To wonder why some mothers leave their baby barefoot in December?

[monkeynuts123]

I have seen this a bit lately. I understand barefoot at home but why on earth would anyone take their baby out in December barefoot? Not even socks on, bare little toes poking out the bottom of trousers. Covered with a blanket perhaps in the street but once in a playgroup baby is barefoot, or even sometimes out in the street barefoot. I'm thinking of one particular example and it's not that baby takes them off, just there are never any socks, why?!

Personally, I feel the cold much more in my feet. I think most people do, which is why people wear slippers inside.

When I had DS1, I remember me and my mum being very judgmental over babies without socks. DS2 pulled socks off literally as soon as you put them on no matter how many times you tried. I'm not judgmental about it anymore.

tried to put my son in socks then the cosytoes he got stuck the socks wont slip so he ends up not getting his feet in! its a massive fuss and he ends up screaming! so socks are a bit of a no thanks at the moment!

For a baby I see hand- and foot-covering as being about as essential as each other. If it's cold enough they need gloves on I'd make sure they had something on their feet too. If not not. So I'd certainly not see socks as being necessary at a playgroup.

They don't have their feet on the cold/grubby ground all the time like adults do.

They'd have soon let me know if they were cold or uncomfortable.

This website about preventing children's foot trouble is interesting. Ok, it's a slightly weird website advocating not wearing shoes at all, the naturists of the foot world, but I have seen the same arguments mentioned elsewhere.

Here's a quote;

"Infants' feet do not have to be protected from the cold nearly as much as some adults think. Babies need no more protection for their feet when crawling on a cold floor than they do for their hands. The reason most adults are concerned about exposing their babies' feet is because they are used to having their own feet always covered and protected, and are not accustomed to a little bit of exposure. Babies actually thrive on it"

I'm finding all the talk of "subzero temperatures" quite amusing, given that most of you live in the lovely temperate climate of the British isles where it barely ever gets below zero. :o

then I put tights on him. Problem solved. He pulled at them, he cried, I left them on, he kept them on.

He was probably crying because his feet were too hot.