Sock Ons

Once unwrapped (because they do look cute when they arrive), these have to be one of the least impressive-looking things that I have received to review ... but they really work ! Once you take them off the cardboard foot-shaped packaging, they look like tiny scraps of stretchy material. Which, let's be honest, is basically all they are. But they magically fit on to baby's feet, tight enough to stop his socks falling off (Pierre, at 3 & 1/2 months old, hasn't actually started pulling them off on purpose yet, but it won't be long !) but not too tight that they leave red marks on his babysoft skin.

They slip on easily, even over thick socks or thin booties, and hold socks firmly in place. It's unbelievable the number of odd baby socks I've amassed in just a few months, because they are constantly falling off around the house or even in the street - one of the downsides of using a baby carrier is that they get lost, whereas in a pram, they fall off but you can still find them afterwards !

Sock Ons are made from "a softly woven blend of elasticised material with contrasting coloured stitching around the edges". They are one-size-fits-all and although they still have a fair amount of stretch in them, I'm not sure how much longer they'll fit Pierre for (and I can't see any guidelines on the website so I'll have to make a "guesstimate" of about 6-9 months) - but this will also depend on the thickness of the socks.

They work really well for preventing socks from falling off and they would be a deterrent for babies that enjoy kicking off their socks, but with a little bit of perseverence and practice, I'm sure they would eventually manage to get them off !

For the early months, they're a Godsend though - especially in this cold weather. No more lost socks and cold feet in the baby carrier ! As you can see from the photo above, Pierre is quite happy wearing them too !

The new sneaker designs are really cute and they also do baby congratulations cards with sock-ons attached, which would make a really original and useful gift (better than a bunch of flowers any day !!)

They're a great idea for newborns and I hope Pierre won't work out how to get them off for quite some time yet ! Although they're pricey for what they are, you will save a fortune in replacing lost socks !

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £4.50 

for more info, including a list of stockists, see http://www.sockons.co.uk/