What you need to know about children's shoes
Like many of the parents I see in the clinic, I am constantly amazed that my children seem to outgrow their shoes every few weeks.
What was a well-fitting shoe only a few weeks ago suddenly has toes busting out all over the place.
It is so important to look after your childrens feet
Children need the right shoes
Every day I get asked by concerned parents about what show should their child wear.
Firstly, it's important to realise there is no one perfect shoe.
Everyone's feet are slightly different so it makes sense that every child's footwear requirements will also be different.
Shoes help to protect their feet from injury and from the heat and the cold.
When toddlers are learning to walk, they should be in bare feet or a soft-soled shoe as much as possible so they can feel what they touch with their feet and develop muscle strength.
Have your child’s shoes professionally fitted, which should include measuring each foot for length and width.
Children’s feet grow very quickly and their shoe size may need updating every few months.
Shoes that are too tight can hamper your child’s walking and cause problems, such as ingrown toenails.
There are basically 5 factors to consider when choosing shoes for your children:
- Does it fit their feet properly?
- How high is the heel (heel drop)?
- Does it have enough cushioning for the surfaces they are using it on?
- What holds the shoe to their feet?
- Is it appropriate for their activities?
Does the shoe fit the foot?
This is probably THE most important fact to consider when buying your child's next shoes.
O properly fitting shoe is vital to let the foot develop as normally as possible and help your child remain pain-free and active all their life.
Look at the fit across the ball of the foot and the fit across the toes.
Also, you need to consider if the shape of the toe box of the shoe matches the shape of your child's foot.
Does your child have a narrow heel or a wide heel: the fit at the heel is important for making sure the shoes do not slip about or grip the heel too tightly and cause blisters.
Some kids have quite a high arch and need a lot of room in the midfoot of the shoe.
How high is the heel (what's the heel drop)?
For a while now there has been a lot of all about the height of the heel of children's shoes and whether kids need to be wearing flat-soled (low drop) shoes or not.
A child learning to walk receives important sensory information from the soles of their feet touching the ground.
The best advice for younger children (toddlers and children just starting to walk) is for them to wear shoes that are flat and flexible at the toes so they can feel the ground underneath them.
When toddlers have been walking on their own confidently for a period of time, they can progress to a firmer soled shoe.
How much cushioning should a shoe have?
The amount of cushioning in a shoe really depends on the surfaces your children are playing and running on.
For example, if your kid's school has lots of concrete and asphalt, then a shoe with lots of cushioning is important to protect their feet from the hard surfaces underneath them.
On the other hand, if they are playing sports on soft grass, they can use a firmer soled shoe as the ground will give a little more cushioning.
Talk to your trained shoe-fitter about what surfaces your child will be active on before deciding on what to buy for them.
What holds the shoe to their feet?
Remember when your kids were just starting to walk and their toes would grip and claw to stabilise them and hold them up?
Well, if a shoe does not grip your child's feet, your child will have to grip and claw with their toes to hold onto the shoe.
An appropriate fastener like a strap, buckle, velcro or laces, also the shoe to hold itself onto your child's foot and stops your child from gripping the shoe to hand onto it.
This will reduce stress not the toes and prevent clawing of the toes and unnecessary stress on the feet.
Is the shoe appropriate for their activities?
The shoes kids wear need to be appropriate for the activities they are doing.
Wearing a pair of hard-soled football shoes all day at school is no more appropriate than using fancy dress-up shoes for running about on the beach all day.
Choose the shoe based upon what your child will most like be doing in them.
We Are Here To Help
If you are unsure what shoes your child should be wearing, the first thing to do is book an appointment with one of our Podiatrists at Complete Podiatry for a comprehensive assessment.
Just call us on 8330 0004 I'll love to talk to you about how we can help you build an amazing life from the feet up!
Anthony Robinson
Director of Complete Podiatry