7 Common Shoe Myths for Baby’s

Finding a pair of shoes for your baby is hard, even harder if you’ve never shopped for shoes. There are so many things that go through your mind, how do I measure the foot, what if it is too big or small, was my mom right and I shouldn’t ever put shoes on them the first year? Here’s a few answers:

Myth 1: Babies need shoes to learn to walk

Truth: Babies learn to walk without shoes! It’s fine to wait until toddlers are walking unaided, unless they need shoes to keep their feet safe or warm.

Myth 2: Babies’ first shoes must be rigid to provide support

Truth: The stiffer shoes are, the more they restrict toddlers’ feet. For healthy development, feet must be able to move freely.

Myth 3: Well-fitting shoes should be as long as the child’s foot

Truth: Children’s shoes should be 12-17 mm (1/2 – 3/4 inch) longer than the foot. Only 8.5% of all parents know this!

See http://www.kinderfuesse.com/english/download.asp?lev=wort2&page=1

Myth 4: Shoe sizes can be trusted

Truth: 90% of all kids’ shoe sizes are misleading. A shoe labelled size 23 is often only a size 21. Tip: Measure both the feet AND the inside of the shoe.

See http://www.kinderfuesse.com/english/download.asp?lev=wort2&page=2

Myth 5: Second-hand shoes are bad

Truth: If the shoes fit and are not unevenly worn, there’s no reason not to use them! It saves money and resources, but most parents feel needlessly guilty about recycling used shoes.

Myth 6: Kids can tell if their shoes fit properly

Truth: Using a specially developed test track, researchers discovered that children wearing too-small shoes usually claim they fit well.

Myth 7: Expensive shoes are better than inexpensive ones

Truth: A high price doesn’t guarantee quality. An analysis showed that the sizing of expensive shoes was no more exact than on cheaper models.

This is a guest post by Dr. Wieldand Kinz of Salzburg.