Caring for your child’s feet is beneficial to his health, mobility and well-being throughout his life. According to the Podiatrists Association, the 26 bones in our feet are not fully hardened (or ossified) until the age of 12-18. In fact, children’s feet consist of relatively soft and flexible cartilage, which gradually turns into bone with age. While children’s feet develop, the soft cartilage centers merge with each other. In this case, the child’s foot is exposed to injuries and deformations due to poorly fitting footwear. Any abnormalities and deformations of the foot can affect body posture and walking style.
All models of brafoot shoes Magical Shoes have been designed especially for natural movement. To get more feedback and the benefits of minimalist footwear (for all ages), our Magical Shoes are created in such a way that the thin sole is as flexible as possible, that they have wide toebox and have a zero drop between the heel and toes.
Advice on healthy footwear for children.
We know that walking barefoot is the best when it comes to healthy foot development. Of course, “being barefoot” is not always practical, which is why proper footwear design is very important to protect your feet, while allowing unrestricted movement. Here are some tips on how to find healthy minimalist shoes for the youngest:
- Provide enough space in the toes (toebox) to make them move and work spontaneously. We do not only mean shoes, but you should also make sure that the socks do not tighten too much on the child’s feet.
- When buying footwear for your toddler, find soft baby shoes designed specifically for their age group. A small child’s foot has a different shape than an adult, therefore it requires a correspondingly larger space in the shoe than the shape of an adult shoe. The big problem is that many brand manufacturers creating children’s footwear simply reduces the models for adults, without changing the shape of their form, which is why their children’s shoes hurt our children.
- Avoid shoes with a heel, created on a hard thick sole, in which the front of the shoe is raised, such that the upper is stiff and additionally limits the natural movement of the foot.
- The upper part of the shoes should be made of flexible and breathable materials.
Orthopedists and physiotherapists have long mentioned the benefits of walking barefoot. More and more often scientific research indicates that children who walk barefoot or in minimalist shoes gain:
- Improved strength / elasticity of the foot muscles (especially in children who previously wore shoes with a rigid sole)
- Improved bone functionality and endurance
- Improved balance
The Magical Shoes offer includes Coco barefoot sandals and Lulu barefoot shoes for children from the ages of one to four years, as well as Explorer and Explorer Autumn models for children aged 3 and up;)
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