Dottie Lottie Blog Startrite - Importance of Fitted Shoes

It's important to measure your children's feet accurately before buying them each pair of shoes, to ensure healthy foot development for years to come. Getting the correct advice will ensure that your child is measured and fitted with the correct size and style of shoe for their feet, through every stage of their development.Babies' feet don't have bones, just soft cartilage, which can easily be pushed out of shape by badly fitting shoes. Even socks that are too tight can damage their feet at this delicate stage.A fully formed adult foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles and over 100 ligaments, which take up to 18 years to develop. Babies feet need protection and support even before they start walking and at each stage of their development their feet have different needs. Remember each child is unique and develops in their own time.Don't hand shoes down from one child to another - no two pairs of feet are ever the same shape or size.Cut toenails straight across and not too short - don't curve them, because this can encourage in-growing toenails.Get socks that fit - if they're too tight they will cramp the foot and can even deform it in very young children and if they're too big they can bunch up and cause blisters.Choose shoes with natural linings such as leather and socks with a high natural fibre content to allow feet to breathe.Getting children to use laces and buckles is an uphill struggle, but don't let them force their feet in and out of shoes without unfastening them. Sometimes Velcro fastenings can make life easier for everyone, and they make older children feel grown up because they are putting on their own shoes.