Choosing the right shoes for children is a real headache for the parents.
But if the best thing to do was precisely not to put shoes on the children?
Learn to walk, develop your flexibility, refine your body perception or simply feel good...
Isn't it time to let our toddlers' feet get some fresh air? Explanations:
Those who have already tried walking barefoot are unanimous:it feels better and freer!
So why impose shoes on children?
For pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Rouen, Saad Abu Amara, forcing children to wear shoes is simply a big mistake .
For this doctor who responds to an interview in Sciences et Avenir, we must stop bothering children with shoes.
For him, it's clear:as long as the child can't walk, be barefoot is the best for its development.
And, once the child knows how to walk, shoes should only be imposed if it is really essential.
And as for the choice of shoes for children, it is very doubtful :
"No, we have to stop bothering children and parents with this! Nature does things very well.
Bare feet are the best shoes:children are only put on shoes when they are walking and only when they need to.
At home, on safe surfaces, walking barefoot develops the foot, the muscle and allows you to discover the feeling of the supports on the ground which are an integral part of learning to walk," he says.
Wear shoes, yes, but only when it's dangerous to walk barefoot:on the street or on uneven ground, for example.
Everything else is just marketing arguments to make parents feel guilty and sell shoes at exorbitant prices.
And it's not because we pay more expensive shoes that it's necessarily better for the little ones!
"You have to forget the idea that the more expensive models are better. Rigid shoes, which supposedly support the heel or support the arch of the foot, are only marketing arguments.
It has never been shown to prevent future deformity like flat feet," he says.
According to Dr. Saad Abu Amara, there is only one scientifically based advice to give:choose shoes with 1 size more until the child is 3 or 4 years old so as not to hinder the growth of the feet.
A large number of doctors agree with the opinion of Dr. Saad Abu Amara.
In the Washington Post, Dr. Kacie Flegal explains that being barefoot is good for babies. It's a simple way to promote its development.
By walking barefoot, a young child develops flexibility and improves the acquisition of his body image.
He feels a sense of well-being thanks to the tactile sensations he experiences when walking barefoot on the ground or grass.
So what if we let our children's feet breathe? And as adults, why not do the same?
Yes, there are many benefits to walking barefoot! We talk about it here.
