SOLE SURVIVAL
High-tops, velcro closures and shiny patent leather add to the quandry of picking the perfect pair of shoes for those tender little feet.
by Richard CoxWhen baby needs a new pair of shoes, forget about the fancy names and snazzy styles. Style and price are not nearly as important as a comfortable fit when it comes to choosing a good children's shoe.
In fact, the best shoe for a child is often no shoe at all, says Carol Frey, M.D., associate clinical professor of orthopaedic surgery, USC School of Medicine.
"We are no different from any other animal. We don't need shoes for proper foot development," explains Frey, who also is director of the Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Center at Orthopaedic Hospital.
"Shoes play absolutely no role in the development of a normal foot. We only need them to protect us from the environment."
For that reason, pre-walking babies will do just fine with nothing more than socks or booties to keep their feet warm. If they must have shoes, she says, choose a pair that favors flexibility over rigid support.
Unshod toddlers also carry a slight advantage when learning to walk, Frey says. "Kids who are barefoot when they are learning to walk learn faster and have fewer falls than kids who wear shoes."
Walking is a collaborative effort requiring constant communication between the brain and feet. Nerve endings on the bottom of the feet sense the ground beneath and send signals to the brain that help it determine how and where weight should be distributed with each new step. Shoes alter that feedback to the brain. The thicker the sole, the more muffled the message. "Children are forced to walk with their feet further apart to keep their balance," Frey says.
Frey encourages parents to continue allowing toddlers and older children to go barefoot whenever they are in a protected environment.
"Parents always ask me, 'Won't my child's feet splay and get bigger?'" Frey says. "The answer is yes; they will assume their natural shape."
Inevitably, though, toddlers and children need sturdier footwear as they begin to roam through a world hostile to tender young feet.
Until age 11, kids will go through an average of 3-4 pairs of shoes a year and need to have their feet measured with every visit to the shoe store. Then, after reaching their teen years, they'll change shoe size twice yearly. That's a lot of footwear, but a few simple guidelines will make shoe-shopping much easier for parents.
First and foremost, a shoe needs to be comfortable and allow room for growth.
"Shoes should be comfortable from the moment they are tried on. There should be no break-in period," Frey said. Hand-me-downs are strictly a no-no since they have already conformed to the shape of another child's foot and need to be broken-in by the new wearer.
When a shoe fits properly, Frey says, a child should be able to freely wiggle all of his or her toes while standing.
For toddlers aged 9-18 months, Frey recommends a canvas or leather high-top shoe. It's likely to stay on better than an Oxford or low-top sneaker and fit fat little feet better. Toddlers do not need heels on their shoes and will have an easier time walking in shoes with a flat outer sole. The soles should also be constructed of a non-sticky material that will not grab the floor and cause toddlers to topple.
Because active youngsters tend to perspire a great deal, parents would be wise to choose shoes with uppers made from a breathable material such as canvas, leather or mesh. Non-breathable synthetic materials, such as plastic, are to be avoided.
Next to fit, the most important criteria in choosing a children's shoe is room for growth. "There should be a minimum of a thumb's width between the end of the longest toe and the tip of the shoe," Frey says. She recommends shoes that have a rounded toe box because they allow more room for movement and advises against high-heel shoes since they cause the foot to slide forward, cramping the toes against the shoe.
To compensate for extra room when shoes are new, a child can wear thicker socks at first and change to a thinner pair later as the feet get bigger.
As children grow older, the range of available shoe styles increases, but the same shopping rules apply-look for fit, flexibility and ventilation. Price and brand name are no guarantees of quality, either, since an a inexpensive canvas or leather-top sneaker purchased from a discount store can perform just as well as its pricier counterparts as long as it fits properly and leaves for growth. "Just because a shoe is more expensive doesn't mean it's better for the foot," Frey says.
Painful deformities such as corns, bunions and hammertoes develop when feet are imprisoned for years in ill-fitting footwear. So when kids run barefoot or don a pair of comfy sneakers they're really taking the first step toward a lifetime of good foot health.
For that matter, parents may want to take a cue from their kids and kick off their own shoes once in a while.
One, Two, Buckle my Shoe, but first:
Measure both feet while the child is standing. Make sure the child is wearing appropriate socks for the style of shoe. Fit shoes to the biggest foot. Sixty-six percent of children have one foot larger than the other. The shoe should closely mirror the shape of the child's foot. Leave at least half an inch (approximately a thumb's width) from the end of the longest toe to the tip of the shoe. The heel should fit well and not slide.
