Put best foot forward
All parents want to ensure their children put their best foot forward when they go to school – and there’s no better way of doing that than ensuring they have the right shoes.
By the time a child is 12 years old, his or her feet will have reached about 90 per cent of their adult length. These first 12 years are crucial to foot development, and are the reason podiatrists seek to prevent foot problems from early childhood.
Choosing School Shoes
Well-fitting shoes are vital to a child’s rapidly growing feet: children who continually wear incorrect shoes can exacerbate inherited foot problems, and suffer foot and toe deformities that can last a lifetime.
Selecting the right shoes, however, can prevent problems such as hammertoes, bunions, thickened or ingrown toenails, bruised toenails, blisters, corns, and bursitis from developing.
Here are some useful tips for parents buying school shoes for their children:
- ensure the shoes are flexible at the ball of the foot, but don’t bend or twist across the arch area
- ensure the shoes aren’t too heavy
- look for shoes with a good, shock absorbing midsole
- try both shoes on – very few people have two feet of the same width and length – and always select the size to fit the larger foot
- avoid shoes with a heel height greater than 2cm
- avoid shoes with a high synthetic quantity in the upper – this can produce a hot, moist environment which is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and fungus that can lead to tinea, infected nails and foot odour
Additional resources
Feet take enormous punishment over a lifetime, and regular checkups and good foot health in childhood will help to get the best mileage from them.
If you need assistance finding school shoes for your child, please contact us.
