Research shows being barefoot helps boost your child's development
If you have kids, chances are you have yelled at them once or twice to put shoes on before venturing outside.
Did they listen? Well, maybe sometimes or they were too fast to catch. Kids don’t seem to care as much about footwear as adults. It’s possible they instinctively know something that adults have overlooked.
While as parents we want to encourage our kids to stay clean and protect their feet, we may be looking at this all wrong. Young feet, just like young bodies are changing at such a rapid and complex pace.
According to a landmark study, putting shoes on children may be seriously hindering an important developmental milestone in regards to mobility.
One key takeaway from the study addresses this milestone.
“Optimum foot development occurs in the barefoot environment.” – pediatrics.aappublications.org
“Additionally, stiff and compressive shoes may cause deformities, weakness, and restricted mobility. Physicians should avoid and discourage the commercialization and “media”-ization of footwear.”
– pediatrics.aappublications.org
When many of us think back to our own childhood we remember the feel of the grass between our toes as we raced across the yard.
Or the feel of the cold, spongy dirt on our heels after a spring rain. Maybe your bare feet took you up a tree or across a fallen log. You may even remember feeling like you could run even faster without shoes. It makes sense that something that feels natural is going to nurture our basic foundation for balance and mobility.
Research shows that shoe-wearing could be detrimental to the development of a normal arch.
- A 1992 Bone and Joint Journal, the authors found a positive relationship between wearing shoes in early childhood and the subsequent development of flat-footedness.
- A 2008 Gait and Posture study found that slimmer and more flexible shoes interfered with children’s natural foot motion far less than conventional shoes did. Based on detailed analyses of children’s movement patterns in barefoot-style shoes versus traditional shoes, the authors recommended all children wear barefoot-style shoes.
The sole of the foot has over 200,000 nerve endings and there are 26 bones and joints in the foot and ankle alone.
It is easy to see how any constrictive shoe or a change to the natural shape of the foot would affect the progression of growth.
Jessi Stensland, founder of FeetFreex makes her case for letting kids go barefoot.
“From the moment kids are putting on shoes, they’re walking wrong.”
She explains that the foot should be able to move in varied, complex ways.
According to Stensland, giving a child as young as 18 months a pair of shoes is depriving them of the chance to properly use their feet. She says this could affect them their entire life.
“We are meant to have a raging river of information coming to [our brains and spinal cords] through our feet to help us move our bodies through space and we have slowed it to a trickle… the moment we put [on] shoes.” – Jessi Stensland, FeetFreex
“In contrast, when we walk barefoot on a variety of surfaces, our feet adapt by developing musculature and fatty padding to protect our feet and to fully support healthy movement in all planes. It is a classic case of “use it or lose it,” Stensland says.
Do shoes help or hurt us?
A 2002 paper published in Podiatry Management gives an overview of how typical shoes actually interfere with a child’s foot development and gait.
- ‘Despite their flexible soles, the natural flex point of a sneaker (toward the middle) is not aligned with the natural flex point of the foot (the ball).
- Lace-up shoes commonly worn by children are constrictive. When kids lace their shoes tightly, the excessive pressure limits the dorsalis pedis artery’s ability to allow normal blood flow through the foot.
- Sneakers have a high traction plastic or rubber outsole that causes the foot to forcefully “brake” with every step. Note that an active child takes 20,000 steps per day. This unnatural braking forces the foot to slide forward, jamming the toes against the shoe’s front edge with every step. This is the equivalent of wearing shoes one has long outgrown.’ –Podiatry Management, mother.ly
Fear makes us take a step backward.
We get it, the thought of your children wandering around the backyard where they could be injured by a sharp stone or glass is worrying. However, these situations are rare and the benefit outweighs the risk when it comes to letting those little piggies free. There are many ways to help your kid’s foot development even if you still aren’t sold on the ‘no shoe’ movement.
What is nutritious movement?
Educator/author Katy Bowman recommends that parents offer their kids an opportunity to walk on natural surfaces such as gravel, rocks, wood, and sand to name a few. She suggests doing this for at least 20 minutes a day. Bowman says to allow kids to play barefoot inside the house if they can’t do an outdoor activity each day. Bowman calls this ‘nutritious movement’ for the feet.
Buy the right shoes for your child.
Dr. Gangemi, chiropractor, elite triathlete, dad, and barefoot enthusiast suggests purchasing shoes with these qualities in mind: Low heel height, minimal cushioning, flexibility throughout, and very lightweight.
It’s time to channel your inner child and take your shoes off.
Maybe you and your child can take a little walk outside and feel the grass between your toes. Your feet and your child’s feet will thank you for it.
If this information has you ready to ditch your shoes, take a look at this interesting video about living life barefoot.
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Source: mother.ly, pediatrics.aappublications.org, Pexels, YouTube – Rob Greenfield