Children and shoes

Children and Shoes

Shoes that fit are vital to a young child's rapidly growing feet. By the time a child reaches the age of 12, his or her feet will have reached about 90 percent of their adult length. Therefore, development of a child's feet is especially important in these first 12 years of life and it is the reason podiatrists consider the early years to be essential in the development of foot problems.

Children who continually wear the wrong shoes can develop a range of problems later in life, and can also exacerbate inherited foot problems. Common problems such as hammer toes and ingrown toenails are often caused by shoes that are too big or too small. The wrong choice of shoe such as sling back shoes and thongs can lead to dry skin, cracked or fissured heels and corns. Correct shoe wear is also important when it comes to slowing the development and progression of bunions.

Infants

Let's be honest. There are many infant shoes on the market that are terribly cute. However, in may cases, they can also be terribly bad for their feet. It is important not to restrict a baby's growth and development with tight bedclothes, booties, socks or blankets, and especially shoes. Allow them to kick and exercise their legs and feet naturally, and try to avoid walking frames, as they can place increased stress on bones and muscles prematurely, and create abnormal movement patterns. Babies will begin walking through natural development, which usually occurs, between 9 and 18 months.

Toddlers

Children with healthy feet generally don't need shoes for support, but to protect their feet from sharp objects when exploring outdoors. A toddler learning to walk receives important sensory information from the soles of their feet, which affects their balance, reflexes and muscle coordination. Shoes, particularly those with hard and inflexible soles, can make walking more difficult as it disrupts this normal sensory feedback loop between legs and brain. It is important to allow your child to go barefoot regularly to help them develop balance, coordination and posture.
Additional points to consider in this age group include sleeping and sitting positions. Try to encourage your child to avoid sleeping on their stomach or kneeling on with their feet turned out. Sitting with legs crossed is preferred, and encourages normal hip and knee development.

School Shoes

With sports shoes being marketed so extensively, children can be under a lot of peer pressure to wear the most expensive brand of sports shoes. But as the name suggests, sports shoes are best left for sporting activities.

Not only are sports shoes unnecessary for children in their everyday school activities, but also some of the cheaper brands offer little in the way of support. Traditional school shoes are the best option for your children as they are likely to outlast sports shoes and provide the correct support required for young feet.

Qualities to look for in a school shoe include:

Adequate length and width (especially across the ball of the foot and toes).
A firm heel counter (the area that surrounds the heel).
A stiff sole, except at the ball of the foot where the shoes should provide adequate flexibility for the foot to bend. (Elastic sided boots are not normally advised as the elastic stretches after a short period and the boot loses most of its support and stability.)
A good lace up or strap to hold the foot firmly in the shoe.
Leather or open weaved uppers to help prevent excess moisture build up.

All parents want to ensure their children put their best foot forward when they go off to school - and there is no better way of doing that than ensuring they have the right shoes.

Tips for buying shoes?

Here are some useful tips for parents buying shoes for their children:

Try shoes on with socks that will be worn with the shoes
Stand-up to tie laces and check width
Check length from the longest toe - not always the big toe
Growing room is important, but never buy a shoe for a child that is excessively large to 'grow into'
Ensure the shoe is flexible at the ball of the foot
Make sure that you check the fit each time you go shopping and again at the beginning of each school term.
Never wear hand-me-down shoes - the shoes will have molded to the original shape of the original child's foot, which can cause problems for the next child.
Try both shoes on - very few people have two feet with the same width and length
Perhaps the most important advice for parents is to visit a reputable shoe store where sales assistants are trained in correctly fitting shoes

Children's Shoes