There is so much out there that you 'need' to buy for your new baby... or do you? Here are three articles which take a look into three important ways we provide for our babies - how we carry them, where they sleep and (the often over looked importance of) the feet. Find out what you really need and why, this information can help you make an informed decision when shopping. Most importantly, taking a look at what is the most respectful approach to meeting your babies biological needs.
Shoes: Healthy Feet
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The Shape of Things Today
Young feet are soft and malleable things, and with ill fitting shoes feet can easily mould themselves into foot problems. Foot trouble can also come with knock-on affects such as bad posture, knee, hip, back pain, headaches and more. Having healthy feet depends on having healthy shoes and plenty of barefoot time. “More than 80% of foot problems, bunions and injuries are a result of misshaped and inflexible shoes.” Vivobarefoot Strong Hands, Weak Feet We all rely on our hands and fingers, unless we have lost them and when we do loose use of them for a little while, we realize how much we use our hands! We all grow up with our hands and fingers having enough room for growth, movement, the freedom to feel and get important information about the world around us. So what about our toes and feet? “70% of your brain’s information for movement comes from the nerves on the soles of your feet; the more you can feel the ground, the greater your body’s understanding of its surrounding environment.” Vivobarefoot Do you think you could use your hand to write if your fingers had been swaddled in a tight sock-like mitten all your life? Most us of have had our feet swaddled away with socks for most of our lives, our toes are weak and useless in comparison to those that have the ability to use their toes to pick things up, write, paint, climb and gather information about their environment or an object. Healthy feet have good strong foot muscles and muscle tone, balance, ankle strength, strong flexible toes, no bunions, corns, ingrown toe nails and are the shape of healthy feet. Healthy feet provide a good base for a healthy body. If we can give our feet the same freedom as we do our bare hands, we will have healthy feet and hands. For The Ultimate Foot Health We wear shoes for practical, fashion and social reasons, however the PURPOSE of the shoe is protecting feet, mainly the soles of the feet, particularly for outdoor ventures. However, the major cause of foot trouble is brought about by unhealthy shoes that we wear. Scientific research and orthopedic specialists will tell you that barefoot is best for developing healthy feet. So when you are looking for a pair of healthy shoes, you are looking for a pair that will keep you feet in the ‘barefoot’ custom they should be used to –
It helps to understand a little more about young feet and the conditions that are needed for healthy foot development. The ‘bones’ in a child’s foot are actually pliable bone, similar to cartilage and firm up into solid bone at about 18/19 years old for girls and 20/21 years old for boys. The foot is at its most softest and malleable for the first 4 years. Children that wear shoes are more likely to have flat feet than those that do not, it is suggested that wearing shoes in early childhood can be detrimental to the longitudinal arch of the foot. Babies and small children are often unable to communicate that shoes are not the correct fit. Therefore children’s shoes and feet need to be checked regularly so that your child never has ill fitted or shoes too small. When buying a pair of shoes for your child you will be looking for the correct size, young feet can be shaped and the bone can become deformed easily with the wrong conditions. Healthy Baby Feet – From Birth to Crawling Babies do not require shoes, in any form, functional or fashion. Little feet need to be given enough room for movement, blankets need to be loose not tight, with plenty of room for spreading, stretching, moving toes and feet. Ideally creating a tent-like area at the feet leaves enough room for the toes to exercise without blanket constriction. Socks, tights, booties and the feet of stretch-and-grows all need to allow for room to move in the, either pull the toe down to allow an inch of space past the toes, or have a bigger size. Soft Shoes made of material or leather soles that have grip and allow plenty of room for toe movement are all a crawling baby needs for outdoor protection. Barefoot is best. NB: Cold feet are normal for babies, the circulatory system does not fully develop in a baby until they reach 3 to 4 months old. That is why a finger down the back of the neck is the best way to check your baby’s body temperature rather than checking hands or feet. Healthy Toddling Feet – From Crawling to Walking and Beyond Because the key purpose of shoes is to protect feet, you cue to getting their first pair of shoes comes when they start walking outside in areas that their feet need protection. Keeping in mind that barefoot time is best, there will be terrain outdoors that is safe to walk barefoot. Remember also that all soft feet start out just that, soft, until the skin toughens up to do its own protecting, the way all our feet are designed to do. What you need to know when looking for healthy shoes for the first years of your child’s shod life - There needs to be plenty of room for the toes growth and movement. Make sure the toe area is wide so the toes can spread right out. Toes must never touch the top end of the shoe, there must always be room to grow into the shoe. To test the flexibility of a shoe, hold the shoe in one hand with the heel in your palm and toes at your fingers and grasp. Soles that are over 6mm thick prevent 80 to 90 percent of children’s foot flexibility. If you cannot bend the shoe easily or at all, a small foot would not find this shoe fully flexible. If the shoe bends at the ball (directly under the toe area) and not the center of the shoe then that shoe may have an ‘arch support’, a small foot would not find this shoe fully flexible. Avoid any sign of an elevated heel of any height on a child’s shoe, this shortens the Achilles tendon. Many parents find that their children want to be barefoot. Your children along with the orthopedic specialists, know that barefoot is best. By going barefoot they are not only developing their feet, sensory system and balance, but they will also be connecting to the earth, something widely know as Earthing. It is important that your child has plenty of barefoot time, and when their feet are covered up having plenty of room and flexibility, they will have healthy feet without any ailments due to constricted feet and ill fitting shoes. Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. My writing is a product of research, reading and first-hand experience. |
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