The BiG Story

Best Foot Forward

What you should know before buying shoes for your child.

I Diane Baldwin
I AppleTree Staff Writer

hen my son was born,
among the gifts he
received was a cute,
I newborn-sized baseball outfit. It
I had a pair of tiny, coordinating
1 cloth shoes I tried to put on Nick
I when I dressed him in his uniform.
1 But they had short laces and just
1 didn't stay on — so they remained
in his drawer.
I didn't try shoes again until Nick
1 started crawling around, and then I
1 didn't know which to buy. Which
1 features were best? Could a shoe
turn out to be harmful? As a first-
: time mother, I went to the profes-
1 sionals for answers. Here is what I
I discovered.
Infants do not need to wear shoes
1 unless you want to complete an outfit
1 or keep slippery socks on feet, says
1 Virginia Hollis, manager of Hansel &
Gretel Shoes & Dancewear, in Birm-
ingham, who has 15 years of experi-
1 ence fitting children's feet for shoes.
Walking children, however, do
1 need protection from sharp rocks,
1 snow and ice, hot pavement and
other miscellaneous debris like glass
1 and trash.
Little feet also need extra warmth
during cold weather, especially when
they are outside. If your infant is start
ing to stand and you want something
for his feet but aren't ready for walk-
:
ing shoes, consider bobux. Made in
New Zealand, bobux are hand craft-
I ed, leather shoes that easily slip on
little feet — and, yes, they stay on
I until you take them off. They are
feather light, soft and comfortable. If

I

Diane Baldwin, the mother of a

newly walking toddler, is a free-
: lance writer who lives in Clarkston.

4/24
1998

84

you have wood or tile flooring in
your house, they offer gripping fea-
tures that rubber-soled socks cannot
match. .
As soon as your child is ready, he
can start wearing "real" shoes. Dr.
Kenneth Lawrence, D.P.M., FACFS, a
podiatrist in Farmington Hills, sug-
gests parents first consider a child's
developmental readiness, rather than
arbitrary age level. You know your.
. daughter is ready for shoes when she
is walking around furniture and
pulling herself up.
Virginia Hollis adds that this is a
good stage to gradually introduce the
idea of wearing shoes. A child may
be less likely to reject shoes or kick
them off if he is used to wearing
something as he is learning to walk.
A good fit is important. Dr. George
1 Blum, a pediatrician in Southfield
and past president of the Michigan
Chapter of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, reassures parents that as
long as a shoe fits well it will not
harm a child's foot. If the shoes are
too narrow, he says, the toes could
grow in a cramped position. If you
I are unsure about the fit, visit a chil-
dren's shoe specialty store'and have
your child's foot measured.
1 Width and length, instep and gen-
eral foot shape are evaluated to
select a well-fitting shoe. Lawrence
recommends that parents inspect their
child's foot after removing shoes the
first few days they are worn. Any red-
: ness, blisters, irritation or verbal com-
plaints from your child would indicate
an ill-fitting shoe. (Prescription shoes
may be needed when a child
exhibits any of the following behav-
I iors: grabbing the feet and crying,
1 toeing in/toeing out, or ankle rolling
in when walking. You can visit a
podiatrist who has experience with

I

1

wearing the shoe and he can crawl
children's foot problems or talk to
easily, canvas will work," Lawrence
your pediatrician).
said. Blum added that while some
Choose a shoe made of a material
children can wear any shoe on the
that breathes, like leather or canvas.
market; others may need a specialty
Avoid vinyl shoes, which, Lawrence
shoe
for specific foot characteristics
says, can make a child's feet sweat.
like high arches or wide feet. It
Sweating can cause a fungus or
comes down to knowing your child
result in an irritation that makes the
and closely watching his foot in new
skin break down. You know this is the
shoes.
case if you find your child's toes shriv-
Expect to buy shoes every two to
eled up, as though they have been
three
months because a child's foot
soaking in water for a long time.
grows and changes rapidly the first
Although they may be difficult to
few years of life. (For help under-
find, cotton (rather than nylon) socks
standing shoe sizes, see chart).
are preferable for little feet, Blum
Lawrence forewarns parents that
said. He also advises parents to
shoes may still look new when it's
avoid sandals for small children as
time for the next size. How to tell
they can cause youngsters to slide or
when it's time for a new shoe?
fall.
Lawrence offers this "scientific
Laces or velcro? Your choice. Some
method": Hold your thumb perpen-
things to consider are whether your
dicular
to the toe of the shoe, while
child will remove them himself, thus
it's on your child's foot, and press
losing a shoe or making more work
down.
It's time for a new pair of
1 for you. "Sometimes a toddler thinks
shoes when there is not enough
his velcro shoes are the best toy mom
space for an adult's thumb's width
I ever gave him," Hollis said with a
between the tip of longest toe to the
laugh. She recommends velcro for
1
end of the shoe.
older toddlers and children ages 2-
•
1 /2 to 5, who aren't yet lying their
• own shoes but are exhibiting inde-
pendent behavior.
Some controversy exists over high-
! or low-top shoes. Lawrence said hard
r t
I leather shoes are "absolutely not
Toddler 2-1 /2 to 8
1 appropriate for newborns," and he
Children 8-1 /2 to 12
encourages parents to choose a low
Youth 12-1/2 to 4 (or 6}
top which provides protection but still
Adult 6-1 /2 and up
allows motion in the ankle joint. Blum
thinks that some children may need
Sizes are approximate and
1 higher tops just so the shoes don't fall
can sometimes vary according
off.
to shoe manufacturer.
A good fit does not mean you have
Note: bobx s hoes are afal"-.
to spend a lot of money. Lawrence
able at upscale baby boutiques
and Blum agree that canvas shoes
and at Nordstrom. They also
1 are an acceptable, low-cost alterna-
may be idurchaSed via mail
ti ve to leather. "As long as your child
order at 1.780073 1 5-3039.
appears to be comfortable while

1

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