When Should You Start Putting Shoes On Your Baby?

By Olivia Pitkenthly
Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Who can resist buying those Weeboks or mini Mary Janes? Finding cute outfits and the shoes to compliment them is like reliving our childhoods when we dressed up our dolls! However, itโ€™s one thing to put shoes on our poor, patient kiddos for pictures, and another to find the right walking shoe for babyโ€™s first steps.

Podiatrist Earlie Hairston recommendsย waiting until your baby starts walkingย before putting shoes on him. Aย babyโ€™s foot is always developing, andย pediatricians recommend allowingย the baby to walk barefoot or in nonskidย socks so the foot continues toย grow outside the confines of a shoe.ย A baby learns to walk by gripping theย ground with his toes and using his heelย for stability. When your child beginsย walking outside, shoes should be usedย for protection.

โ€œWhen purchasing shoes for a baby, makeย sure there is a supportive arch since babiesย have flat feet,โ€ said Hairston. Lightweightย shoes with non-skid soles, such asย sneakers, are best to keep your childย steady. Check the shoeโ€™s fit every month.ย The distance between the childโ€™s big toeย and the inside edge of the shoe should beย about the width of your finger.

Since a babyโ€™s foot changes size every two orย three months, it might be tempting to use bigย sisterโ€™s old shoes rather than spend money onย a new pair. But Hairston advises against this.ย โ€œAvoid hand-me-down shoes because theย integrity of the shoe might be compromised,ย such as the sole or the arch,โ€ he said.

Do they stillย bronze babyย shoes?

In a word, yes! Growingย up, it seemed like everyย babyโ€™s nursery hadย bronzed shoes sitting atopย the dresser. Nowadays, itโ€™sย not just bronze; you canย have your babyโ€™s shoesย preserved in pewter,ย silver and even gold!

Walk this way

A new walkerโ€™s little penguin waddle is adorable, but what is normal? If your childย is walking on the balls of her feet or with her toes pointed inward, this is a normalย developmental stage. However, if these traits continue past age 2, you should talk to yourย pediatrician. Other potential issues to look for include limping (with or without pain) andย having no interest in walking after she has turned 15 months old. While frequent fallingย is to be expected in the early walking stages, if it continues, coupled with the inabilityย or difficulty to get back up again, please talk to your doctor.