When should my child start wearing shoes?

09 Sep When should my child start wearing shoes?

Questions about when children should start wearing shoes and what type of shoes are frequent questions asked of physiotherapists. There is no set age as to when your child should start wearing hard soled shoes. It is actually more to do with when your child is meeting certain developmental milestones.

Barefoot vs Shoe Wearing

It is extremely beneficial for your toddler to be barefoot as they are developing their ability to walk independently. Walking barefoot increases the sensory input in your child’s foot and therefore muscular strength of the foot. This leads to benefits listed below:

• Improved foot posture
• Improved overall posture
• Improved balance
• Improved coordination

However, it is important to consider the surface your child is walking on. Hard soled shoes protect children’s feet from hot and cold surfaces and dangerous items that may be on the ground. It is important as parents you use your discretion to decide:

• If you child should walk or be carried or pushed in the pram,
• Your child should walk but with hard soles shoes
• Your child is safe to walk and move around in soft soled shoes.

When should my Child Wear Hard Soled Shoes?

In general experts agree that children can start to transition to hard soles shoes approximately 6 weeks after they are confidently walking independently. If you are unsure if your child is ready yet please do not hesitate to contact our physiotherapists.

What do I look for in buying my Child Shoes?

The next important thing to consider is, what type of shoes should your toddler be wearing. Some good things to look for in shoes are:

• Lightweight but firm soles
• Sole can bend near the toes
• Front part of shoe wider then heels
• Firm Heel cup

When buying shoes, it is important to remember you will need to buy a lot of shoes as your child grows to ensure the shoes do not get too tight so expensive is not always better!

For more information about shoes for toddlers please see the link below from the Royal Children’s Hospital. ·

https://www.rch.org.au/uploadedFiles/Main/Content/ortho/factsheets/SHOES.pdf

Please do not hesitate to contact us at Western Paediatric Physiotherapy if you have any questions regarding if your child should be wearing shoes and what type of shoes they should be wearing.