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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Not to put socks on my baby?

115 replies

BertieBotts · 29/12/2009 22:01

DS is 14 months but not walking yet, so I don't put shoes on him, and socks last precisely 0.05 seconds before being thoroughly explored, ripped off and lost, so I never bother with them on their own - his feet are warm enough in the footmuff anyway, and if I get him out of the pushchair anywhere it's usually heated.

But today at the Children's Centre I had about four people exclaim at his socklessness and one woman told me twice that he didn't have any socks on (in case I hadn't noticed?) and that he had cold feet (he didn't).

Admittedly it was colder than usual in there today since it has been closed over Christmas, but he didn't seem upset by having bare feet and they didn't even feel that cold to me. Why are people obsessed with socks?

OP posts:

chickbean · 29/12/2009 22:26

DS2 wears an all-in-one fleece outside but he won't keep socks on inside. Last time I sent him to nursery in socks, he came back without them - so I don't any more. They have carpet. Must look for tights though.

RockBird · 29/12/2009 22:31

I have this all the time with dd who is 23 months. The minute she sits down off come the shoes and socks and if she is wearing buckle shoes or tights she yells blue murder till I take them off. She refuses to put her feet inside the footmuff and I have had plenty of looks and comments from people recently. The fact that the buggy basket contains her shoes, furry boots, socks and the front of the footmuff doesn't persuade people that it's not my doing. She just takes after DH who also hates anything on his feet if not absolutely necessary.

displayuntiltwelfthnight · 29/12/2009 22:31

I think it's each to their own and I also rarely wear socks around the house unless it's really cold BUT it seems a tad unreasonable to not dress your small child in at least as many clothes as you yourself as a grown adult would wear in the cold and I doubt very much that you are walking around with no shoes or socks on in this season?

SixtyFootDoll · 29/12/2009 22:31

What abou these over socks?
have seen lots of babies wearing them look cute

poinsettydawg · 29/12/2009 22:32

I go around barefoot in teh house but not at the shops. Dirt, cold and fear of minor injury would be my top concerns.

It doesn't really matter if it's a warm room.

mrsjammi · 29/12/2009 22:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

AgentZigzagsAllGoosedOut · 29/12/2009 22:35

I can see your reasons for not putting socks on your DS, but I can't see why you'd be miffed that other people want to care for him.

There's something in people that make them want to wrap up babies all snuggly warm and toasty. I adore babies feet but I wouldn't like to think of them as being chilly.

I wouldn't see it as a slur on your ability as a mum, but rather that the people round you are looking out for your DS.

BooHooo · 29/12/2009 22:35

bare feet outside in this weather I would find rally uncomfortable. Have you tried tights?

Facebookaddict · 29/12/2009 22:37

I'm in the sock-on camp but totally up to you and you should ignore comments if you are happy that DC warm enough!
If it makes you feel any better, I noticed with DS and peers that the kids without socks crawled quicker and walked quicker which might be down to getting a better handle on balance and their bodies...

Lotkinsgonecurly · 29/12/2009 22:37

What about those leather shoes that are so soft they are really just like leather socks. Boths DD and DS wore these until they were walking properly. Also they keep the socks on! Socks don't fall off, and they are so cute.

mrsjammi · 29/12/2009 22:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

santasmagicnappysack · 29/12/2009 22:41

DD won't keep a hat or mittens on. I keep trying but she always pulls them off. I feel terrible when we're out walking and I'm obviously all snug in hat, scarf and gloves and she is sitting there in just a loose hood with little icey fingers

But I have to admit I think YABU - I would be shocked to see a baby with nothing at all on his feet at this time of year.

ravenAK · 29/12/2009 22:42

Tights!

I had a ds first & battled endlessly over socks, until I got fed up with the whole thing & just let him potter about barefoot (again, I mostly do so, so I was never quite sur. if it was or wasn't reasonable for ds to be sockless).

Then I had dds & realised that the whole faff was utterly unnecessary. Tights are the answer.

I was chatting to SIL at the time - her ds is of an age with dd2 - & she promptly blagged a pair of navy tights from dd2 for her ds.

This solved the problem so decisively that she ended up buying a pack of red, cream & navy tights from Mothercare - the assistant told her that actually they do a roaring trade to the parents of boy babies.

fruitsticksinyourstocking · 29/12/2009 22:43

DS doesn't like hats or mitts but he has a snowsuit with those turn over sleeves to keep his hands warm and also mean he can't get his hat off

notcitrus · 29/12/2009 22:43

I put both socks and shoes on ds (15 mo, sort of walking now) so he can practice walking holding my hands whenever convenient - I figure if he gets lots of exercise whenever he can then he won't mind being in pushchair/carseat in between. This means his longest walk so far has been in a service station on the M1.

If he's not going to get out of the pushchair I might not bother with socks or shoes, but not just socks as they're off in a trice. I had to get his first pair of shoes when he started nursery at 11 months as they played outside on tarmac and they didn't want him crawling barefoot there.

Tbh, he'd be happy barefoot even outside the footmuff even in this weather - he hates being hot and doesn't mind cold. Bizarrely, I have no mittens for him at all as they don't seem to sell them anywhere near me for under-5s, but so far no old biddies have told me off for not keeping his hands warm!

ravenAK · 29/12/2009 22:43

Ah ok x-posted mrsjammi!

Original poster

BertieBotts · 29/12/2009 22:44

I might get some more of those soft leather shoes, he had some before but grew out of them, he just has huge feet so I am a bit wary of ordering something and it not fitting when it arrives. I bought some "proper" shoes as well and used them when it was not so cold (so was not using footmuff) and on swings etc but they are getting a bit small so I thought I would wait until it gets a bit warmer to buy any more - I was just bemused as to why so many people thought it was odd that he was barefoot indoors.

OP posts:

KitKatQueensSpeech · 29/12/2009 22:44

Star child shoes, They stay on beautifully, are made with vegetable dye for toe suckers, don't damage little feet and look gorgeous. here

One of my children was wearing a pair on these at a play centre and when I went to leave I realised there was a cut in the sole - it hadn't gone all the way through so she was fine, but it would have caused a nasty cut on her foot if she hadn't been wearing them.

BooHooo · 29/12/2009 22:45

If my baby was really hysterical if I tried to put socks/ footwear on this time of year I would really wrap him up everywhere else and try not to venture anywhere unheated.

Having said this if ones' feet are cold it is hard to get warm in the body...

fernie3 · 29/12/2009 22:46

all three of mine have been the same so far. I gave up on both socks and shoes on babies and younger toddlers. Instead in cold weather i just make sure they are wearing clothes with built in feet like babygros etc.

Once they have been old enough to tell off for taking shoes and socks off they graduate to wearing them again! My slightly stubborn son was about 18 or 19 months before he would have anything on his feet and at that age finally realized that the only way i would let him out of the pushchair to walk was if he wore shoes so he stopped taking them off!

the way I see it i have more interesting things to do with my time than repeatedly put shoes and socks on someone who hates them so I bypass the problem altogether.

Tizzyjacko · 29/12/2009 22:47

My DSs all wore tights , red or blue, impossible to pull off and toasty.

I enjoy telling them now aged 18, 16 and 8.

mrsjammi · 29/12/2009 22:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

mazzystartled · 29/12/2009 22:50

tights

prob solved

jemart · 29/12/2009 22:52

Socks make a big difference to body temperature, good for baby to wear them if you can contrive a way of keeping them on him.
Huggalugs are great for holding socks up and keeping little legs warm.

barnpotsmum · 29/12/2009 23:29

Babies learning to walk will do so better if they can feel the floor in a firmer way than if they have socks on. Shoes and socks interfere with this learning process - you do whats right for ds. Just say to the interferers that he pulls them off anyway

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