Baby Shoes: tips to find the best shoes for your baby

Shoe for baby first steps

Picking shoes that are supportive for your child’s feet is important. This blog will explore 5 tips to  for purchasing shoes for your child. 

Shoe for first steps

When your child takes their first steps, they will benefit from a shoe that is less supportive, thin and flexible. In the early days of walking, steps are small, wide and short, which means the ‘stress’ on your child’s feet and legs is minimal. In this initial phase of walking, a less-supportive shoe allows your child’s feet and legs to feel the ‘stress’ required for bones and muscles to grow and develop.

Once your child is a little older, walking faster and maybe even running, that’s when the impact on their bones and muscles increases (usually 6-12 months after your child’s 1st steps). More impact on feet and legs requires a more supportive shoe . There are 5 key things to consider when purchasing a more supportive shoe are as follows;

When your child takes their first steps, they will benefit from a shoe that is less supportive, thin and flexible.

  1. Built-up heel – although your child’s feet don’t develop arches until ages 3-5, a built-up heel provides shock absorption and support for when their arches do develop. Built-up heels are angled down, with heel-part of the sole being thicker than the front of the shoe.
  2. Firm heel cup – this helps your child’s foot stay in place, ensuring the rest of the shoe is providing the support in all the right areas it was designed to do so. In the shoe stores (or when it comes in the mail) don’t be shy to squeeze the heel-part of the shoe and test how firm it is!
  3. Flexible – for shock-absorption purposes, flexible is better than rigid. Once again, don’t be shy, bend that bad-boy to see how flexible it is! If the toe part of the shoe can reach, or almost reach, the tongue of the shoe, you’re on to a winner.
  4. Velcro or Shoelace – For similar reasons to needing a firm heel cup. That is, keeping the foot in place (Velcro is much more user friendly for all my ‘work smart not hard’ parents out there).
  5. Wide toe box – to determine this, you need your kid to try the shoe on (or, as some of you promiscuous folk would say, ‘try before you buy!’). Your child’s toes should be comfortable and spread out, rather than bunched up.
 

There you have it. With the knowledge you now possess, you’re a shoe-in (pun intended) to pick the right shoe for your child! See images of the 5 tips described below. I also have a video on instagram (@activekids_101) on the best supportive shoes for toddlers.

*If you’re unsure about your child’s general development, it’s best to see a healthcare professional.

*there are no affiliations with brands of shoes. These shoes were randomly selected.