Why Soft Sole Baby Shoes Are Best for Babies’ Feet
Today’s baby shoes are a far cry from the hard-soled, high-top leather baby shoes that our parents wore as babies. Back then, doctors believed that children’s feet needed rigid ankle support and hard soles to protect and shape them properly, especially when children were learning to stand and walk. Today, pediatricians recommend soft sole baby shoes as the best footwear for infants and toddlers who are learning to stand and walk on their own.
Unlike hard leather soles, soft shoes allow a child’s feet to grow naturally without confinement. The flexible soles allow little feet to do what they are designed to do – toes gripping and flexing against the floor surface and feet adjusting naturally to provide balance and stability. These shoes improve balance and enhance foot and muscle development, say medical experts.
Allowing babies to walk barefoot offers the same benefits, of course, but there are many reasons little feet might need a little protection – cold floors, toys underfoot and little bumps and pebbles inside or outside. Soft sole baby shoes offer needed protection without hampering or confining little feet. Soft, breathable materials such as leather, sheepskin and suede provide lightweight, flexible covering to keep little tootsies warm and protected from the hazards of the world while allowing baby’s feet to do their job properly.
Choosing Soft Sole Shoes
When choosing soft sole shoes for your child, follow these recommendations from podiatrists and pediatricians.
Flex the Sole
The sole of the shoe should be thick enough to protect the bottoms of your baby’s feet, but flexible enough to let the foot move and flex naturally. Bend the shoe at the ball of the foot. It should bend easily. If it doesn’t, the soles are too thick.
Check for Traction
Baby’s bare feet have naturally non-slip soles. The same can’t be said of most shoes. When choosing soft sole baby shoes, check the texture of the sole to make sure it provides enough traction to prevent your little one from slipping on tile and hardwood floors. The best non-slip soles are coated with or made of high-grade leather or suede, thin rubber or a specialty product called Toughtek.
Look for Wiggle Room
Chubby baby toes need plenty of room to wiggle and flex. Choose shoes with wide, deep toe boxes rather than those that fit closely around the toes. Tight toe boxes squeeze the toes together, which can cause bunions and deform toes, often with lifelong results.
Let Feet Breathe
Baby’s feet need to breathe, too. Choose soft sole baby shoes with uppers made of natural materials, like leather, suede and sheepskin that provide natural respiration and wick moisture away from the skin. Stay away from plastic and imitation leathers that can cause excessive sweating.
Soft sole baby shoes are the best choice for your baby’s growing feet. From soft crib shoes and slippers to soft sole infant shoes and soft sole toddler shoes, you’ll find a wide variety of adorable styles of baby shoes for your little one at ShoesZoo. Give your baby’s feet the best start on the long path of life with affordable baby shoes from ShoesZoo.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the world’s MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
Learn more about Soft Sole Baby Shoes
Processing your request, Please wait....
