Healthy Feet means a Healthier Life. It is said that the average human foot will walk over 100,000 miles in a lifetime and take in excess of 18,000 steps in a day. In adulthood, over three quarters of the population will have some kind of problem with their feet. Many of these problems could have developed during the childhood years and this is why it is very important that we take good care of the feet of a newborn baby. They have a very long and hard life ahead of them.
The Foot Structure of a Baby
Newborn babies' feet has very soft bone, muscle and tendons and is extremely vulnerable to damage and although experts advise that babies should not wear shoes, it is important that their feet are kept warm to encourage healthy growth. Therefore, booties made from soft materials are adequate just so long as they are loose fitting.
Tight footwear will restrict movement and inhibit natural foot growth and development.
Fitted Shoes
Baby Shoes should enable the feet to breathe and develop without any restrictions and yet still keep them at a comfortable temperature. An ill-fitting shoe at any stage in development can result in pain, sores and deformity.
Growing Feet
By the time an infant is one year old their feet will have grown to half its adult size and will then take another seventeen to eighteen years to be fully developed. By the age of five the foot will have it's full count of 26 bones, although they will still not be fully formed by the age of eight.
Measuring Baby and Kids Feet
Kids' feet do not grow at a consistent pace and therefore it is very important to check the shoe size as regularly as possible to ensure the child's shoe is not preventing healthy growth. Also, feet should be inspected for red marks and sores. Both feet should be checked, as it is common for one foot to be bigger than the other. Up to the age of five Children should have their feet properly measured every 6 to 8 weeks by a trained person, as this is about the time it takes for some children's feet to grow a half size or even a full size. Every 4 to 5 months after this age should be adequate.
Toddlers should learn to balance themselves and start to walk unaided in bare feet and not wear
shoes made of hard materials until they are confident on their feet.
Fitting the Shoes
To ensure you choose the correct shoes, some experts advise that you take your child to the shoe shop in the afternoon when their feet are swelled to their largest.
Shoes should be comfortable and easy to put on from the date of purchase, do not expect them to "break in". Kids grow quickly, so if the shoe fits perfectly from the first day, they will become too small within a few weeks but also, a shoe that's too big can cause problems so it is very important that the shoe is designed to provide maximum safe room for growth. The soft bones and cartilage on Children's feet can easily be bent out of shape without the parent or the child realising. Properly designed footwear is the first step to healthy children's feet. Only when the shoe is on the foot can trained personnel know if it fits well or not. This will be carried out with the use of a length and width gauge as well as their experienced sense of touch.
Foot care, shoe selection, correct fitting and education are essential issues in protecting your children's feet from potential damage and other complications in later life.
Author: Tom Andrew
