Start your child off on the right foot with the proper shoes. Here are tips on how to pick the right pair:
# For outings that require your child to dress up, such as a wedding dinner, covered shoes are recommended. Go for sneakers as the shoes are held firmly in place, making them stable and supportive of the feet and ankles.
Or opt for shoes with a strap across the top of the foot to hold the shoes securely in place. Mary Janes for girls are suitable.
# For casualwear, sports sandals with ankle straps are a good option because your child does not have to curl up his toes to keep them from slipping off.
# While high heels are a no-go, some sort of heel is necessary as the natural foot structure is not completely flat. A broad or stacked heel of about 1.25 to 2.5cm will ensure that the foot is held in a comfortable position.
# Flat shoes are not necessarily good as they do not provide support to the footarch. The child might have to curl up his toes to hold the shoes in place. Some possible long-term problems include clawed toes and knee and heel pain.
# The toe box should be broad enough - the space between the tip of the longest toe and the front of the shoe should be about the width of a child?s thumb. The child should also be able to wiggle his or her toes freely.
# To ensure that a shoe is of the right width, get your child to stand up. There should be no noticeable bulging of the big or little toe (the widest span of the foot) through the sides of the shoe. There should be a small gap of about 2mm between these two toes and the shoe. You can check this by pushing down gently on the sides of the shoe next to these two toes.
# Natural, breathable materials such as leather are recommended to keep feet cool and healthy. Pick shoes with flexible soles that allow the feet to flex at the foot pad but are not so soft that the entire shoe is foldable.
# Up until the age of around six, or when they start going to school, children should be allowed to walk around barefoot as much as possible.
Information provided by Marabelle Heng, a podiatrist at Singapore General Hospital's Podiatry Department; Matthew Herd, a podiatrist at the Osteopathy & Podiatry Centre in Tanglin Shopping Centre; Melissa Phua, a senior podiatrist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Podiatry Department; and Bob Hardy, shoe fitting manager at Clarks International
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.
