Practical information to protect your child’s feet
There is much conflicting information on babies and children’s foot health, as a Podiatrist and a Mum I have written this information to help you to protect your child’s feet. Having worked as a podiatrist for nearly 20 years, I know all too well how deformed feet can cripple patients, especially as they get older. Today’s elderly often have bunions and hammertoes, as their parents were unable to afford good fitting shoes when younger. Tomorrow’s elderly will have deformed feet and poor posture due to fashion and a general trend to try to speed development of children.
So here are some tips and notes I hope are helpful:
Check out the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists website (www.feetforlife.org) this gives a practical foot care guide for parents including how to cut toenails, treat verrucae and check the fit of shoes.
Remember a child's feet grow rapidly during the first year, reaching almost half their adult foot size. This is why foot specialists consider the first year to be the most important in the development of the feet. Their feet are not fully developed until they are 18 years old.
Avoid the tempation to keep your baby small by keeping them in that cute babygro once he or she has out grown it. A child’s skeletal and nervous system are so immature that the feet will get squashed easily without the child complaining, causing long term damage.
Let your baby develop at its own rate . Do not use babywalkers, which can put too much weight onto joints that are not yet ready to take it.
Allow three months of walking unaided to pass before putting your baby into shoes. I know it is tempting to buy shoes, it’s an exciting time but babies’ feet will change rapidly in this time. I got my son’s feet measured just before he started walking then three months later and they had gone up three (European) shoes sizes in this time. At this inbetween stage try grippy thick socks such as those from www.spiritofnature.co.uk and www.raindrops.co.uk. They can also be purchased from Doogies Children’s shoe shop in Wallingford who can check the size. For outside when it’s wet and cold try the polarpaws also from raindrops, these are effectively waterproof socks that allow the feet to do as they need to do at this stage of early walking
Give your baby plenty of tummy play time for the development of their musculoskeletal system building up strength in preparation for sitting, standing and walking.
Encourage your children to play barefoot, this improves balance and builds up the little foot muscles so essential to walking and prevention of deformity.
A flexible sole in a shoe is essential to allow the foot to move correctly and feel the ground, developing strength and co-ordination. Often toddlers’ shoes and especially fashion trainers have thick stiff soles that can cause walking problems such as toe walking.
All toddlers and babies have flat feet to give them maximum contact with the ground to make them more stable, if they are still very flat by the age of 5 then seek advice from a Podiatrist who specialises in Biomechanics.
Lastly verrucae, make sure your child stays free from them, this is a good case of prevention being better than cure, they lurk around wet, non slip, communal floor surfaces such as around swimming pools. So flip flops, jelly shoes or rubber socks for the whole family to prevent your family picking them up and spreading them on, yes please.
If you are concerned about your child’s feet, walking or posture please do give us a call or come along and see us at The Orchard Clinic.