Children's shoe
Children's shoes are clothing for the feet of children with a relatively firm sole . They are of particular importance in terms of developmental physiology, as they must not hinder the child's foot, which is not only growing but also developing into an adult foot, during this development.
The first shoes
Basically, the child's foot does not need any shoes. These are only useful for reasons of protection against cooling down and mechanical injuries. All medical examinations show the fundamentally positive effects of walking barefoot on the natural development of healthy feet. Any footwear (including a stocking) restricts the mobility of the foot, which can only be accepted if it can prevent other, greater impairments to health.
Baby shoes
Baby shoes are made of soft leather with a leather lining, a light heel support and a very flexible, thin rubber sole. Baby shoes are completely unnecessary and rather harmful. You can tell that baby shoes are unnecessary when children of this age only crawl and do not walk or stand. In this respect, any supposed "heel supports" built into baby shoes are nonsense. Just like the rubber sole of some baby shoes, which only restrict natural foot breathing.
First run shoes
So-called first - run shoes are made of soft leather with a leather lining, leather footbed, heel support and inner toe reinforcement. They have a flexible leather or rubber sole. Once the foot skeleton and muscles are ready to support the weight of the body, the child will pull themselves up everywhere to stand. The child will begin to walk around the age of one to one and a half years. The child does not need shoes for this. The development and strengthening of the feet takes place most undisturbed without any covering of the foot. The term "first-run shoes" is an advertising term that comes from the industry and the shoes are not medically acceptable.
If parents still buy shoes for their children at this age, fit and breathability are the most important criteria. Because the child's foot grows in stages, regular checks are necessary to prevent the shoes from constricting the feet.
This is how children's shoes fit
The inside of the shoes should be at least 12 mm and a maximum of 17 mm longer than the feet. Research shows that the majority of children wear shoes that are too big or too small, and they definitely don't fit. The size specifications of the shoes are also often incorrect; the shoes are usually shorter than they should be according to the shoe size specification . This is why measuring the feet in the shoe store is only helpful if the interior of the shoes is then compared with it. Because a simple comparison of the measured foot length and width with the shoe size information provided by the manufacturer of children's shoes is not sufficient. A child's foot grows an average of 1.5 mm per month in toddler age - around 1.0 mm in older children. If a children's shoe is to offer enough space for growth for one season (8 months), this results in a margin of at least 12 mm.
The bad habit, which is still widespread even among shoe sellers, of finding out the position of the longest toe and the space in front of it by applying pressure to the toe cap is completely unreliable, as children reflexively draw their toes. Experts recommend the following procedure for parents: Before buying shoes, the outline of the (larger) child's foot in stockings is drawn on a piece of harder paper (the child stands by it, both feet equally loaded, on the paper) and cut out along this line. In the shop, the template is inserted into the shoes to check the size ( length and width ). If it does not bend anywhere when smoothing the insole, the shoe is neither too short nor too tight. By pushing the template forward into the tip of the shoe as far as it will go, the additional space of 12 to 17 mm required in front of the toes becomes visible as a gap in the heel area. The foot requires this allowance when rolling , it has nothing to do with a very questionable growth allowance. In addition to this template method, there are other aids that determine the length of the foot and compare it with the length of the interior of the shoe. These are plastic measuring tapes with the designations BIMS or Plus 12.
A very simple method with which the size can also be checked during the wearing time: If possible, take out the insole of the shoe and place the child's foot on it. Incidentally, the latitude can also be measured approximately in this way. The foot may only have reached the front end of the insole at the end of the wearing period.
Apart from the correct inner length of the children's shoe, the width is also important. If the shoe is too narrow, the child's foot will be constricted and can be permanently damaged as a result. In a shoe that is too wide and loose on the foot, the foot can slide forward into the toe of the shoe while running. This can lead to a compression of the toes like in a children's shoe with an inner length that is too short. Since feet can have very different shapes, the last shape on which the shoe was made should take this into account. A bony, bony foot that has been blown up needs a completely different shaped shoe than a flat, fleshy, broad foot.
Before measuring the feet, the child should walk around the shop in socks for a while so that the feet that may previously have been compressed in poorly fitting shoes can regain their normal shape.
Until the late 1960s, pedoscopes were common in shoe stores, as were X-ray machines to check the fit of children's shoes.
Foot development and malpositions
Foot misalignments or other foot problems are an extremely rare exception for very young children.
Infants naturally have flat feet due to the fat tissue that is still present on the soles of the feet and because the arches of the feet only develop later with the load. The initial grasping reflex (babies bend the soles of their feet when they are touched, while adults stretch them) increasingly decreases with the first year of life.
In toddlers, increased internal rotation of the foot and flat flexed feet are normal. Up to the age of three, children may place one or both feet in an irregular position. The cause lies in the growth of the bones , tendons and muscles, not simultaneous, but staggered . If these irregular positions do not go away by the age of three, a doctor should be asked for advice.
Normal foot statics are reached around the beginning of school age. A medical check-up by the pediatrician or orthopedic surgeon at this age makes sense. If misalignments are diagnosed and they are not excessive, they can be eliminated through foot muscle training. Insoles that are supposed to support the foot are contraindicative: Current studies show that they have no positive effect on arched arches. Passive insoles reduce muscle activity.
Children's feet grow in irregular bursts and not evenly. Up to three shoe sizes growth per year are possible.
Problem
- Foot or shoe measurement methods
Studies show that children's shoes should be at least twelve millimeters longer than their feet. New shoes can be up to 17 mm longer. When buying shoes, you should not only measure your feet, but also the inner lengths of the shoes.
- Size information
The size specification for many shoes does not match the norm. Most of the children's shoes are much shorter than the size indicated.
- Pollutants in their infancy
In an investigation commissioned by the journal Ökotest, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found in rubber boots.
Transferred usage
The phrase “still in its infancy” also stands for the fact that something is immature, not yet fully developed or fully developed.
literature
- Kinz Wieland: children's feet-children's shoes. Everything you need to know about little feet and shoes . Self-published, Salzburg, 3rd edition 2005, ISBN 3-00-00-5879-6
- Erne Maier, Maren Killmann: Children's feet and children's shoes: development of children's legs and feet and their requirements for shoes that are suitable for the feet . Neuer Merkur Verlag, 1st edition 2003
Web links
- Two-part report of the Medical Tribune of February 5, 2007 on the size of children's shoes ( Memento of February 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
