Your child’s feet will continue to develop right up until their mid to late teens. Newborn babies’ feet don’t even have the full complement of bones they will have in later life (26), and the arch of the foot won’t develop until around the age of 2. It is essential that you ensure that their feet get the right support and protection throughout childhood to enable them to grow and develop in a healthy way.
Choosing footwear
New babies: Until your baby starts to crawl and move around, experts recommend bare feet to ensure healthy development. Socks and booties are fine for protecting against the cold when you are outside, but make sure that they don’t restrict your baby’s feet. Even jumpsuits that are too short can result in claw, retracted or hammer toes, so you may decide to opt for ones without feet.
Crawling babies: Soft, slip-on “pre-walking” shoes help protect the feet of crawling babies, and you may want to invest in at least one pair with a rubber toe-protector. However, make sure you continue to give your baby the chance, where safe, to practice crawling and standing on bare feet.
Toddlers: Once your child is walking confidently, you will need to buy some proper shoes that support and protect their feet. Experts still recommend letting your child walk around without shoes as much as possible, where it is safe to do so, as this promotes healthy foot development.
When buying shoes, it’s always best to go to a good shoe shop where you can have your child’s feet measured by staff on a machine which will accurately measure the length and width of their feet. This will ensure that the shoes you buy will be a proper fit. Outdoor shoes need to be well made and sturdy, preferably made of leather and with a flexible, non-slip sole. The toes of your child’s shoes should be wide and allow the toes inside to spread out, and high enough so that the top of the shoe doesn’t press down on the toenails.
Toddlers generally need to have their feet re-measured every 6-8 weeks, and older children every 3-4 months.
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