Key Points:
- If your toddler feels safe and secure wearing socks, or if the air is a little chilly, it is perfectly safe for your toddler to wear socks in bed.
- Comfortably warm feet could help your toddler fall asleep and enjoy a restful night.
- Monitor your toddler throughout the night to ensure they aren't showing signs of overheating.
- Always choose loose-fitting socks made from a natural, breathable material like cotton.
- If your toddler won't keep their socks on at night, consider a toddler sleeping bag, footed pyjamas, or an additional blanket.
Should a toddler sleep with socks? As with so many other parenting questions, the answer lies somewhere between "Maybe" and "It depends." Much comes down to the weather, the climactic conditions in your toddler's bedroom, and your toddler’s sleeping preferences.
Should A Toddler Sleep With Socks? There is no reason why a toddler can't sleep with loose fitting socks on to keep their toes warm and to provide a sense of comfort and security.
In particular for toddlers who haven't yet mastered the art of not kicking all their blankets off, socks provide that additional warmth and security.
In fact, there is some research to suggest that warm feet can help both toddlers and adults fall asleep easily and enjoy a restful night's sleep. Cold feet cause restricted blood vessels, leading to a lack of blood circulation.
Dealing With Cold Toes At Night
If your toddler has cold feet or toes at night, there is no cause for concern. It's perfectly normal for toddlers' feet to get cold, just as it is for adult feet to feel cold.
Of course, if persistently cold feet occurs in conjunction with other worrying symptoms, it's always a good idea to speak to your doctor.
But in isolation, a toddler's cold feet is usually little more than an indication that it’s time for socks, slippers, a blanket, or footed pyjamas. And when it's time for bed, the safest way to keep little toes warm is with toddler socks that aren't too tight and are made from a breathable organic material .
How Cold Is Cold Enough For Socks?
The easiest way to determine whether it is cold enough for your toddler to wear socks is to gauge how the temperature in your toddler's bedroom feels for you.
If the air is chilly, or if your child is used to sleeping with a fan nearby, it's probably cool enough for socks.
While healthy adults are typically very efficient at regulating their body temperature, babies and toddlers haven't quite developed this skill to the same extent as adults. During the toddler years, your little one will still be relatively sensitive to temperature extremes. If the room feels cool to you, it will feel even more so for your toddler and just like babies, you will need to adjust what they wear to sleep .
The Possible Dangers Of Wearing Socks While Sleeping
Just because it’s perfectly safe to put your toddler to bed in socks on colder nights doesn't mean that your toddler should wear socks every night of the year.
On very warm nights or if your toddler already has a temperature, wearing socks could lead to sweating and overheating.
Keep an eye out for excessive crying or fidgeting, sweating, feeling warm to the touch, or red cheeks or a flushed appearance. If any of these signs appear on your toddler while they're in bed, remove their socks and excess blankets or sleeping bag, and monitor them carefully for the rest of the night.
How To Make Night-Time Sock Use Safe And Comfortable
When choosing night-time socks for your toddler, look for breathable, organic material such as cotton or other natural fibres like cashmere or merino wool.
You can expect to pay a little more for socks your toddler will wear it night-time than those worn inside shoes during the day.
If your night-time socks are worn exclusively in bed and never while walking around during the day, they shouldn't really get dirty or damaged and will last until your child outgrows them.
Never put your child in too-small socks at night, as this could impact blood circulation to your child's feet.
Keeping Toes Warm When Your Toddler Won't Keep Their Socks On
You've been asking yourself, "Should a toddler sleep with socks?" and you've made the decision that, based on the temperature in your toddler's bedroom and the time of year, your toddler would benefit from wearing socks.
You choose well-fitted toddler socks with breathable organic cotton and lovingly fit them onto your toddler's feet during your bedtime routine. Your toddler drifts off to sleep, but when you check on them an hour later you find that the socks have been kicked off and their toes are as cold as ever. What should you do now?
If your toddler won't keep their socks on, there are plenty of other safe ways to keep little feet warm during the night. Footed pyjamas or onesies aren't just for babies and, depending on where you shop, can come in sizes as large as child's size 7.
If you're happy to shop online, you'll even find footed pyjamas in adult sizes. Alternatively, try tucking an additional sheet or swaddling blanket quite tightly towards the bottom of your child’s bed, so that just their lower legs and feet can slip beneath.
Some children enjoy additional pressure on their legs and feet while they sleep, so this type of foot pouch could even promote a better night's sleep.
If your toddler tends to thrash around during the night and untuck or kick away any blankets, look into a specially made toddler sleeping bag. These can come in a variety of heat strengths and are worn over normal pyjamas or just a nappy, depending on the temperature in the room.
Unlike a onesie or footed pyjamas, which fit snugly on your child's body and replace their pyjamas, a toddler sleeping bag is like having a loose blanket that can't be kicked off.
The takeaway is that there is no reason why a toddler can't sleep with socks. This is especially the case if your toddler expresses a desire to have their feet covered at night, if they've outgrown their sleeping bag or it’s otherwise too warm for footed pyjamas, or if the room is chilly enough that your own feet are feeling a little cold too.
Just make sure that the socks aren't so tight that they could cut off circulation to your toddler's feet, and that they're made from organic breathable material like cotton.
Should a toddler sleep with socks? There is no hard and fast rule that says all toddlers must wear socks at night. However, if you decide that your toddler would be more comfortable with socks on or if they appear to get a better night's sleep when their feet are toasty warm, by all means, put socks on your toddler as part of your bedtime routine.