At 9/10 months old, should a baby wear shoes?

Question

I know the recommendation is bare foot till 2 years old or light-weight flexible shoes. The salesman at Stride Rite told us that my son already has a wide feet & allowing him to go barefoot or wear light-weight shoes will only make his feet more wide.
I'll be asking our pediatrician next week. Any info on this?

Answer 1

I would stick with waiting to ask the doctor. If you ask me, I think the Stride Rite salesman just wanted to make a sale. Children learn to walk best without shoes to weigh them down. If you bring him outside when its cold out, he should have something on his feet if he's going to be on the cold or public ground at all. But for now, he should be fine barefoot or in socks, if that is what you want him to be wearing. Good luck!

Answer 2

Don't put shoes on your child! We only get 'wide feet' from going barefoot in the same way 17th century women got 'wide waists' from not wearing a corset... that's how our feet are supposed to look! Most shoes, even men's and especially women's, are much too narrow and will squeeze our toes, causing our feet to become narrow and weak. Let your child go barefoot as he learns to walk. See source for a lot of info!

I don't think it makes a difference in getting kids to wear shoes more easily... I wore shoes as a kid and long after until I was almost 29, and still the moment I heard about people going barefoot I knew I never ever wanted to wear footwear again -and I didn't. On the other hand I also know lots of kids who went barefoot as a small child and love footwear. It doesn't really seem to be something that is determined by wearing shoes at a young age, at least not looking at my immediate circle of friends and family.

Answer 3

I agree that the salesman is just trying to make the sale. I am reminded of the ancient asian custom of foot binding. This sounds like what the salesman is recomending by using shoes to keep your baby's feet narrow.

Dr. Lynn Staheli, who directed the orthopedics division at the Children's Hospital in Seattle for 15 years, documented that children raised in parts of the world where shoes are rarely worn had better flexibility, mobility, and strength, which resulted in fewer foot-related problems and injuries. In the 1960 classic “Take Off Your Shoes and Walk,” chiropodist Simon Wikler notes that children who go barefoot regularly develop stronger, healthier, and more functional feet than children who are generally shod. (He notes that a “constantly shoe-wearing tenderfoot” is rarely able to comprehend the innate capability of the human foot.) The following site covers such topics as when and when not to let children go barefoot, what doctors think, and parental testimonials. It also features excerpts from “Take Off Your Shoes and Walk.”
http: www.unshod.org/pfbc/index.html

Answer 4

I had the same problem, and there are these special tots walker shoes, that they can wear when they start walking, They sell them everywhere. You go and get them hecked every 8 weeks to make sure the foot is ok with them. There really good, It's so much more easy them wearing shoes. There are also lots of the soft shoes around, Ugg do them and so do other companies.
Wait and see what the doctor says:)

Answer 5

I have never heard that. It sounds like the salesman was trying to make a sale. I honestly see no point in shoes unless the baby is walking already, and then it still needs to be light-weight and flexible. Most babies that wear real shoes are because the parents want them to look like a mini-adult, it seems.

Answer 6

I put shoes on my 7 month old when we're going out, because it's too cold for just socks. When we're just around the house, she's barefoot. However, you should probably ask your pediatrician about it, since I have no knowledge about how baby's feet grow.

Answer 7

Check with your pediatrician. It's dependant on the child. Our son, who is 10 months, when standing, would curl his toes uner and put the weight on the top of his foot. We put shoes on him, and now he will stand on his feet properly. We have shoes for both of our children, twins. They wear them mostly when we are out. We went to Stride-Rite and had them properly fit for the right size.

Answer 8

Infants should not wear shoes until they are walking outside. Shoes can inhibit arch development and strengthening of the foot, and can also alter their sense of balance. They should be used only to protect the feet, ie only when they are walking on something that could harm them. When they do start wearing shoes, it's always best to go for flexible ones for this same reason.

Answer 9

You know I'd ask my pediatrician, this to me sounds like it would be ok if the shoe was not to tightly structured. Little chunky feet should not be squeezed into a shoe, and sales people remember want the sale!

Answer 10

Sounds to me like that salesman was doing what he was trained to do....make a sale. My sons are 2 1/2 and almost 11 months. My 2 1/2 year old only wears hard soled shoes during the winter, or when it is wet out. I still prefer to have him wear Robeez(the leather slippers) most of the time. My baby doesn't own any hard soled shoes, only Robeez(or knock offs of them).