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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think it is disgraceful that babies have bare feet in the freezing cold

125 replies

mummyloveslucy · 02/12/2007 21:10

I keep seeing on my travells babies and toddlers being pushed around the town with nothing on their little feet. It is freezing cold and the moms are dressed up worm. There is no excuse imo I know they kick off their socks/booties but you could at least put tights on them, even the boys can wear navy tights under their trousers! and they could use a cosy toes buggy snuggle thing. It makes me so . They wouldn't go barefoot in the winter if they were in a wheelchair so why do they do it too their kids?.

OP posts:

mylittleponey · 04/12/2007 09:22

I use a babysling & socks fall off easily. I use a snowsuit - not too thick that just keeps dd warm. I also buy lots of the same socks so I don't have to think about colours or patterns and odd socks.

Hulababy · 04/12/2007 09:23

"they usually are crying like mad "

Really?! Not in my experience! Besides if they were crying how do you know it isn't because mum has been trying to get them to keep socks/shoes/cosy toes on (hence mum looking fed up too) to no avail and baby not wanting it?

Over heating is far more dangerous for a baby or young child than being a bit cold.

And actually come to think of it I hate having things on my feet. Minute I get int he house my socks come off.

WulfricTheRedNosedReindeer · 04/12/2007 09:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Surfermum · 04/12/2007 09:37

DD is another who wouldn't keen anything on her feet. She's incredibly warm and even now at 4 she won't sleep under a duvet at night, and hates wearing a coat.

As a baby she would have let me know if her feet were cold. Not by telling me, of course, but if she cried (and she hardly ever did) I didn't have to be a genius to work out that it was that she had cold feet.

One of the biggest things I've learnt from mumsnet is that you just can't judge anyone. Full stop. You never know what is going on for that other person, be it a child without socks, an older child in a buggy or a tantrum in a supermarket.

TinyGang · 04/12/2007 09:45

Hmm well, things aren't always as they seem.

Before children I might have thought the same, but 3 later and a million lost shoes, socks,hats and gloves all adamantly hurled out of the pushchair despite my heroic efforts to keep them on I know what they can be like.

In the cold I would probably put them in tights (ds too) to avoid this if possible, but babies can be mighty determined about these things and can get those off too if they want to.

On the flip side I feel sorry for the ones stuffed into those enormous snowsuits.

Indith · 04/12/2007 09:50

See now mine keeps his socks on ok, and has a cosy toes but his hands! He screams blue murder at mittens and pulls them off then starts crying on the way home (up the long, windy, cold hill) because his hands are cold. They end up all red and sore and take ages to warm up. I have bought tiny little fingerless gloves from monsoon (the type with the flap that goes over to turn them into mittens) and he keeps those on for a bit longer but not much!

Loshad · 04/12/2007 10:02

Mine all ised to strip off constantly, and they really hated being too hot - i've seen far more screaming children from being overheated than i have criers from being cold.
They don't grow out of it either, DS1 (14) did rugby training last thursday (4-5.30pm, dark, raining, felt about 0 C) in a t- shirt and shorts he did have all the correct kit in his bag but heaven help me if all the mothers are judging me on that though i reckon they've better things to do

bozza · 04/12/2007 10:09

Surely by the age of 14 it is his own responsibility so you are not judged? Although maybe if you had ensured he kept his socks on at all times in the buggy he would dress sensibly now..... I got told off the other day by my Mum for having bare feet - was wearing ballet shoes and jeans and only going from house to car and vice-versa and I am 34.

GooseyLoosey · 04/12/2007 10:13

Feel I must offer mummyloveslucy some support here. Both my children feel the cold terribly, especially my son, who at times will not go out of the house without 2 jumpers, coat, hat, gloves and scarf even when it is not IMO very cold. So in my experience, I expect children to feel the cold.

I have observed sockless babies (and indeed teeshirted teenagers) with interest and must say that almost all of them seem very happy with that arrangement so have concluded that they do not experience the cold in the same way - but it is hard not to wonder when your own children would be screaming blue murder in a similar position.

bozza · 04/12/2007 10:20

goosey you are right. And as the mother of two hot blooded children when neither DH nor I are like that, it took me a while to get used to the idea. But I know that when my DD and her friend are dressed the same and playing together in the same room, if you touch DD's hands they will be warm and if you touch her friend's hands they will be cold.

islandofsodor · 04/12/2007 10:44

Don't judge til you have been there.

I remember one incident when dd was about 8-10 weeks old, I was out Christmas shopping. She had her jabs the day before and they affected her nappy. It went everywhere, covered her clothes, tights, bodysuit everything. I had to take them off and allshe had one was a pinafore dress, no long sleeved bodysuit underneath, no tights or anything. I managed to wrap her in a blanket luckily.

12 months later, again in December she had an almighty tantrum on a freezing cold day refusing to wear socks or even to have her coat on in her pushchair.

mustsleep · 04/12/2007 10:59

oh and fyi travels only has one l

Ubergeekian · 04/12/2007 13:03

I don't know about "unreasonable", but you are certainly being illogical unless you get equally upset about babies without mittens or gloves on.

geekymummy · 04/12/2007 14:11

My DD often kicks her socks off. Forget bootees!

I've started to put her in tights when going out. So far, so good...

handlemecarefully · 04/12/2007 14:14

It really hasn't been all that cold around here (South Coast). There were 1 or 2 mornings when it was a bit crisp but it had warmed up by 10.00...so, I wouldn't be overly peturbed about seeing bare feet on a baby

MerryKIFmas · 04/12/2007 14:33

sigh

I get this a lot. I have a cosy totes thing, and I do hats, but I refuse socks on principle.

I think they get taken off and lost, they are disproportionately trouble to wash and match and buy, they are slippy for walking and running, they restrict blood circulation.

Incidentally I don;t wear socks either - only for things like sport. Apparently Einstein never wore socks. So there. Nerrr.

IntergalacticWalrus · 04/12/2007 14:41

DS1 walkked home from pre school in the rain in just a short sleeved t shirt because he'd removed his jumper and coat on the way, and I couldn't be arsed to argue with him.

DS2 is 15 months and rearely is he wearing his socks within 5 mins of leaving the house, regardless of the temp

coby · 04/12/2007 15:48

OK then, on the crying front, in my experience they do cry when cold.

Both my children have Raynauds syndrome quite badly which basically means they feel the cold very badly. They both very much prefer to walk around with no shoes or socks on and will not wear gloves despite my attempts at bribery etc.

However on certain days when we get a combination of weather conditions such as damp, cold and wind they will cry due to the cold. That is the only time I can get them to keep their socks and shoes on.

Overheating always concerns me more though despite my DDs situation. Children who cry because they are too warm are going to get warmer due to their crying unless the situation is acted on pretty promptly and that can't be good.

You only have to look on ebay to find all the unused snowsuits - most children I know can't stand them. My DDs are summer babies so didn't have the chance to get used to one when they were tiny.

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 04/12/2007 20:19

How on earth is a child going to over heat on a freezing cold day if it's wearing socks and shoes ? My dd used to take her socks off, so I put tights on her and she had a foot muff. It's not rocket science it's caring for the basic needs of your child. Bare feet in mid winter is not appropriate or acceptable.

OP posts:

Flibbertinseljinglebells · 04/12/2007 20:37

I too have been that mother-of-child-with-bare-feet-in-winter.
And once even mother-of-two-bare-footed-children-in-double-buggy-in-winter, because they just copy each other.
Its just another of those things that pre-child/toddler/twokids I would have probably posted the same as the op in disgust.

But now I smile at those mothers with my knowing smile.

Anyway, I am eager to know how to dress my boys up 'worm'. Is it a special brown tube shaped outfit?

And navy tights under trousers for boys my arse.

coby · 04/12/2007 20:59

flibbert....... - pmsl just went back to check I wasn't the 'worm' perpitrator (sort of thing I'd type). Poor mummyloveslucy is having a hard enough time on here without you pointing that one out!

If it is a special brown tube shaped outfit can I have one????? My DDs would love me in it

chipmonkey · 04/12/2007 23:43

Have to say, one of the minders at the creche suggested tights under trousers for ds3 and for me it just conjured up images of me dressing him up in a tutu and fairy-wings! Not going to happen!

harrisey · 05/12/2007 00:59

My ds wore tights under trousers for going in the backpack as trousers rode up leaving cold legs!

He would still wear them given half a chance (its my fault, I let him wear black tights to be a skeleton last Hallowe'en) and I have to keep him out of his big sister's drawer. He's 5y10m!

harrisey · 05/12/2007 01:01

Mind you my ds likes being warm

We have photographic evidence of him in fleecy snowsuit + waterproof all in one, hat, gloves, wellies etc on the beach (NW Sotland) in October. Dd1 is next to him - jumping in the sea stark naked. That girl just does not feel the cold)

SantaClausFrau · 05/12/2007 01:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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