NER: Do I need socks for a newborn?

peachypear · June 2009

On one hand, I usually go sockless during the summer.

On the other, I feel like a bad, unprepared parent by not having any.

Do baby feet get cold easy or something? ...feeling like I haven't passed the "I'm ready to have a baby" test.

hamilton.ja · June 2009

If you are my father, then yes, baby always needs to have their feet covered even if it is a gazillion degrees out. But he's sort of strange...

IMO newborns will be in outfits with feet on them most of the time to begin with and if it is so hot that they won't be in something like that then I don't think you should worry about socks.

papagena · June 2009

I so asked my friends who had nieces/nephews or a lot of baby experience this when I was pg. Their answer - get some. Babies feet do tend to get a bit colder, as their circulation & temperature regulation aren't quite as good in the beginning.

andrealynn0707 · June 2009

Many, many nb outfits have feet on them. I would get some if I were you, for the first few weeks they have a hard time maintaining their temperature on their own. That is why you keep them swaddled and with a hat for the first little bit. Since you are having a summer baby, after that stage, you could probably forego them.

papie · June 2009

I found that socks don't stay on at that age, so she wore footed pants and footed PJs. ?But it was cold, I wouldn't bother in the summer. ?

papagena · June 2009

*chuckle* 2 replies, and 2 different answers - welcome to parenting!

KellyG6279 · June 2009

do you have any clothes/outfits for baby that will leave the feet uncovered? If so, I would get just a couple pair. 2 pairs of socks will not break the bank. We didn't have any either but I ended up getting some. For the most part, we had DS in sleepers for the first 8 weeks though.

jen5-03 · June 2009

Yes, in the beginning their circulation isn't great. Unless you keep them covered with footie pajamas or a blanket.

When baby's skin gets a mottled look to it, it means they are cold (per my pedi).

DD was born May 30, I'd say I kept her in socks for the first 6 weeks at least. By the time August rolled around she didn't seem to need them very much.

General rule of thumb: if the socks look like "booties", if they are cute, if they are expensive, they will fall off the baby in about 3 seconds. Anything with the Gerber name falls into that category.

If the socks look like your socks just much much smaller, then they stand a chance of working. I got a big pack of white socks at Walmart, store brand (faded glory?). Very cheap and probably made in china. They looked impossibly small after washing, but they stayed on pretty well.

Oh, and one last thing. Buy a mesh laundry bag (lingerie bag) to wash baby socks in. They are so small that they are easily lost and can actually get into the inner workings of your washing machine and kill the machine.

mjonette@gmail.com · June 2009

It depends on whether you are putting your baby in footed outfits and swaddling, or if you are putting them in things without feet. I don't think I used socks with DD #1 until the fall after she was born, and I have yet to put a sock on DD #2, since she's always in footed outfits. You might get a few pairs, just in case, and if you end up using them a lot, then you can get more after the baby is born.

peachypear · June 2009

papagena:
*chuckle* 2 replies, and 2 different answers - welcome to parenting!

LOL - but at least it makes me feel better for being torn!

We received at TON of onesies, so we don't have much with foot coverage. I'll pick up a couple of pairs.

jen5/03:
General rule of thumb: if the socks look like "booties", if they are cute, if they are expensive, they will fall off the baby in about 3 seconds. Anything with the Gerber name falls into that category.

If the socks look like your socks just much much smaller, then they stand a chance of working. I got a big pack of white socks at Walmart, store brand (faded glory?). Very cheap and probably made in china. They looked impossibly small after washing, but they stayed on pretty well.

Oh, and one last thing. Buy a mesh laundry bag (lingerie bag) to wash baby socks in. They are so small that they are easily lost and can actually get into the inner workings of your washing machine and kill the machine.

Good tips - thanks!

Lotte134 · June 2009

I think you should. Those little gowns that are open on the bottom are great for NB's since you change them so much, but you'll probably want socks if your LO is in one of those.

tmp-214118062502913 · June 2009

I keep DD in socks about 50% of the time now. If she were NB I would probbaly have them even more.

Most the socks I got were and are junk. We got a gift of Trumpette socks which are more pricey, but they stayed on her teeny NB feet, still fit and have grippies on the bottom. They NEVER fall off and they are super cute and launder well. I got a Nordstrom gift card as a prize from some blog and used it to get another set of Trumpette socks. These socks work from 0-12 months and are worth every penny. I heard there is a Target version but I have not tried them.

kmgourley · June 2009

Seems like most people said yes to the socks... but Seth was born at the end of May and wore socks only to Church throughout the summer until it got cold outside. He didn't wear footed outfits much, either. He was in just a onesie about 90% of the time. He did sleep swaddled, though, which covers the feet, I suppose. But he wasn't swaddled all the time.

alison43 · June 2009

DD is three weeks old and I have only put her in socks twice. Both times she kicked them right off.

I read that it doesn't really matter if their feet and hands are cold...might bother you but it doesn't bother them.

gymdog81 · June 2009

It depends on the baby, but our daughter needs socks all the time, sometimes even when she has footed pajamas on. She has very cold feet that often turn purple due to poor circulation, and it is important to keep them warm. I would have a couple of pairs on hand and then see what you need when your baby is born.

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