Dear parents, let's choose shoes that allow the feet to develop without restriction in their natural way!
And yet This is not an easy task, but it is well worth it to adapt the footwear to the feet of our children, because the footwear will pay off with good posture and the health of the skeletal-muscular-articular system in the future. Every child has different feet. It is our responsibility to choose the most suitable shoes for our children.
When are your first shoes?
When the child starts to walk independently outside. Before this, the child should learn to recognise and react to the different surfaces on which he or she walks. Unevenness, changes in the hardness of the ground, different textures and the temperature of the ground are priceless experiences that will ensure the correct development of our child's feet and an increasingly stable gait.
What do good shoes need to be?
✅ flexible sole - will help the child to feel the unevenness of the ground and ensures that the muscles in the feet work properly, resulting in the formation of the arches of the foot (transverse and longitudinal),
✅ anti-slip sole- minimises the number of unpleasant falls,
✅ heel - It should not be too stiff so as not to restrict the foot's freedom of movement, nor too soft so that the heel bone does not set into a valgus position,
✅ height of the shoe - they may or may not be 'behind the ankle', the most important thing is that the mobility of the foot is not restricted,
✅ The metatarsals should be stabilised - the shoe should fit the foot, it should not fall off the foot,
✅ size- 0.5 cm - 1.5 cm larger than the foot. I think 1 cm more is the best option. If one foot is larger then always add 1 cm to the larger foot and not the smaller foot,
✅ width of the shoe - the toes must not be squeezed, they must have freedom of movement. It is not good if the shoe is too wide because the foot will then not be stable,
✅ new- the sole of the shoe adapts to the feet of the child who walks in them. Each child has an individual foot shape and presents a different movement pattern,
✅ light,
✅ made of natural and non-toxic materials - so that the feet can 'breathe',
✅ prevent the appearance of fungi and bacteria and the formation of unpleasant odours.
How do you choose shoes for a nursery/preschool?
KWe follow all of the above guidelines plus a few additional tips 🙂 🙂 .
👉 Easy to put on and take off
One of the things we need to consider when buying shoes for a nursery or kindergarten is that the toddler will be putting them on and taking them off frequently.
Slip-on shoes are definitely the best option, even for the youngest. Avoid lace-up and zip-up shoes, as they can be difficult to tie. Velcro fastenings are another good option.
👉Distinguish between right and left
How many times does it happen that a preschooler puts on his shoes the other way round...? 🙂 To prevent this, there are various tricks, such as putting two stickers on the inside of the shoe.
However, it is best to choose shoes that are easy to distinguish right from left, e.g. by brand logo, shape or drawing, etc.
👉Choose such that they are recognisable
The last point, although not so obvious, which we will talk about today, is that the shoes should be easy for our Toddler to recognise. After all, no one wants to be in doubt about whether they are putting on their shoes 🙂 So let's opt for shoes in the child's favourite colour or with their favourite character.
In summary, choosing well-fitting footwear for a child is very difficult because it is a very individual matter. I can assure you that even we physiotherapists often have a lot of trouble choosing footwear for our children. On the one hand, we know very well how important the right shoes are in shaping the posture of our children. On the other hand, we know from experience that children do not always cooperate with us in a shoe shop, and instead of trying on the 10th pair of shoes, they prefer to run away from the shop, jump, throw boxes of shoes off the shelves, run, scream, lie on the floor, and are reminded that they are terribly hungry..... And I could go on for so long listing. We are exhausted, sweaty and want to get away from the shop as quickly as possible. That's why I increasingly order several pairs of shoes to take home and calmly, without rushing, check which are the most suitable for the child. It's worthwhile for the child not only to stand in the shoes but also to walk around a few times, play for a while, squat, sit down to make sure the shoes are comfortable.
I don't like to name specific companies because every model is different. However, my parents ask me so often about specific companies that I have decided to list the ones I like and value the most. Remember that price does not always go hand in hand with quality.
Here's my SUBJECTIVE list 🙂 ...
▪Geox,
▪Superfit,
▪Emel,
▪Primigi,
▪Elefanten,
▪Ecco,
▪Mrugala,
▪Biomecanics,
▪Froddo,
▪Garvalin.
