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Children's Foot Care Love them, love their feet… Your child’s feet have to carry them through life. In fact, it is estimated that from the time a child takes its first steps, he or she will walk the equivalent of four times around the world in their lifetime. Your child’s foot is a complex structure made up of 26 bones, 19 muscles, 107 ligaments and approximately 250,000 sweat glands. In fact, the 52 bones in both of your child’s feet make up one quarter of all the bones in your child’s body. Footcare is important at all ages, but never more so than during the first few years of your child’s development. Good foot care will keep your child’s feet healthy and help prevent foot problems. Your baby’s feet… At birth, the bones in your baby’s feet are not yet fully formed and are mostly still cartilage. As the feet grow, the cartilage starts changing into bone and the foot strengthens and lengthens. However, it will take well into the late teens before your child’s foot is fully developed. Baby feet are not miniature adult feet; they are shorter and wider in shape and taper toward the heel. Most babies are born with flat feet. This is because the arch has not yet formed and that foot is protected by a layer of baby fat . Your baby’s feet will grow quickly. In fact, they will reach almost 1/2 their adult foot size during your baby’s first year. Help baby’s feet grow straight and tall…. Baby feet look so cute and cuddly but it is also important to remember that they are also very soft and flexible and therefore vulnerable to damage. Too much pressure can affect the shape of your baby’s foot and the layer of baby fat means that your child will feel no pain while this is happening. The most important thing you can do for your child’s feet is to allow them to develop naturally without any constriction. Here are some guidelines to help you do this;
Your toddler’s feet… Most children start to take their first steps around 10 – 18 months. However, it’s important to note that all children learn to walk when they are ready, so do not force your child to walk. In the early stages of weight bearing, your child will be a little unstable and will use furniture, walls and even pets to help them keep their balance. They may even go back to crawling, if the distance between furniture is too long. Barefooting… While your child is learning to walk and are safely indoors, let your child walk barefoot as much as possible. Walking barefoot is completely natural and allows the muscles and ligaments in your child’s foot to grow straight and strong. However, don’t let your child walk barefoot in dirty areas where there is a risk of injury or infection. Your child’s first shoes… Once your child is ready to walk outdoors or on rough surfaces such as grass, concrete and asphalt, it’s time to consider buying your child’s first shoes. The main purpose of shoes at this stage is to protect your child’s feet. The shoes should be lightweight, flexible and made of natural or ‘breathable’ materials. The shoes must be comfortable straight away. If they need to be ‘broken in’ they are not the right shoes for your child. Poorly fitted shoes restrict your child’s feet and can cause foot problems and deformities, so make sure the shoes are the proper length, width, depth and shape for your child’s feet. Take time to find a good footwear store with competent shoe fitters as they can help you select the right shoes for your child. As growth spurts can occur at any time, expect your child to outgrow their shoes well before the shoes are worn out. Toddlers often require new shoes every 2 – 3 months, young children (24 – 36 months of age) every 3 – 4 months and children over 3 years, every 4 - 6 months. You need to take the same care with socks as you do with shoes. Socks are not shaped like a foot, they are shaped like a tube so if a sock is too tight, it can place constant pressure over the whole of your child’s foot. Growing up… Once your child has mastered the art of walking, then the fun really begins. Young children have boundless energy and are soon running, jumping and skipping everywhere. By the age of five, your child’s feet will start to look more like your own and growth spurts begin to slow down. So, the good news is that you won’t have to replace your child’s shoes quite as often. But remember, your child’s feet are still vulnerable to damage so you need to take the same amount of care, as you have done up until now. Exercise and sports… Exercise is important for children because it keeps their bodies healthy and makes them feel good. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise for your child’s feet, particularly walking barefoot, so as long as your child’s feet are not in danger of injury or infection from rough or dirty surfaces, encourage your child to go barefoot as much as possible. Many kids love playing sports and are eager to participate. As a parent, it is hard not to worry about your children getting injured playing sport as sports injuries are quite common. It is important to monitor your child’s sporting activities particularly if the sports involve a great deal of running and turning or are full contact sports. There are also a number of things you can do to try and prevent foot and lower limb sports injuries:
Identifying foot problems… Many adult foot problems have their roots in childhood problems that were either ignored or undiagnosed. Don’t assume that your child will know if they have a problem with their feet. Remember that your child’s foot is soft and flexible and can be twisted and squeezed without your child even being aware of it. So use the following indications to help you identify whether your child has a potential foot problem.
Your podiatrist… If you notice any of the above or have any questions about your child’s foot health, then your local foot health specialist (podiatrist) can help. Podiatrists are highly skilled health professionals trained to diagnose, treat and prevent foot and lower limb conditions. They care for people of all ages, treating any foot problem. Their work includes routine foot care such as bunions, ingrown toenails, warts, corns and calluses; the care of lower limbs for people with diseases such as diabetes; the diagnosis and treatment of sports-related injuries; paediatric care and even nail and skin surgery. Where can I learn more about children’s foot problems? This website has been especially designed to help you learn more about foot care and children foot problems and if you live in You can also visit these sites for information on children’s foot health and general foot disorders;
When little feet need help… Little active feet love to walk, run and jump. But sometimes, little feet need help growing straight and tall. This is where we can help with Junior Formthotics®. Junior Formthotics®... Junior Formthotics® are a special type of orthotic insole designed especially for children. They go inside your child’s shoe and support your child’s foot in its natural foot posture to make them more comfortable. The philosophy behind Junior Formthotics® is to give your child’s feet gentle ‘forgiving’ support and to enhance the natural development of your child’s musculoskeletal system. Your podiatrist and Junior Formthotics… Junior Formthotics have been developed specifically for use by your podiatrist. Junior comes in a ‘blank’ form ready for your podiatrist to individualise to your child’s foot. Junior can be heated, cut, trimmed, shaped and moulded. Your podiatrist may use some or all of these techniques to ensure the perfect fit for your child’s foot. Making foot care fun… We want to make foot care both fun and educational for you and your child so check out the unique range of resources available only with Junior Formthotics®.
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