We all want to do the best for our children. I remember my parents being careful what shoes they bought me when I was growing up, as they knew the importance of looking after children’s feet carefully as they grow. This is something I’ve continued with Autumn, making sure that I have her feet measured regularly. However, I have recently learned about soft soled shoes and the effect they have on the health of baby’s feet. Dotty Fish have been working with The London Podiatry Centre to look into this – so here it is, the truth about what shoes your baby or toddler SHOULD be wearing!

What the study found

• Soft soled shoes are good for balance – more contact points on the foot feedback to the baby’s brain, making them more aware of their feet.
• There was an improvement in hip and knee symmetry as well as ankle movement when wearing soft soled shoes
• Soft shoes shoes improved walking style in a number of areas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=208&v=nRqf4KlYFvs

Did you know?

Babies feet double in size between birth and their 4th birthday. In fact, by the time they reach their first birthday, their foot is almost half the size it will be as an adult!

As adults, we have 26 bones in our feet. Babies, however, have 22 partially developed bones in their feet that are mainly cartilage.

This is why it’s so important to make sure that we’re making the right choices, in order to help those little feet grow healthily!

What baby feet need from shoes

• Flexibility, allowing the feet to move naturally
• Shoes that are lightweight, allowing natural ankle, knee and hip movement
• Width around the toes, enabling the feet to spread when the child is standing
• Thin soles so that the child’s toes can grip the floor as they do when they’re barefoot
• A snug fit so that they don’t just fall off, but at the same time don’t restrict movement or growth
• Shoes that are made from a breathable material because babies’ feet sweet two or three times as much as adult’s feet do!

Dotty Fish Shoes

Dotty Fish shoes meet all the above requirements. The aim of these shoes is really to allow the feet to behave as they do when barefoot, whilst protecting the feet and preventing the child from slipping over with their suede soles.

There are lots of designs too – and you don’t need to worry about them being more costly!

We’ve recently been trying out Dotty Fish’s white sandals, which currently retail for £8.99 in Autumn’s size (18-24 months). They feel lovely quality and arrived in a little organza bag – perfect for a gift!

They’re easy to put on and Autumn is very comfortable in them. I’ve noticed that she’s more confident in them on the playground than in her structured shoes. It makes sense really, as her feet are able to move a lot more and grip as they’re naturally able to do. They also make such a cute little padding noise on the ground as she runs along! I can see that they’re better for her feet and Autumn seems very happy with them too! We’ll certainly be purchasing from Dotty Fish in the future.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post with Dotty Fish and I received a pair of white sandals for the purpose of writing this post. As always, all views and opinions are honest and my own.