Most women love to shop and purchase shoes. Buying shoes for your little ones can be a daunting and very important parental duty. Considering the child will need his or her feet for approximately 80 years, you don’t want the wrong shoe to end up altering the child’s mobility for life.
You do not need to place shoes on your infant’s feet! A baby’s foot is in need of developing certain bone structure, muscles and tendons from birth to approximately 10 months of age. During these first 10 months it is important to not have your baby in a pair of shoes. While putting your baby girl in a pair of Mary Janes for a special occasion shouldn’t have a devastating lifelong effect you don’t want to put the latest style of Airforce Ones on your infant.
It is very important to keep socks on your baby’s feet for warmth. Socks with the rubber grippers on the bottom will provide traction for those babies’s who are starting to toddle.
Around the age of 8-10 months you will notice your baby starting to pull themselves up on furniture trying to stand in anticipation of walking; this is the time to start to think about the shoes your baby will need. It’s not until your little one is actually walking that you will need to put their feet into a pair of the hottest new Adidas Sambas or Striderites special oxford.
A few tips to consider when making the purchase of baby shoes:
- Sneakers-Allow for proper development as they usually are free of constraints. Most commonly they are made of canvas and pliable leather that tends to mold to the toddlers foot for a good fit
- Hard sole vs. soft sole-keep in mind that soft sole shoes are prone to cause slip & falls. The toddler will do best with a rubber or leather hard sole.
- Open-toed shoe vs. close-toed shoes- Closed toed shoes are much better in providing support and comfort for your growing toddler.
- New vs. used-New is best! Shoes mold to the wearers feet. Putting cousin Billy’s sneakers on your toddler that just started walking is a very bad idea, as the fit will never be correct and the shoes can lack in support and function from past use.
Cheap vs. expensive-This depends on your wallet. Cheap shoes are OK. It is more important that the shoes that your toddler wears are a perfect fit. Ill fitting shoes can be a danger and a hazard.
Ultimately, your child’s shoes need to fit so take them to a retailer that is versed in children’s shoes to assist with your important task of shoeing your family.