New parents are often extremely eager to buy the first pair of cute little shoes for their newborn baby. They spend hours browsing various online shopping websites or window shop in their leisure time, all to find that perfect pair. In fact, that first pair of shoes is no less than Cinderella’s glass slippers!
Excited about their baby’s first steps and first pair of shoes, the parents often forget to check whether or not their baby really needs those shoes yet. No doubt, your child will need shoes, but the question is, “when?”
When is the right time to buy shoes for your newborn?
Before we let you know the right age to start buying new baby shoes, let us understand a child’s foot’s anatomy and how it is different from ours.
Our foot comprises 26 bones, 30 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. In the case of a baby, their foot is made up of more cartilages that harden into bones over time—their feet are padded with fat and are highly flexible.
Most toddlers are flat-footed, or they turn their feet inwards when they walk. This is why their first steps are pretty stompy. This flat-footedness improves as their bones develop when they start growing. The aim is to turn their wobbly manner of walking into a graceful and natural gait. Apparently, this can efficiently happen when you let your child go barefoot.
You might have to put shoe shopping on hold because when your child is in the ‘learning to walk’ phase, it is best for them to remain barefoot. This is because your child needs to come in direct contact with the texture of the ground and get used to its unevenness to transition from unsteady walking to firm walking.
Moreover, our foot is home to countless nerve endings, which warns us of the danger and helps us understand where our body is in space—this is called proprioception. Besides, for a child to learn to walk, their foot must be exposed to various textures as this develops their balance and coordination.
Once your child has learned to walk confidently on their own, then you can make them don their sneakers—not any sneakers, though, but those that are comfortable as this would protect them from injuries and stumbles.
The right shoe for your child
Wondering what type of shoes will make your little one’s feet comfortable? We recommend buying a sneaker-type shoe with a flexible sole, breathable material, and curved edges, which will prevent them from falling.
You might want to visit the shoe store quite frequently, though, because children tend to grow fast. And if they wear the same old shoes—the ones that don’t fit them perfectly—this may hamper their feet development and even make them more susceptible to foot conditions, such as ingrown toenail (also called: onychocryptosis). Therefore, you will have to keep a check on their foot size—usually, a new walker requires a new pair after every three months.
Once your child has started walking, you can start to look for trendy footwear. But remember, never prioritize style over comfort because only comfort and balance will help them become a ‘no tripping’ kid!