Emma, I hear parent-internet is abuzz about baby feet. Has Hemingway’s six-word story gone viral?
Not this time, though some may find it just as heartbreaking. There’s a generational divide over whether or not babies need socks, and it’s confusing grandparents around the world. Young parents are opting for barefoot babes – on TikTok, in playgrounds, at the supermarket, in the comfort of their own warm and cosy home. Everywhere.
Are young parents right, or just unconcerned with icy tootsies?
If I’ve learned anything as a new parent, it’s that we’re all just trying to get to bedtime as peacefully as we can without being beaten up by the world and/or our kids in the process.
But, to answer your question, new parents are often encouraged to give their babies lots of barefoot time, especially if they’re learning to roll or crawl, as it helps give them sensory input and doesn’t limit their developing feet. Babies also have trouble regulating their own temperature, so in some situations a synthetic sock will make little feet too sweaty. In others, it’s still recommended to cover their feet – if you’re going outside for a walk in winter, for example.
They’re also annoying to keep on your child’s foot when it’s not necessary. So, when nan and pop visit and mention the lack of baby footwear, it can be a little frustrating for tired and overstimulated parents.
And how are parents expressing this frustration?
On TikTok, of course. Some of my favourites date back years; there’s the “Sock Scan Initiated”, the “You sure about that?” meme, running from a serial killer but it’s an old lady asking where your baby’s socks are. Then there’s the “Tell me your MIL watched the baby without telling me” trend. Simple. Effective. Relatable.
But not all young parents feel the same. Look at these cutie ballerina sockies.
And are gen X grandparents fighting back? Heart-shaped socks? Black hole socks? Before Sockrise?
As far as I know, gen X poster boy Ethan Hawke hasn’t gone public with his opinion on baby socks yet – but then his kids are still kids.
As usual, everyone has forgotten about gen X – who would be grandparents to some young parents. Most of the blame has been laid on boomers, which makes sense because a lot of first-time parents are millennials, and if there’s one generation guilty of talking too much about generations, it’s millennials.
Right, so it’s more a case of shake, shake, shake your booties.
Sock it to me, baby!
