When your Baby wants you to look like a Parenting Failure

The Baby is trying to show me up.  This week it would appear that the baby wants me to look like a parenting failure.  He is definitely, delibrately, trying to make me look like a bad parent.  He spies little old ladies in the distance and delights in making them tut in despair when they see me pushing him around in the pram in the glorious British summertime.  Which right now, is less glorious and more autumnal.  [Read – COLD]

Today I’m talking about the sock issue.  The ultimate parenting failure.  Sock Wars Ltd.

With the high winds and brisk weather we’ve been experiencing I’m the mum walking around with her baby’s bare toes showing.  Poking out from  under the blanket I’m (vaguely attempting) to cover him with.  Sticking out from the rain cover.  Don’t even get me started on the fact that the poor thing didn’t have a coat until yesterday morning when my Next delivery arrived.  I wasn’t quite expecting this weather in June, and our Dubai wardrobe hasn’t been cutting it…..but that’s a whole other story.

Back to socks, lack of and my ultimate in parenting failure (this week at least, I mean we all have bad days right?!)

parenting failure

I have estimated that he will keep them on for approximately 37 seconds before he reaches down and pulls them off.

Part of me is secretly proud, he looks so pleased with himself when he achieves his goal, cooing over an ordinary sock.  Holding it out to me for inspection.  Then (and this is the kick in the teeth) holding his foot out so I can put it back on.  The cycle does continue.  The old ladies still shoot me daggers at his tiny bare toes, because they do end up bare.  Let’s face it, when I’m walking with the pram and having to stop every 10metres to put the socks back on, with the Big One already lagging behind, I’m only going to play the game so many times.  Maybe once.  Before giving up and letting those tiny, chubby toes freeze.

Maybe I should wave the offensive socks in the direction of anyone I see.  Maybe I should shout about the fact that the Baby won’t keep them on.  Maybe I should make a banner saying I’ve tried but he just won’t wear socks.

And I have tried.

I tried tucking his trousers into them.

I tried a pair of his brothers bigger socks pulled up to basically his thighs (FYI not a good look on a baby).

I’ve tried TWO pairs of socks.

I’ve tried distracting with his brothers, normally forbidden, toys.

<em>But at least he has his coat on....</em>

I tried him wearing shoes, but you know, he is a little houdini and pulls the velcro on them until he can yank them off too!

I am yet to try tights, as you know, it’s JUNE there shouldn’t be any need for tights under trousers.  But we shall see as it appears to be a bit up and down which I suppose is another rant in itself but *secretly* I was very glad to see rain….

I digress.  Then I did as all bloggers do and took to Facebook.

Apparently I am not alone in this. My next step is to try what everyone has recommended and get myself some sock ons. Though with my little houdini I’m not holding my breath.

Still, watch this space.  The baby has won this battle, but maybe I’ll win the war.

Keep Calm and Carry On Linking Sunday
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28 Comments

  1. June 3, 2016 / 11:22 am

    You are definitely not alone! I gave up trying as they would be whipped off 30 seconds later. We have the same issue with shoes now! x

    • Laura
      Author
      June 3, 2016 / 11:13 pm

      He is already working on the velcro 😉 xx

  2. June 3, 2016 / 11:31 am

    Babies and socks are a nightmare. You can get things called sock ons I think, which help keep socks on. I just can’t find socks to fit Poppy’s feet. Kids definitely try to make us look stupid though! #effitfriday

    • Laura
      Author
      June 5, 2016 / 1:54 am

      Just went to get these today….!

  3. June 3, 2016 / 12:42 pm

    Socks, hats, gloves, anything that mine could take off they would, always trying to test us! #effitfriday

    • Laura
      Author
      June 3, 2016 / 10:28 pm

      Oh I am glad that so far I’ve not had to deal with gloves. Hats. I forgot about hats…..

  4. June 3, 2016 / 10:41 pm

    You really do have to develop a tgicknskin when you become a parent to brush off all those judgemental started don’t you. I must admit I never had this problem with socks (not when they had shoes on over the top anyway. Probably because I did their laces up really tight, I dunno) bit don’t even get me started on hats. Three kids and not one of them would keep a hat on their tiny bald heads. My kids always won the war.

    #effitfridays

      • Laura
        Author
        June 5, 2016 / 1:55 am

        Happy Saturday and it’s me on the wine tonight!!! Maybe I need laces because he can do the velcro on his shoes already!!!!

  5. June 3, 2016 / 11:26 pm

    We spent the entire (British) winter like this – in the end I just ignored the disapproving stares! #effitfriday

  6. June 4, 2016 / 9:50 pm

    Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Keeping socks on babies is a skill many parents haven’t figured out yet (my six year old works go entirely naked at all times if I’d let him, it’s a constant battle, he’s often taking off layers of clothes as I collect him from school – I’ve definitely not got “keep appropriate clothing on a child” Sussed yet, clearly! )
    It’s due to hit 25+ this weekend at least so you can skip socks and ignore nosey old ladies for a few days!
    Thanks for hosting #effitfriday

  7. June 5, 2016 / 1:27 am

    Oh I wouldn’t worry about it, mine still do this and they’re 2 & 4. If it was Baltic I’m sure they’d keep them on 😉
    Nat.x

    • Laura
      Author
      June 5, 2016 / 1:56 am

      To be fair my (nearly) 4 year old is the same. In the end I went round Morrisons today and the pair of them had their toes out!!

  8. June 5, 2016 / 1:44 am

    This is my life right now too. No matter what I do for them, to keep them safe and healthy, they go against the grain, undo all my good work and make me seem like a slack mum. Cheeky buggers! He may just need to let the air between his toes for a while, before he decides socks are actually pretty cool!

  9. June 5, 2016 / 1:55 am

    Gosh, tell me about it. The blooming socks are always hanging off. My baby is always showing me up too, like whenever she’s introduced to anyone new and she has a face like thunder. I end up saying ”she’s a really happy baby, honest’ to cover up her bad form. Good luck with the sock ons #KCACOLS

  10. June 5, 2016 / 12:08 pm

    I was just going to say sock ons!! They are fab 😀 #KCACOLS

  11. June 5, 2016 / 12:47 pm

    Sock-ons all the way!

    I refused to buy my son shoes until he was walking because eff me, they’re expensive. But he did start to do that super early so I could justify it and he can’t get them off unless he really tries. Halleflippinlujah!

    #KCACOLS

  12. June 5, 2016 / 2:07 pm

    Love it! such a fab photo at the end – and let’s be honest, with toes as cute as that I can see the fascination of showing them off! thank you for the smile this morning – fab post to read! #KCACOLS

  13. June 5, 2016 / 2:23 pm

    Ah, the sock warms. My daughter can’t keep hers on for more than a few minutes either. Shoes solved the problem briefly – but then she figured out how to undo the Velcro and take those off too. The best thing about having a girl is I can just put her in tights – try as she might, she can’t pull the off. #KCACOLS

  14. June 5, 2016 / 8:25 pm

    Ah, anything that can come off will come off of my little one. A few weeks ago, we were on our way back from town and we had every kid of weather in the space of 30 mins, mainly hail and heavy rain. Little D decides he no longer wants his wellies, socks or rain cover on… we all got drenched and the looks we got off people passing made me want to shout “Its already taken us 20 minutes to walk what would be a 5 minute journey. I gave up the lets put his stuff back on game haha

  15. June 5, 2016 / 10:43 pm

    This problem has plagued us all lol. I am sure all toddlers have a secret society where they come up with plans to see if they can drive their parents bonkers!
    #KCACOLS

  16. June 6, 2016 / 12:37 am

    We have the same issue with socks although Ailsa is pretty good at keeping them on outside of the house, Sock ons are fab though and so many friends swear by them.

    Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday

    Azaria-Being Mrs Lynch

  17. June 6, 2016 / 4:48 pm

    I’d forgotten about this phase (and have it all to come again!) W loved pulling socks off, I gave up in the end if it wasn’t too cold… And in the cold thank god for snow suits! Good luck! Xx #KCACOLS

  18. June 7, 2016 / 2:13 pm

    Definitely not alone!
    I live in the southern U.S. here, and it’s hot all the time, so I’m not quite as worried! Socks were so easy to keep on my son last winter when he was little, but I’m not sure how this winter will fare! Those sock ons look super interesting though! #KCACOLS

  19. June 8, 2016 / 11:46 pm

    Oh my goodness the sock and shoe war. I honestly let mine take his off in the store cause otherwise I have to backtrack everything I realize he’s kicked then off. The only thing that really worked for me was the getting the tighter knee high ones. Good Luck! #KCACOLS

  20. June 9, 2016 / 2:49 am

    Ya know, when mine were little, I could never keep socks on them either. I ended up having to put them in those zippered PJ’s with the footies when it was cold.

  21. June 9, 2016 / 12:36 pm

    My little one will not wear socks either! We have wood floors all throughout our downstairs, so he pads about barefoot at home so he doesn’t slip. But then, of course, he does t get why I make him out socks on when we go out. Why would I do that to him? Poor babies. I wish it would warm up! #KCACOLS

  22. June 11, 2016 / 1:26 am

    Ah socks, the natural enemy of the baby! Apparently you can’t tape the socks to the baby according to my wife. Or glue them.
    #kcacols

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