Podantics Podiatry Adelaide
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Children's Shoes


Children and Shoes

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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. Podiatrists consider the early years to be essential in the development of foot problems.

Getting the right advice from the start is important.
Ingrown toenails, corns and blisters can develop quickly by wearing the wrong shoes. Children who continually wear the wrong shoes can develop a range of problems later in life and exacerbate inherited foot problems such as bunions and clawed toes.

Infants

When it comes to shoes for babies there are so many options that its hard to know where to start. The truth is babies generally dont need shoes at all. As long as a baby's feet are kept warm and protected they wont need the support of a shoe until they are weight bearing,
The most important thing you can do for your baby's growth and development is to make sure their feet have plenty of space for natural movement.  Avoid tight bedclothes, booties, socks or blankets. 

Toddlers & Early Walkers

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Children with good muscle tone and foot posture generally don't need shoes for support but rather to protect their feet from harm when exploring. 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 excessively hard and inflexible soles can make walking more difficult in the early walker as it disrupts this normal sensory feedback loop between the feet and the brain. It is important to allow your child to go barefoot regularly to help them develop balance, coordination and posture. Whilst this is true for most children, there are some conditions where barefoot is not considered beneficial. These cases may include symptomatic flat feet, ligament laxity and low tone that affect foot posture and other pathology involving pain or dysfunction in the feet particularly where the additional support of shoe, arch support or boot may be required.

School Shoes

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With fashion shoes being marketed so extensively, children can be under a lot of peer pressure to wear the most expensive brands. But as the name suggests, fashion shoes are best left for fashion, not for school.

Traditional school shoes or well made stable sports shoes are the best option for your children as they are likely to outlast fashion 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 moderately stiff sole (not too flimsy). The sole of a shoe should not bend except at the ball of the foot.
  • A good lace up or strap to hold the foot firmly in the shoe. (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.)
  • Leather or open weaved material 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 Children's 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 for areas that may rub and cause blisters.
  • 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 too 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 worn out hand-me-down shoes as these shoes will have molded to the shape of the original child's foot potentially causing 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

Still Confused?

Thats okay. Each child's needs vary slightly between children so its okay to be confused. These suggestions are only a guidelines so if you find yourself in need of more specialised advice, or you'd like us to check out your child's shoes our Podiatrist can help.

> Children's Clinic
> Childrens Podiatry
> 7 Back to School Shopping tips

Contact Us

Unley Rd: 08 8272 8755
Magill: 08 8364 0112

supporter of:
www.thefootshop.com.au

Services

General Podiatry
Children's Podiatry
Foot Pain
Ingrown Toenail Surgery
Orthotics & Biomechanics
Sports Podiatry
Skin & Nail Care

Foot Conditions

Cracked heels
Foot & Ankle Injuries
Heel Pain
Ingrown Toenails
Nail Problems
Plantar Fasciitis
Diabetic Feet
Sports Podiatrist
Podiatry Association Member
Ph: 08 8364 0112
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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Latest News
    • NDIS Podiatry
  • Podiatry
    • General Podiatry
    • Heel Pain Centre
    • Childrens Podiatry
    • Skin and Nail Care
    • Cracked Heels
    • Diabetic Podiatry
    • Biomechanics and Orthotics
    • Nail Surgery
    • Foot & Ankle Injuries
  • Pedicures
  • Conditions
    • Heel Pain >
      • Heel Spur
      • Plantar Fasciopathy
      • Plantar Fasciitis
      • Sever's Disease and Heel Pain in Children
    • Heel Callus Cracked heels
    • Foot Conditions >
      • Achilles Tendonitis
      • Ankle Pain and Sprains
      • Bunion's
      • Cold Feet
      • Flat Feet (over prontation)
      • Foot Cramps
      • Gout
      • Toes Deformities
      • Hot Feet
      • Mortons Neuroma
      • Overlapping Toes
      • Posterior Tibial Tendonitis
      • Shin Splints
      • Smelly Feet
      • Swollen Feet
      • Tendonitis
    • Ingrown Toenails
    • Nail Problems >
      • Fungal Toenails (onychomycosis)
    • Skin Problems >
      • Athletes Foot & Tinea
      • Blisters
      • Calluses
      • Chilblains
      • Corns
      • Warts
    • Diabetic Feet >
      • Diabetic Foot
      • Diabetic Shoe Wear
      • Foot Ulcers
      • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Childrens Feet
    • Pregnancy and Feet
    • How to promote health feet in children and babies
    • Children and shoes
    • Paediatric flat feet
  • Sports Podiatry
    • Orthotics
    • Running
  • Adelaide Clinics
    • Unley Rd Podiatry
    • Magill Podiatry
    • Tranmere Village Medical Centre
    • Contact Us
  • Coronavirus Policy