THINKING SMALL: Making strides in children’s footwear | Lower Extremity Review Magazine

This article is an excellent snapshot of where we are today with children's footwear and shoe fitting. The frustrating part is that after 100 years, we still don't have a definitive guide for parents and caregivers of the right way to size and buy children's shoes. Instead of being far ahead of a century's worth of hard, damaging shoes, it seems we haven't really made enough of a leap in shoe design, but are now starting to understand the implications. Based on the studies highlighted in this article, we are doing much more damage to children's feet by not understanding the best environment for growing feet, damage that in many cases may be permanent.

It's something most parents don't give much thought to. Many (including me at times)We handle purchasing a pair of shoes as casually as buying a sweater or pair of pants for their child. 'We're driven by color, style, function. Or, rather, our children drive us to focus on these things and we forget the bigger picture, our responsibility as parents. But sweaters don't cause hammertoes, and pants won't lead to medical problems down the road.

I think the entire parenting community needs to be made aware of how important proper foot development is. I understand this on some level, but not once has it ever been mentioned in my children's well-visits with the pediatrician. That's where it needs to start. It is up to the medical community to educate us so that the footwear industry will respond with adequately supporting shoes and do away with fashion trends that are permanently damaging children's feet.

What do you think?


THINKING SMALL: Making strides in children’s footwear | Lower Extremity Review Magazine

We Want To Change the Way You Think About Kids' Feet

I've been thinking a lot about how we view kids' feet and all the commonly held views on kids' feet that, as new parents, we tend to absorb while we're learning the ropes of parenting. Things like, "let them walk barefoot as often as possible," and "don't worry if they're walking a little funny, they'll grow out of it." We just shrug and say "Okay, the experts are saying this so I guess it must be right."

Well, I've always had issue with the first comment - walking barefoot. That works great for my friends Dave and Tami in Hawaii, where the kids spend much of their day on the beach or outside in general. Up here in the Northeast, we tend to have frozen tundra from November to March, so barefoot outside is impossible, and inside it's still too cold for little toes on those hardwood floors!

Yes, there is something to be said when a child is first learning to walk about letting their feet touch the ground and learn how to work the muscles to provide the stability they need to move forward. However, once they've got it down, then it's more important to find them shoes that continue to enhance that muscle and bone development while protecting them from the elements.

As for the outgrowing comment, while most kids sometimes do walk funny for the first few years, they may "outgrow" the behavior, but sticking them in shoes that don't have adequate cushioning arch support or stabalizing heel support can very well drive them down the path that many of us adults are finding - back aches, knee pain, foot pain. Much of this can be traced back to our childhoods when we were wearing shoes that didn't have the right inner support and cushioning to let our bones grow and muscles develop correctly.

So, I disagree with the "experts" on this one - I've seen firsthand that putting Arch Angels in my children's shoes have made a difference today in their level of comfort and stamina, and I strongly believe that that difference will lead to fewer long-term problems with their feet, knees, backs and overall physical health.

What do you think? Do you follow the conventional wisdom about minimal support when they're in their formative years? What did your pediatrician say to you if you brought up the fact that Timmy seems to walk on the outsides of his feet? I'd love to hear your comments!