Caring for Your Child’s Feet

Caring for Your Child’s Feet

Proper foot care is essential as your child is growing by leaps and bounds.

When you think about the health of your little one you probably don’t put much thought into their feet; however, there are quite a few issues that can happen to toddlers, infants and children if proper foot hygiene and care aren’t taken into account. Our Brooklyn podiatrists Dr. Child FeetJoseph A. Stuto and Dr. Joseph C. Stuto are here to offer up some tips on how to keep your children’s feet healthy.

The bones in a baby’s feet are made of soft cartilage, and these bones won’t fully develop until their late teens. Babies are also born with flat feet, as arches don’t develop until your child is 2 or 3 years old.

Pediatric Foot Care

It’s important for toddlers to spend enough time each day going barefoot, which will allow them time to move and wiggle their feet around to exercise and develop the muscles in the feet.

Since children’s feet grow quickly, especially during infancy, it’s important that the socks and shoes they are wearing allow them room to move. If they don’t then it’s time to get them a larger size. Tight shoes and socks compress and put added pressure on your child’s feet, which can lead to developmental issues.

Another thing to consider is your child’s bedtime. That’s right. Your little one’s bed habits could affect their development if you aren’t careful. When you tuck them into bed make sure they can move their feet and legs. If you tuck your infant or toddler in too snuggly it could restrict their movement and affect the development of their feet.

It’s also important to keep your child’s feet clean. This means washing them with soap and water every day, making sure to get in between toes, too. Once you thoroughly bathed their feet make sure to dry them off completely. If your child’s feet get particularly sweaty you may want to use a talcum powder to wick away excessive sweat.

When should you purchase shoes for your child? While it might be fun to go shoe shopping for your little one they really won’t need shoes until they are old enough to start walking around outside. If you are ever unsure about what you should and shouldn’t do for your child don’t hesitate to turn to our foot doctor in Brooklyn.

If you or your child is dealing with foot pain or other issues don’t hesitate to contact our foot care experts at Stuto Foot Specialist Podiatry. We have two offices in Brooklyn, NY, to serve you and your family better.

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