Do Children Need Supportive Shoes to Start Walking?

"He needs a bit of support to help get him walking."

It's a comment we hear regularly at first fittings. And it's often accompanied by a few worries. Their feet look flat. They seem to roll inwards. Their toes turn out when they walk.

If you've thought any of this, you're in good company. It feels logical. Your little one is wobbly, lacks confidence, so surely something sturdy around their feet will help? But when it comes to growing feet, more support isn't the answer, and it can actually hold them back.

Where does the idea come from?

Often, it's been passed down. Many of us grew up in quite sturdy, stiff-soled shoes, and our parents and grandparents were told that was what children needed. At the time, it may well have been the standard advice.

But our understanding has moved on. Feet don't need shoes to give them structure. That structure, strong enough to carry our whole body, develops best when feet are allowed to move naturally.

What's really happening in your child's feet

A toddler's foot is very different from an adult's. It's soft, flexible and it will keep changing for years.

Flat-looking feet are normal. Young children have a natural pad of fat where the arch will be, and their ligaments are very flexible. All toddlers look flat-footed. The arch usually starts to appear from about the age of three or four, sometimes later, and has done most of its developing by seven or eight.

Rolling in and turning out are usually normal too. Toes pointing inwards or outwards is common in new walkers. In most children it corrects itself as their bones and joints grow and their muscles get stronger, with no intervention needed.

None of this is a problem a shoe needs to fix. It's simply a foot that's still developing.

There are conditions for which some support is beneficial, such as hypermobility, where ankle support can help stabilise this joint to enable the muscles to strenghten, read more here. And if your child is experiencing pain, stiffness or only one foot is affected, please do speak to your GP.

Why "support" can hold feet back

Think about what happens to an arm that spends weeks in a cast. When the cast is removed, the muscles are much weaker, because they haven't had to work.

Feet are similar. The more cushioning, support and structure we put around a foot, the less it can move naturally. The muscles, tendons and ligaments do less of the work, so the foot becomes weaker and more reliant on shoes to function.

The process of learning to walk also depends on feedback. Every step your child takes sends information from the soles of their feet to their brain about the ground underneath. That's helping your child learn to balance and coordinate their movements. A thick, rigid sole dulls that signal.

This isn't just my opinion, it's supported by Alder Hey Children's Hospital's guidance for parents, which says stiff, supportive shoes limit the movement feet need to build strength and stay mobile.

What feet really need is protection, not support

Our feet are perfectly designed for the job they need to do. They can support our whole body and help us move safely and efficiently, without needing support themselves.

What they do need is protection from our modern environment: hard pavements, sharp objects, the cold and the wet. That's the job of a shoe.

We shouldn't outsource the work of our feet to shoes. We just need to let them move and develop naturally, and keep them protected.

I see families who come to me after buying their little one a structured, rigid pair of shoes elsewhere. When their child steps into shoes that allow their feet to bend and feel the ground, and their toes to splay, parents are always amazed at how much more freely and easily they move.

What to look for in children's shoes

When indoors, let your little one go barefoot as much as possible. When there's a need for shoes, look for:

• A wide toe box, so toes can spread and grip naturally

• A light, flexible sole that bends easily and lets them feel the ground

• A flat sole from heel to toe, with no raised heel

• A snug fit at the heel, so the foot is held securely without being squeezed

  
  

Growing feet change fast, so keep checking the fit. Up to age four, have your child's feet measured every two to three months. After that, roughly every four months.

The next step

If you're unsure whether your child is ready for shoes, or whether their current pair is helping or hindering, a proper fitting is the best place to start. We'll measure their feet, watch how they move and answer any questions or concerns you have, all in a calm, relaxed setting, your home or ours, or at one of our pop-up events. Book a fitting at CeCe & Me