Toddler & shild shoes: tips on choosing the right shoes for so that they don't get sore feet.
Every parent with a baby born in winter knows the frustration of trying to keep booties and socks on a baby's feet. As soon as a baby is able, he or she will pull them off, as often as you have the patience to put them back on.
As worried as you might be about the cold, perhaps your baby knows what's best for him. Most babies are born with healthy feet and none of the deformities that can cause problems later in life. But those tiny feet are delicate and easily damaged. A child's formative years are critical and a parent needs to be aware of how easily future foot growth can be affected by ill fitting booties, all-in-one suits, shoes and socks. If you live in a temperate climate than you need not concern yourself too much about your baby's refusal to wear booties and socks.
Little babies are not born with bones in their feet. Instead they have very soft cartilage which gradually hardens into bone throughout childhood The foot does not acquire its final form until the teenage years. You should hold off buying shoes for your baby for as long as possible. A baby does not need shoes and a toddler only needs them when it is time to start walking on pavement that might hurt his or her feet.
Young children's feet have twenty-six bones but they are still very soft and moldable. The most important thing to remember when choosing shoes for your child is that their feet are still growing. This means that flexibility in the shoe is essential. To test the flexibility of a child's shoe, grasp the toe of the shoe in one hand and the heel in the other, then bend the toe and heel toward each other. If the shoe bends at the part of the sole directly behind the toes, and not through the center of the shoe, it means that the shoe has a steel arch. A shoe with steel arch support is not suitable for a child as it is almost completely inflexible and will not give a child's feet room to grow or bend.
As well as being flexible under the ball of the foot, the front of the shoe should be deep and wide enough to enable your child's growing toes to spread naturally. Allow some room for growth in the front of the shoe but no more than an adult's thumb width. To enable growth there should be some form of adjustment across the top of the shoe, such as buckles, laces or straps. This will also insure a neat fit. Velcro straps are a good option for the young child because a child can pull them on or off easily themselves and will feel more independent.
Always have your child's shoes properly fitted. Ask for brands that produce half sizes for children and different foot widths. If shoes are too big your child may be prone to tripping and falling down. If they are too small her toes can be bent backwards and out of shape. There should be a neat fit of the heel into the back of your child's shoe so that there is no movement there. Have your child walk up and down the shop to check if their heels are slipping in and out of the shoe. See if they can wiggle their toes in the shoe and if they can feel your finger pushing on the end of their toe.
If your child loves the look of the shoe they may tell you that the shoe fits whether or not it really does. Be sure not to choose a color your child hates and won't wear, but don't let them persuade you to buy an ill-fitting pair of shoes just because they love the fashion. A good pair of children's shoes can last for four to six months depending on the growth rate of your individual child.
Remember that as adults we can easily make the connection between sore feet and feeling grumpy but a young child may find this difficult to put in to words and may not even understand why they are feeling irritable. Ill fitting shoes can not only affect posture, comfort and physical confidence but also mood and personality. So choose your child's footwear with caution.
