A sock can look tiny in the package and still be the wrong tiny size. The heel is a useful clue once it's on: is it sitting at the heel, or halfway up the ankle? Before you get that far, start with the maker's size guidance rather than trying to turn “Infant” or “Toddler” into a universal age range.
Maggie's baby socks come in those two size options. We carry the natural baby anklets and the multicolor baby and toddler socks, both in three-pair packs. Work out the size first; the colors can come after.
Find a useful size reference
If the child wears shoes, note the current shoe size. For a baby who doesn't, a foot measurement gives you something more specific to compare with the maker's guidance. Keep the unit and measuring method clear, and ask about the matching size if the information doesn't answer it.
For a gift, this is a good question to ask the caregiver. The socks a baby uses now are a much better reference than an age-based guess, especially if you don't see them often.
Heel, toes, cuff
When trying the socks, position the heel and smooth the fabric toward the toes. Look for extra folds at the end or a heel that sits well above or below where it belongs. Try the pair with the clothes or shoes it will normally accompany.
The natural anklets can be worn with the cuff folded or unfolded. Folding changes the height on the leg; it doesn't make the foot part smaller. Check the fit again when the child's shoes or other clothing move up a size, rather than assuming the little socks can keep going indefinitely.
The full fiber label is worth reading
Organic cotton socks can be a blend. Maggie's infant and toddler color anklet three-pack lists 78.5% organic cotton, 19.3% nylon and 2.2% spandex. Those are the figures for that style, not a formula for every sock Maggie's makes.
If a family has a particular material preference, leave the package and full fiber information attached to the gift. The natural pair's undyed, unbleached cotton description and the color pair's complete composition tell you different things. Neither should be shortened to an assumption that all organic-cotton socks are entirely cotton.
How many pairs will be useful?
Count the pairs used between washes, plus anything that lives in an outing bag or at childcare. Three pairs can fill a very particular gap. Include them in the same calculation as the other little clothes; our baby wardrobe guide works through that routine.
Maggie's color anklet instructions call for warm machine washing and medium drying. Keep the instructions for the particular pair, especially when it is being passed to another household.
For more about blends, our cotton and synthetic fibers guide starts with the garment's job. With socks, the useful details are close at hand: the actual size, the full label and how the pair sits on the foot.
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