Frequently Asked Questions / Foot Facts

Whether your little one is the world's greatest living room performer or an expert sandbox engineer, constantly curious and always on the go! The early years of your child's life are a critical time to support growing bones and developing joints. It cannot be overstated the effect proper footwear has during the early years of your child's development.

The foot is a complex structure made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles and tendons.

From ancient Egyptian times down through the centuries, footwear has been designed to meet mankind’s real and perceived needs -- protection, support, comfort, sturdiness, and stylishness.

Feet endure tremendous pressures of daily living. They are subject to more injury than any other part of the body, underscoring the need to protect them with proper footwear.

When a child begins to walk, shoes generally are not necessary, allowing an infant to go barefooted in doors, or to wear only a pair of socks, helps the foot grow normally and develop its muscles and strength, as well as the grasping ability of toes.

As children grow more active, and their feet develop, the need for shoes becomes apparent. It becomes necessary to change shoe sizes at a pace that frequently surprises and even dismays parents, to allow room for growth.

Q: How long does it take for a child foot to develop?

Q: How fast do children's feet actually grow?

Q: Why are certain shoes, necessary for children that aren't for adults?

Q: Why are proper first walking shoes so important?

Q: Will my child's foot growth ever slow down?

Q: What is the main difference between my child's foot and mine?

Q: Why don't first walking shoes have arch support?

Q: Should my child's shoe have room in the toe?

Q: Besides finding shoes with good fit, flexability, and light weight, what should I look for in a baby shoe?

Q: How long does it take for a child's foot to develop?
A: It takes nearly 18 years for a child's foot to mature fully.
This constant rate of change causes certain structural differences in your child's feet versus your own. This necessitates a supportive shoe that fits properly and encourages healthy foot development.

Q: How fast do children's feet actually grow?
A: In the first 10 years, your child's foot will grow a total of about 6-inches, or 1.5 times the size of their feet at birth.
That's why your child's footwear must offer proper support and an accurate fit, to cradle and comfort their feet during the formative years.

Q: Why are certain shoes, necessary for children that aren't for adults?
A: Your child's feet are subjected to enormous stress not typically experienced by the average adult foot.
Children impose extraordinary wear on their footwear, which is why particular care must be taken to ensure proper fit, durability and comfort. The extreme conditions of wear, combined with the developmental nature of your child's feet, demand that his shoes be specially designed with attention to these issues.

Q: Why are proper first walking shoes so important?
A: Your child's bone structure will be fully developed in the first 24 months of life.
This makes selecting footwear engineered and designed specifically for children in this important early stage of development more critical than at any other time in her life.

Q: Will my child's foot growth ever slow down?
A: Your baby's feet will grow faster during his first three years of life than at any other time in his life.
Due to the fragile nature of your baby's foot and the constant activity of their toes inside their shoes, proper fit and design of her shoes during these first three years are more critical than at any other time of her life.

Q: What is the main difference between my child's foot and mine?
A: Your baby's foot contains more cartilage than bone, whereas adult feet have more bone.
Because they contain more flesh and cartilage than actual bone, your baby's feet are extremely fragile. That's because his feet will have much more growing to do before achieving full size with completely formed bones. He has wide spaces between the bones in his feet, and his feet contain virtually no joints.

Q: Why don't first walking shoes have arch support?
A: Your baby's foot arch is not fully developed for the first two years of life.
As a result, babies do not need arch support until they are at least 2 to 3 years old.

Q: Should my child's shoe have room in the toe?
A: The toes on your baby's feet are proportionally longer than an adult's.
That's why baby shoes need extra room in the toe so their little toes can wiggle. It's nature's way of exercising the foot to enhance its growth and proper development. Toe gripping is another of nature's ways for developing your child's foot strength in preparation for gait development.

Q: Besides finding shoes with good fit, flexability, and light weight, what should I look for in a baby shoe?
A: Your baby's foot perspires two times the rate of your own.
That's why parents should shop for baby footwear that offers breathability, absorbency, and proper fit to prevent sweat-induced blistering.

During these critical years of development and activity, the design, construction, and fitting of children's shoes require special skill and attention. Many medical practitioners believe that the majority of adult foot problems stem from poor foot and shoe experiences over the course of a child's developmental years. Therefore, it is critical that proper shoe selection be made in these early years.

Information gathered from American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA)