The Best Kids’ Socks, According to My Picky Kids
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Kids’ socks can be surprisingly difficult to shop for. Too many of them sag or bunch up or wear out too quickly, and besides that, what kids need (and want) in a sock changes as they get older.
When my kids were babies, I became obsessed with finding socks that stayed on. No matter how high or how snug they went on, they tended to wander, only to be spotted at the playground or on the sidewalk days later. With toddlers, I wanted socks or slippers that could withstand them trying to tug them off.
As my kids have gotten older, we’ve tried our fair share of brands and styles. My son, now 8, loves tall, ribbed athletic socks, often with a pattern or stripes. They’re partially for sport but mostly for style. They need to be easy to put on, durable for all his running around, and the taller the sock, the better. My 10-year-old daughter, in contrast, prefers a thinner cotton sock all year round. In summer, it’s a sporty ankle sock. If she’s getting dressed up or fancy, she prefers a ruffle, a cute pattern, or something that feels a little fancier.
As a longtimesockaficionada myself, I support my kids expressing themselves through their sock choices. There aresocksfor pure coziness, socks as a fashion accent,socks for compression, socks for hiking (so you don’t get blisters), and socks that are just fun. Whatever their purpose, socks need to withstand many washes and not be so precious that they can’t eventually be lost to the wash, as all socks eventually are. Here are my favorite styles for kids, grouped by age (though many of these cover a wider range of sizes), as tested by me and my extremely opinionated children.
Baby and toddler socks
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We had these wool socks in the stripes pack when my kids were babies. They are plush and stretchy, easy to pull on, and stayed on notably better than many of the cotton socks we tried. The cuff can either be folded over or pulled up over baby leggings.
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These wool-cashmere baby socks are the crème de la crème of foot coverings for tiny humans. They also stay on incredibly well due to the 3 percent spandex mixed into the blend. They rarely need washing (because babies’ feet don’t really touch the ground) and come in many adorable patterns and colors. They make for an ideal fancy baby gift.
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When my kids started to toddle around, a little after a year old, these stretchy cotton socks with anti-skid grippers were our go-tos. They helped limit wipeouts on our hardwood floors, and my kids loved picking out the animal-of-the-day that they’d put on their feet.
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Another set of animal-themed socks my kids wore frequently as toddlers, but they’re stretchy enough that we got many years of wear out of them. These don’t have anti-slip soles, but they come up to the knees and are super-soft.
While it’s debatable whether these are slippers or socks, these were the indestructible footwear of choice once my kids started walking and then into their toddler years. They have a non-slip-but-breathable rubber sole and are machine washable (air drying is recommended). They pull on as easily as socks and can be worn both inside and out, making them an ideal transitional sock-shoe for kids, from toddlers up to kids wearing a U.S. kids size 3 to 3.5 (34/35 in Collégien’s European sizing).
Little kid socks
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From the ages of 2 to 5, my son insisted on having a rainbow component to his outfit every day. Many days, he wore a rainbow shirt, rainbow hat, and these rainbow socks, which came in a pack of assorted rainbow0stripe patterns. Years later, they are still favorites in the rotation. The ribbing makes them easy-on, easy-off, and he still gets compliments for the pop of color every time we’re out.
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This funky independent online boutique has its own line of kidswear, including these ankle-height grippy socks that keep little kids from slip-sliding indoors. The rubber gribbers hold up in the wash, and the graphics range from snails to eyeballs to strawberries.
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Artist turned designer Hannah Byun’s L.A.-based brand is known for its cute and fashionable women’s socks. Unsurprisingly, its kids line is also terrific, offering a mix of whimsical graphic, floral, and abstract patterns. Thestrawberry crew sockswere a longtime favorite when my kids were smaller, and now they love the vertically striped Mini Umbrella Crew, which offers a good bit of stretch. Note that Hansel From Basel’s sizing tends to run a bit small compared to other brands we’ve tried.
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Made in small batches at a mill in Alabama, these organic-cotton socks have a high-quality feel and real heft and come in beautiful colors. We’re partial to the striped cotton crew socks, which come in three sizes, from toddler up to a youth shoe size 1 to 3.
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These very giftable socks are colored using an ice-dye technique, in which a powdered dye is sprinkled over an ice-covered fabric. This makes each pair unique, and they are truly gorgeous. They come in different hues, from deep blues to desert tones, and are made of a thinner, stretchier cotton with ribbing that comes up mid-calf. Although sizing says they fit up to ages 4 to 6, my 10-year-old daughter with a youth size-3 shoe easily fit into them.
Big kid socks
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For everyday wear, my daughter prefers a lighter and more feminine sock style, like these brightly toned crew socks with a contrast toe. She likes that they don’t bunch in her shoes, are thin enough to wear with a ballet flat, and can feel a little fancy without being too delicate.
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When my kids are deep within an obsession — which has included wanting to wear clothes withmushrooms,ice cream,dogs, andrainbows— Happy Socks is a great option for colorful and graphic cotton socks. It offers manymulti-pack sets, which make great gifts, and often teams up with your kids’ favorite characters from movies and shows for collaborations.
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My kids are big fans of Mini Rodini, the pattern-forward brand founded by Cassandra Rhodin. Its fun graphic socks run big and tall, to my son’s delight; he likes pulling them up to his knees (they have ample stretch with the ribbing and 2 percent elastane). His favorite pair is bright green and features a lizard and has withstood years of washing and repeated wear. Mini Rodini uses EU sizing, starting from 20/23 (toddler 5 to 7) up to a 36/39 (youth 3 to 6).
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After quickly wearing holes in a few packs of very cheap ankle socks from Target, we got a pack of these from Bombas, and they’ve lasted several years. Primarily my daughter’s go-to summer style, they are cozy, just thick enough, and have the brand’s signature little tab in the back to help pull them on. They come in a wide array of colors and packs for all the kids who don’t know that ankle socks have gone out of style (but you can also get them incalf height).
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Like everything Primary offers, these socks cover the spectrum of the rainbow, with two stripes at the top offering a retro athletic feel. They are made of a thinner, stretchier cotton and run slightly large and tall, but my son insists they are very comfortable, and he likes mixing and matching the color pairs.
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These calf-height socks offer a cushioned footbed for everyday wear or for playing sports. They are significantly thicker than the Primary ones above, so better if your kid likes (or doesn’t mind) a plusher footbed.
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I live in Darn Tough’s adult merino socks in the winter months, know them to be indestructible, and find there to be no better winter sock for kids’ feet, too. These socks, which come with alifetime warranty, have held up for years and keep little feet warm in the harshest of elements. My son sometimes wears these with his footwear of choice — Crocs — in the middle of winter, and he insists his feet are still somehow warm.
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