For many parents, selecting their infant’s first pair of shoes is a significant milestone. Choosing something adorable isn’t the only consideration; you also need to make sure your child’s feet grow normally.
Renowned pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky provides helpful guidance on what to look for when purchasing shoes for babies. He emphasizes fit for small feet, comfort, and support in his recommendations.
This post will discuss Dr. Komarovsky’s advice for parents looking to ensure their child has a happy first shoe experience and proper foot development.
| Criteria | Doctor Komarovsky"s Advice |
| Material | Shoes should be made of natural, breathable materials like leather or fabric. |
| Flexibility | The sole should be flexible to allow natural foot movement. |
| Size | Make sure there"s a bit of space (1-1.5 cm) for the toes to move freely. |
| Support | A firm heel counter is important for stability. |
| Weight | Shoes should be lightweight, not restricting the baby’s movement. |
Do shoes need to be worn?
According to Evgeny Komarovsky, a child can pick up the skill of walking without shoes with ease. Furthermore, the structure of the human foot allows for solely barefoot movement. Nobody is born wearing sandals or boots, after all! According to the natural approach, a child’s first step doesn’t require the use of special shoes.
However, the child will need to be gradually weaned off of shoes once he can stomp on his own two feet.
Ultimately, he refuses to wear bare feet to kindergarten, the clinic, or even a stroll.
Parents need to know that shoes cannot make anything better and that a person’s foot arch is typically predetermined by genetics. Shoes have no effect on a baby’s ability to walk quickly or slowly, or on how straight or curved their legs are. Shoes do nothing more than shield the feet from the elements and from mechanical shock. And it is from this position that you must treat them.
Barefoot or in sandals?
Every child, without exception, has flat feet from birth; in other words, every baby has flat feet. The foot forms as it grows and develops, and by the time a child is 12 years old, it usually becomes obvious if they have flatfoot or not. According to Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky, parents are frequently to blame for flat feet because they instilled in their children the habit of wearing sandals outside and slippers indoors from an early age.
You can lower your child’s risk of developing flat feet by allowing them to go barefoot more frequently. At home, on the floor—this is where it should always be done, as slippers are dangerous. Having a place for the child to run barefoot, aside from his apartment, is highly beneficial.
If you own your home and have a yard, it’s great to let him run barefoot on the grass, small stones, or asphalt. The kid just has to run barefoot while on summer vacation in the village with his grandmother. Everything about this is beneficial to the development of the foot arch.
Hypothermia is not a concern. A child walking barefoot on the ground or floor shouldn’t cause mom to worry about them getting sick with a cold. The human leg is the only body part whose blood vessels can constrict and "save" heat by not releasing it into the surrounding air when they come into contact with a cold surface. Going barefoot is a good idea. It is strictly forbidden for a baby to sit on cold ground because their blood vessels cannot constrict.
You should start working on maintaining the health of your feet at a very young age.
Komarovsky advises parents to take their time and give their child special attention when learning to walk. Many orthopedic issues can arise from the musculoskeletal system, muscles and ligaments, spine, and feet being ill-prepared, particularly in a plump toddler. When a child is fully ready, he should take the initial steps independently, free from adult pressure.
When shoes are needed?
In theory, a child needs shoes the moment he ventures outside the home "in public." When they first begin to walk, all babies have an erratic, unsteady gait and lack a fully formed foot push. The child’s ankle’s limited functionality helps to explain this in part. From this vantage point, the child will find it much easier to walk with greater assurance if they wear high shoes that support and stabilize their feet.
This does not imply that all parents of young "stompers" need to dash to the store in search of kids’ shoes that provide arch and high back support. It is only necessary to give a little more stability and confidence to children who walk unsteadily and fall frequently. You can wear any shoes as soon as they arrive—any model, any low-back, any soft-backed shoe—as long as the baby is at ease wearing them.
Theoretically, children younger than three years old should only require higher, more rigid fixing shoes. It doesn’t matter if they are no longer required sooner.
Orthopedic shoes
A child may require orthopaedic shoes if an orthopaedic physician diagnoses him with specific conditions, such as clubfoot or valgus feet. X-ray exams are required to confirm these diagnoses. The doctor’s recommendation that mom purchase orthopaedic shoes is morally justified only because of this.
It frequently needs to be made to order, taking into consideration the child’s specific foot’s angle of curvature. The physician will specify these parameters, and the orthopedic salon will make an effort to follow all of the physician’s directives.
Still, it is common to observe how the parents of a perfectly healthy child go out and purchase orthopedic shoes for their child—shoes that are "terribly useful" but also very heavy, scary, ugly, and expensive. They take these precautions to ensure that "there are no flat feet" and to avert numerous other issues. And frequently, they follow the doctor’s advice rather than doing it randomly.
Komarovsky is confident that such a practice will continue as long as physicians in clinics get a portion of the sales from orthopaedic shops and salons.
Orthopedic boots are not necessary for a healthy child who hasn’t been diagnosed with a condition that calls for special therapeutic shoes to help with correction.
According to Dr. Komarovsky, comfort, flexibility, and healthy foot development should take precedence over style when selecting a baby’s first pair of shoes. Key components include non-slip soles, shoes with room for the toes to move freely, and soft, breathable materials. The baby’s feet grow quickly, so it’s important to regularly check if the shoes still fit. The shoes shouldn’t be too tight or loose.
Boots by inheritance
Is it possible to give shoes from an older child to a younger one? This is a question that parents frequently ask. Komarovsky asserts that a baby’s beginning to stomp in his or her sibling’s boots is perfectly normal.
There’s no need to complicate things if the shoes are in good condition, fit him properly in terms of size, and don’t press or dangle on his foot. Since these are only clothes, you can wear them after a different child as long as you observe hygiene precautions.
Selecting a baby’s first pair of shoes is a crucial step in promoting healthy foot development. To make sure the child can move freely, comfort and adaptability must come before style.
In order to allow the baby’s feet to feel the ground and develop normally, Doctor Komarovsky emphasizes that the ideal pair should have a soft sole. Shoes should fit properly, with space for the toes to move freely and without being too tight or loose.
Patience and heeding your baby’s needs are ultimately crucial. You’ll choose the best for their developing feet if you concentrate on their comfort.
