Hang around with a baby long enough and you’ll surely encounter one of the biggest clothing mysteries of all: the case of the vanishing baby socks. There they are, snug on those little tootsies one minute, and then… they’re gone. Where did that little sock go? And how does your baby suddenly have bare-to-the-elements toes? You may never know. Avoid future travel frustrations (like showing up in the cold with a sockless baby) by following our lead to the best baby socks.
1. Zutano Booties
More bootie than sock—and baby proof to the max—Zutano Booties are as adorable as they are efficient. Made from a super-soft fleece (80 percent cotton and 20 percent polyester) with a snap closure designed to stay snug on your baby’s feet, they also come in sizes for newborns up to toddlers. The snaps are adjustable, so your baby can wear regular socks underneath for extra warmth, or you can tighten things snugger for a barefoot baby. The booties come in a wide range of tempting colors, so chances are you’ll want to snag more than one pair. But even a single pair is guaranteed to help you keep baby’s feet covered.
2. Squid Socks
“Never lose another sock again.” That’s a big baby sock claim to stand behind, but it’s the one Squid Socks stakes. We’ve loved the brand since we first saw them on ABC’s Shark Tank, and they stayed put on kids’ feet during rigorous testing. These baby socks make use of special skin-safe “squiddy dots,” made from 100-percent silicone on the inside of the socks’ cuffs and designed to help keep them where they belong—on your baby’s feet and not floating around the airport terminal. The socks are available in sizes to fit newborns through 3T and have cute boys’, girls’ and gender-neutral designs.
3. Luvable Friends
For all the hassle they give you—from getting lost on a walk in the park to disappearing from the laundry—you may not think of baby socks as Luvable Friends. But this fun brand, made to fit babies up to nine months old with cute little eyeball and face designs, might make you change your mind when it comes to the best baby socks out there. For whatever reason, the folded cuff on the socks offers just enough of a grasp at the baby’s ankle to make them difficult for little fingers to rip off. And that’s music to any parent’s ears.
4. Trumpette Baby Socks
Available in a range of adorable designs that look like ballet slippers, dress shoes, hightop sneakers, and the like, Trumpette baby socks are another parent-favorite made from a cotton, nylon, and spandex mix. But it’s the extra elastic at the top that makes these puppies more prone to stay put than to go amiss. Non-slip grippers on the soles help with crawling and toddling when that begins, too.
5. Hudson Baby Booties
Designed for newborns through toddlers up to age two, here’s another entry in the baby booties category that might very well have you ditching socks entirely. Hudson Baby Booties cinch shut with an out-of-sight Velcro closure that can be adjusted to tighter or looser settings for the desired fit (and to accommodate socks or bare feet). The booties come in solid patterns of many colors, as well as some cute animal face designs (penguins! reindeer!) sure to help you solicit smiles on planes. Since they’re comfortable and can be adjusted for a perfect fit, these socks will also be less likely to incite your baby into a kicking match to attempt to loosen them.
6. GERBER Wiggle Proof Socks
The famous baby brand touts its “Stay-On Technology” as the special sauce behind these baby socks that actually stay on. Made from a cotton, nylon and spandex blend, GERBER Wiggle Proof Socks have a deep heel pocket and a knitted feature at the top so that once the baby’s foot slides in, it’s meant to stay there. As for price point, it’s hard to beat.
7. Robeez Baby Socks
The high-quality baby socks by Robeez have developed a cult following among moms, dads, babysitters and everyone in between thanks to how well they hug and hold on to little toes and feet. The all-important elastic feature is in two places for added support and grip—both at the sock opening up top and in a little gathered area at the ankle. On the soles of the socks, you’ll find non-skid grip features that’ll become more and more important as your baby becomes more and more mobile.
8. LA Active
These ankle socks by LA Active take a somewhat different approach by putting the elastic cinching material at the ankle rather than at the opening. As a result, the sock doesn’t slide down the heel and has a tendency to stay on. The socks come with six in each pack and in sizes to fit newborns all the way up to three-year-olds. The grip pattern on the sole goes the distance, too, covering from heel to toe with tiny non-skid dots for when baby is ready to walk.
9. Nurses Choice
With a name like Nurses Choice, they’d better be good. And these baby socks designed specifically for newborns really are. Made in the USA and found in hospitals across the country, the cotton knit booties not only look totally adorable, but they also have a special bubble stitch on the cuff that’s specifically designed to keep them from sliding off.
10. Zaples Baby Socks
Particularly great for chunky babies who suffer from other elastic socks cutting into their skin uncomfortably, Zaples baby socks have lots of pint and parent-sized fans. This mid-weight sock is good for all indoor climates and has a pull-tab feature behind the ankle that makes it all the easier to pull them on and tug them off. It’s the elastic ribbed cuffs at the opening that are responsible, however, for keeping the socks secure on your baby’s feet. And while the socks are too big for babies who are just born, there are various sizing options to fit babies from six months old on up to 36 months.
Longtime travel writer and adventurer Terry Ward lives in Florida with her husband and young son and daughter. She’s constantly on the lookout for the next Scandinavia Airlines Kids Fly Free deal to save money on flights to Norway, her favorite place to visit both in the winter (Northern Lights!) and summer (Midnight Sun!). A travel writer since 2001 (read: long before the kids came along), she’s written for such publications as Endless Vacation Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler and Scuba Diving Magazine, among many others. Find Terry on her website, Terry-Ward.com.
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