August 29, 2008
Proper shoes give toddlers good footing
How important are really good toddler shoes? My 19-month-old is walking and running like crazy, and I haven't purchased a really good pair of walking shoes yet - the kind from stores such as Stride Rite. They seem pricey, but I will purchase them if they really make a difference.
Buying shoes at a place such as Stride Rite would be more important for ensuring the correct fit than for the actual shoe, said Dr. Michael Pliskin, chief of podiatry at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.
"Toddlers grow so rapidly, you have to have a shoe that fits properly, has room for growth and is very flexible," Pliskin said. "The most important thing initially is that there is no irritating factor." The shoe shouldn't be too tight or rub anywhere, he said.
If you think you can properly size a shoe yourself, adhere to the following guidelines, Pliskin said.
Take the shoe in your hand and bend it - it should bend right at the ball of the foot, Pliskin said. "If you can't bend it in your hand, you should not buy the toddler that shoe," Pliskin said. Then put the shoe on the child and be sure that when the child walks or runs, the shoe is bending at the ball of his foot. That would ensure the best fit, Pliskin said.
Pliskin recommends a canvas or leather shoe, rather than synthetic material that doesn't breathe well. He also recommends a rubber or leather sole. "My rule of thumb is the earlier the stage of walking, the thinner and more flexible the sole should be."
Dr. Robert Eckles, a podiatrist and dean for clinical education at New York College of Podiatric Medicine in Manhattan, agrees that sole flexibility is key. "There was in my lifetime, growing up, a tendency to want to put toddlers in these stiff-soled, laced shoes. Sometimes they were like little boots," Eckles said. "I don't think that's beneficial at all, and it may in some instances not be good."
A toddler really needs all the balance he can get, and a stiff-soled shoe doesn't allow the foot to bend. You should look for something that mimics the child being barefoot, Eckles said.
"There is only one requirement - that the bottom of the child's foot is protected from things that could hurt the foot. Protect them from things that are sharp. And they should have traction. You don't want to put kids in something smooth on the bottom. You don't want to have them fall more than they already do."
If you look for any kind of support, it should be a little support in the arch, not the ankles, Pliskin said. "Toddlers have such a flat foot, a little bit of arch support is OK," he said.
Only in cases in which the child is experiencing problems - such as being pigeon-toed - might he need special accommodations. But then the child should see a podiatrist, because the child might need more than just a particular kind of shoe, Eckles said.
When a child is 3 or 4, he develops a heel-to-toe walking gait and a different kind of shoe might become more appropriate, both doctors said.
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