Barefoot and Loving it!
November 2024
In fact, until the age of four, your child would benefit greatly from…..You guessed it, barefeet
Hands up if you’ve been out shopping for a baby, whether your own or someone else’s, and you spotted the CUTEST pair of shoes?? Meee, Meee, Meee!
We all know how easy it is to be swept into the baby world, where you ‘Just have to’ have this and that. The list is never ending. Well, I’m here to take one item off that shopping list, SHOES. I know this is a strange concept to get our heads around, because for the majority of us, we spend most of our days wearing shoes. So, let’s break it down.
When my daughter (who is now 10) was younger, she spent her first 5 years basically barefoot. So many times- before she was walking even- friends and family would ask, “Where are her shoes”? “Why does she not wear shoes”? “Doesn’t she need shoes on out there”? I would always say, why would she need shoes, she doesn’t even walk yet, and they’d look at me like I was speaking a different language (haha). They would ask, “How is she going to learn to walk without shoes”? Because their thinking was that she would gain more balance, control and skill from the shoes.
I never got caught up in the cute label shoes or brands for her because I knew she’d be safer to explore without them. She ended walking a month before her birthday and aside from the typical toddler clumsiness, she was always in control of her body movements. She never had any major accidents, and even going up and down stairs, she mastered that early too. Yes, she got a bee sting or a prickle in her foot a few times, but I was never worried about serious danger because I never put her in environments that could cause her real harm.
Accidents happen! Bumps and bruises come and go, this is part of growing up. But the sooner children learn about their own body and develop total control over it themselves, the less accidents they are likely to have. Not just as toddlers, but as they grow into adolescent.
Children are constantly building and gathering information about their world from the day they are born through their senses; Sound, Taste, Sight, Smell, and Touch.
Touch is ESSENTIAL for children as they are making meaning of and relation to their world. One vital aspect of touch that is often overlooked is that children don’t just touch with their hands, but their feet act as tiny little investigators too.
There is a wide range or readings and research that support the notion that children who experience the world beneath their bare feet, have developmental advantages correlating with enhanced brain development and body awareness.
Within the first four years, children’s feet are highly adaptable and can take the shape required for walking on uneven terrain, hence the emphasis on being barefoot. Wearing shoes can limit such adaptation as the muscles don't work so hard; the arch doesn't develop fully impacting balance, coordination, and overall body awareness.
A child who often walks barefoot will naturally develop stronger, more flexible feet - it’s like strength training for their feet. When exposed to different surfaces and stimuli, sensory nerves within the foot send valuable feedback to the brain, thus enhancing your child's proprioceptive awareness (sense of self movement), posture, and coordination.
Barefoot play is the philosophy in action. Encouraging barefoot play not only supports children’s physical development but also their cognitive progress. It's an effective way to ensure your child grows and develops in a holistic manner. Children's feet have innate sentient qualities that can be explored and nurtured for their physical and mental wellbeing.
Age four is significant because it is the first milestone after the bones of the feet have been set. At six months of age, the foot is still mostly cartilage. At about age three, the last bone begins to develop. By age four, the foot's shape, muscle tone, and arch development have solidified to a significant degree. This formation allows for a range of movement and sensory stimulation, both crucial for overall psychomotor (mental activity) and cognitive development.
Let’s break down the benefits:
• Strengthens foot muscles
• Healthy manner of walking
• Brain development
• Sensory Input
• Supports children to feel grounded (spiritually)
• Connecting skin directly with the Earth's natural surfaces (can help restore natural balance)
• Improved balance and coordination
• Improved spatial awareness
• Improved neuromuscular strength (nerves and muscles)
• Improved body awareness
• Improved proprioception (body position).
• Improved presence of mind and conscious awareness
Shoes limit the range of movement for your child's feet. They constrict the natural splay and spread of the toes and alter the natural forming of the arch. Shoes can also impact muscle strength and foot-loading patterns in children. They may even affect a child's natural stride. Shoe confinement and unnatural shaping may lead to impaired foot structure and foot-related difficulties later in life.
We have become a culture accustomed to turning our babies and toddlers into mini adults, rather than allowing them to naturally unfold and develop as children. I’m not saying NO SHOES, EVER! - Life happens, special events take place, toddlers start showing an interest in clothing and footwear like their parents and whānau.
But let’s try creating a better balance, where our infants and toddlers spend more time barefoot and keep shoes for the occasional outing. Create opportunities for your child to explore their world to their full potential, mind, body, and souls of their feet.
Check out this link for a deeper dive with more information.