the lower-maintenance choice, and the gel applicator function is genuinely useful once molars start coming through.

Or get both. At £9.99 each, many parents we speak to end up buying both and rotating based on the situation. The Sophie ring for daytime sensory play from birth, the Matchstick Monkey for gel application and easy sterilising from three months onward. Between them, your baby's teething journey is well covered.

Add it to your Nest

Building your baby registry? Both teethers are popular additions to BubsNest lists. Add them to your free BubsNest registry and let friends and family know exactly what you need.