Footwear for children
When should my child start wearing shoes?
If your child isn’t walking yet, she doesn’t need to wear shoes. If she has just started walking, shoes can help prevent accidental injuries. Shoes with higher ankle support don’t necessarily offer better support than shoes with low-cut ankles. However, a shoe with a higher ankle might help at this stage since they are harder for your toddler to remove.
Some people think that shoes are needed to support a child’s developing leg and foot muscles and bone structure to help prevent future problems with walking. Your child’s feet will develop naturally and will almost never require any special footwear.
Shoes have become softer, wider, lighter and more comfortable. Your child’s shoes should:
- Protect his feet.
- Offer some grip on smooth surfaces.
- Ensure comfortable walking on different types of surfaces (e.g., pavement, gravel and sand).
When choosing shoes for your child, make sure they:
- Fit snugly at the heel to stop the foot from moving forward while walking.
- Allow room for the toes – approximately 1.25 cm (a thumb’s width) between the longest toe and the tip of the shoe while your child is standing up.
- Have a 5 mm space between the edge of the shoe and all toes.
- Have a small crease in the material if you pinch the shoe while your child standing.
- Your child should always try on shoes before you buy them.
Shoes used to fix problems such as flatfoot or intoeing are called corrective footwear. Most children don’t need special footwear. Your child’s feet and legs will change naturally as she grows.
The arch of the foot between the heel and the big toe (the natural curve at the bottom of the foot) develops before 6 years of age. Almost all children younger than 18 months of age have flat feet. This can also be common until your child is 6 years of age. A small number of children still have flatfoot by the time they are 10 years of age. If your child continues to have flatfoot but it doesn’t cause any pain or discomfort, corrective shoes or orthotics are not necessary. If your child complains of pain while walking, contact your doctor to discuss your choices
Intoeing
Intoeing happens when the feet turn inward instead of pointing straight ahead when walking or running. It is common in children and usually gets better as your child gets older, without the use of corrective shoes
Growing
Your child’s feet will change quickly as he grows. Before 18 months of age, his feet will probably grow by more than one-half a shoe size every two months. A toddler’s feet grow an average of one-half a size every three months. Once your child is 3 years of age, his feet will grow by about one size every year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc aliquam justo et nibh venenatis aliquet. Morbi mollis mollis pellentesque. Aenean vitae erat velit. Maecenas urna sapien, dignissim a augue vitae, porttitor luctus urna. Morbi scelerisque semper congue. Donec vitae congue quam. Pellentesque convallis est a eros porta, ut porttitor magna convallis. Donec quis felis imperdiet, vestibulum est ut, pulvinar dolor. Mauris laoreet varius sem, tempus congue nibh elementum facilisis. Aliquam ut odio risus. Mauris consectetur mi et ante aliquam, eget posuere urna semper. Vestibulum vestibulum rhoncus enim, id iaculis eros commodo non.